The age-herald., 1901-10-10
JUDGE JONES' APPOINTMENT

From the Cincinnati Enquirer.
 If MT. Roosevelt would rather be right than be President after the expiration of his present term he can ignore the scala wags who go as delegates from the South to the Republican National conventions and confer the offices on men of worth and standing. Presently MT. Roosevelt will find how much harder 1t is to be virtuous in practice than in theory. From the Louisville Courier-JournaI. President Roosevelt begins his much talked-of new policy with regard to Southern appointments to office by nam ing Ex-Governor Thomas G. Jones as Federal Judge for the Alabama district. If the President shall keep up to this mark in carrying out his policy he will, while he may not work a political revolu- tion. greatly improve the Federal service in the South. Governor Jones is in every way first-class man. and he is as good Democrat as there is in Alabama.
 From the New York Evening Post.
 Much significance attaches to the ap- pointment by President Roosevelt of Ex- Governor Jones as United States District Judge for Alabama. to fill a vacancy caused by death. The late incumbent was a Republican, and the Republican poli- that Republican President would con- slider only Republican candidates for the vacancy. But when 1t appeared that the party had nobody to present who was worthy of the place, Mir. Roosevelt con- cluded to look elsewhere and to pick out the best man without regard to his po- litical affiliations. The man upon whom his choice fell made an honorable rec ord as Democratic Governor of the State a few years ago, and more recently he has distinguished himself in the Constitu- tional Convention as the opponent of ex- treme measures directed against the blacks, and as the advocate of provisions ing. He enjoys the confidence of the best elements of both races, while his high standing as a lawyer abundantly quali- fies him for a good service on the bench.
 Of course. this Jones appointment is not to be regarded as an isolated act, but rather as the first illustration of a policy which the President means to pursue in the South. Mir. Roosevelt's purpose is to appoint only fit men to office in that sec- ton, as elsewhere. Being a Republican. he will naturally give the preference to representatives of his own party when 1t presents worthy candidates. but he knows that in many regions the Republican or ganization Is so weak anu disreputabie that 1t cannot offer man fit to fill a vacancy. In such cases MT. Roosevelt will insist upon finding the right type of man. even if he is compelled. as in this Alabama instance, to take Democrat It will be an immense gain for the Repub- lican party to have such a principle es- tablished. and thus to escape responsi- bility for unfit appointments made solely on partisan grounds.
 From the Chicago Inter-Ocean.
 The Democratic press is evidently greatly perturbed over President Roose- velt's intimation that he may hereafter make federal appointments in the south without regard to the political affiliations of the appointees. The senior Democratic organ in Chicago, for example. character izes this suggested policy of the Presi- dents as an effort to "bribe" Democrats Even if President Roosevelt had any de- sire to ''bribe'' anybody-which. of course he has not-why should a Democratic newspaper so hastily admit that Demo- crats are ready to be bribed? The old adage about i'll birds fouling their own nests seems to apply to the Democratic press in this connection.
 To any one who knows and calmly con siders the concrete facts of southern poli- tics the reasons why President Roosevelt might be moved to adopt the suggested course are apparent. The white men of the south. with few exceptions, have been so afraid of negro domination" that they have not dared rationally to discuss really vital public issues. Whether that fear was or Is we'll founded is imma- terial. It exists, and it's effects are visible to all beholders. Its most deplorable ef- feet has been that intelligent political