The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-04-06
A REPUTATION AT STAKE


It is one of the chief arts of politics
to successfully play the role of reform
er while being at heart and In purpose
very practical person, always on the
lookout for the best Of it for ones self
and ones friends. This Is not only one
Of the principal arts, but it is, perhaps,
the most difficult Of all the arts of poll
tics as a profession.
No one of his contemporaries can be
said to even approach William Mckinley
in the practice of this art Indeed, he
is, so far as experience has shown for
twenty-five years or So unapproachable.
There are many directions in which the
president has established his ability in
the pursuit of this art. In no direction,
however, has he shown more skill than
with reference to the pursuit OF the
cause Of civil service reform There he
has shown Respondent. There is prob
ably not a truly devoted member Of the
church which rejoices in numbering Will
liam Mckinley among it's believers
whatever particular branch of the
Christian church that may be-who is
not satisfied in his soul that that gentle
man is a living paragon of all the yir-
tues of politics. There Is, in addition,
good proportion of virtuous persons,
good church attendants chiefly, who &C.
cept the same doctrine
Civil service reform Is the usual test
|
in such cases. Mckinley is q civil serv-
ice reformer par excellence. So all the
adherents of the G. o. P would claim
for him to the end of time; one class of
them because they thoroughly believe 50,
the other because they think the civil
service the best thing, as graft" per-
haps, in the entire programme of Repup-
lican reform.
Within week or two, however, the
great disciple of national civil service re-
form has made an almost inexcusable
b1under. His reputation not only as
civil service refor1ner but as a political
| artist is accordingly at stake. He is
| now struggling to explain to his constit-
uents of a decided reforming proclivity
how it came about that he appointed
one Rodenberg as civil service commits
sioner.
There is one explanation offered, and,
SO far as we know, only one, thus far.
1t is that the appointment was made in
haste, and that there was no opportunity
| to examine into the antecedents of
! Rodenberg as civil service reformer.
| The explanation is not especially distin-
| guished for ingenuity or originality. In
| deed the wonder is how such an artist
| should commit himself to such lame
and impotent proposition. The antece-
dents of Rodenberg in connection with
the civil service are the only antecedents
Of his in fact which are known at ALL
And they seem to be thoroughly known
to every person on eartn apparently save
| President Mckinley and his immediate
advisers.
/ Rodenberg has a record as in this re-
spect, and it is that when in a position
to do so he voted to "starve civil serv-
ice out" 1t is now being urged that
President Mckinley well knew when he
appointed Rodenberg that he was put
ting a man on the commission who had
| done all in his power to destroy the eff
ficacy of that body, and who is the UNI
compromising enemy of the cause Of
| civil service reform.
Rodenberg is now civil service commits
sioner all right. And he is so by virtue
Of the official act Of William Mckinley,
| president of the United States by oc-
cupation and civh service reforrner by
national repute. The question naturally
suggesting itself to all the real reformers
is how President Mckinley and his ad-
visers, of all the other people on earth,
should have been ignorant of the real
character of Rodenberg as a prospective
member Of the civil service commissioner
Unless this question is answered salts
factorily it is to be feared that the high
repute which our virtuous president en-
joys as a reforner will be seriously i'm
pugned even among those who regard
him as an examplar of the Christian
virtues in politics.