The age-herald., 1901-03-27

eHOrt mas been maue to distribute these | appointments-thoset to the staff and those | to lieutenancies, as evenly among the states as possible The pressure for them has been very great. It Is said there | have been ten thousand applications for | these positions, which number something over seven hundred. Necessarily politi- | cal influence has considerable weight in | tho selections. but every effort has been made to select men who will be able to | fill the positions acceptably and credit ably. Neither the President nor the of ficials of the war department desire to have any sticks or incompetent men be- come officers in the regular army. The examinations will be thorough, but fair. The men who are to be appointed pay masters will be examined physically, Awhile those for quartermasters, commis- t3ries and lieutenants will not only have Ito pass the physical requirements, but to show proficiency in the work they will have to do. No one will be appointed quartermaster, commissary or lieuten- ant who has not had military experience. The President Is particularly well satis- fled with the work of Judge William H. Taft, chairman of the Philippine Com mission. He made the selection for this important post with the greatest care and chose Judge Taft because he knew his experience as judge and his wide general knowledge, as well as his execu- tive ability and good Judgment fitted him admirably for the work Judge Taft has made few promises and said little. After he went to Manila he put in his time In getting fully acquainted with the situa- tkon and not until he had a thorough grasp of 1t did he make any recommenda- tions. Now he knows 1t fully and the work now being done by the commission in the line of preparing for the civil gov ernment is the result of many months study and investigation.
 Great things are expected of the new civil government. and judng by the in formation that comes from Manila it is believed that within a year or two after the institution of the civil government the archipelago will be peaceful and the work of developing the resources of the islands will be well in hand. By that time it Is expected that the cry of the anti-imper- ialsts will have lost any strength that now remains and that the Republican party can point to the solution of the Philippine problem as a full justification for the faith the people have imposed in it.
 Intimate friends of Postmaster-General Smith take no stock in the idea that the postmaster-general Is intending to retire about the first of July. They say that he likes his work as cabinet officer, and is not anious to reassume his editorial chair just yet.
 In connection with the talk of the pos sibe retirement of the postma ster-gen eral and of other cabinet changes, it is to be observed that some prominent poli- ticians would be glad if the postmaster general would retire or were transferred to some other department. They would also be glad if Secretary Gage. of the Treasury Department and Secretary Hitchcock of the Interior Department would elect to retire. They think that w'th the Treasury, the Postoftice and the Interior Departments in the hands of practical politicians, much could be done towards strengthening the Republican party for the Presidential campaign of 1904 The fact is that these politicians are more concerned about preparing for the selection of successor to William Mo- Kinley than they are about the future of the Republican party. They think. of course. that the election of 1904 would be more likely to go Republican if one of