The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-10-23
TIE KoEsTER APPOINTMENT.

THE KoESTER APPOINTMENT.
The appointment of Mr.. George r.
Rooster of Columbia to be Collector of
Internal Revenues in South Carolina
came like a thunderbolt out of a clear
sky" The Office is one of the best in
the gift of the President in the state.
The five juicy political plums in Caro-
lima are the customs collectorship at
! Charleston, the postmastership in the
same city the postmastership at Co
/ lunbia, the district attorneyship, and
the internal revenue collectorship
These fve offices have heretofore form
ed the vertebra of the Republican party
in the state. Have the President and
Senator McLaurin set about deliber-
ately to break that backbone, in order
TO clear the way for a new Republic
can party in South Carolina? The Caro-
linians are specializing on the question,
and would like to have an answer to 1t.
Senator McLaurin declares that he is
still a Democrat, and is operating in
side the party to secure an endorse
Mr.. Capers, who has been appointed
district attorney on his recommended
ton, is a Republican of comparatively
recent conversion. Mr.. Rooster the
new revenue collector however, is a
Gold Democrat" as is also Mr.. Rich
ardson, who has been appointed post
master at Greenville. But is not the
line of demarkation between com
mercial Democracy and Republican
ism rather nebulous? Many of the
Gold Democrats" in the last election
supported Maj Mckinley as against
the regular nominee of the Democratic
party; might it not be expected that
the Commercial Democrats" would be
found voting the Republican ticket in
the next election, against the nominee
of the regular Democratic convention?
However that may be, it is quite
sure that the old-line, regular Repub-
lican organization in South Carolina
has received a serious blow in the sew
eral federal appointments that
have been made since McLaurin
got the ear of the admins
tration. Not one of the good things"
has gone to any of the old-t timers. The
effect cannot be otherwise than dis
couraging to them. Their politics is
for pelf. not for principle. If there is
no pelf for them, what is the use of
keeping up the organization? What
the effect will be remains to be seen.
At present however, ii looks as If IT
would be bad on the following of
Deas, the saddle colored politician
whom Senator Hanna declined to ap-
point to the National Committee va
cancy caused by the death of Commit
teeman Webster.
The Rooster appointment at least IL
Illustrates forcibly two facts; namely
that Southern politicians are still will
ing to accept Office at the hands of
President Roosevelt, and that Senator
McLaurin has virtual control of the
dispensing of the federal patronage in
South Carolina There seems to be a
pretty clear understanding between
the administration and the junior Sem
ator. What its purpose is will no doubt
be developed later.
Personally, there can be no question
of the new collectors fitness. He is a
college young man of considerable ma
tive ability. Politically. however,
there will be objection, by Senator Till
man. In his capacity as a newspaper
editor Mr.. Rooster, during the past
two or three years, has felt called upon
to criticise Tillman and the dispen-
sary rather sharply. Senator Tillman
does not quickly forgive or forget. He
will no doubt use his best endeavors to
keep Rooster out of the Office.