The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-01-06
POLITICIANS ARE NOE ABLE no GET
A STRAIGHT LINE ON THE
PRESIDENT
QUESTION IS, WILL HE WEAR
Policy of DOings Things in His Own
Peculiar Way Is Losing Its At
traction for Practical
Politicians
sPOILs ARE NOT III REACH
FROM THE GLOBE BUREAU,
WI N .cfnn N q

FROM THE GLOBE BUREAU,
Washington, ID. G.
WASHINGTON, Jan. Sit is long
look to 1904, but public men are dis
cussing the possibilities in the light of
the record the new president has made
in three months and a half. Ihe conserv-
ative view here is that it is too early
to predict what the Republican party may
do in the spring Of 1901. Political prophets
say the people will point the way for
the party, and they have not made up
their minds. A Western congressman
who came back to the capital this week
after two weeks with his constituents
says the American public has stin got
its ear to the ground. 1t is passing
through the inquisitive stage.
Il suppose l was asked a thousand
times, How ABOUT Roosevelt?' " said this
congressman. " is he taken seriOusly?'
What is the general impression at
Washington" People on trains, in clubs
and in hotels are talking about the young
president, Or rather they are asking ques-
tions of persons who are supposed to
have access to the most reliable informa>
tion. By and by the people will take his
measure, and when they do we shall be
able to talk of the future with some
thing on which to base our predictions
ROOseveIt,s Friends Confident.
It is generally believed that the next
three months will demonstrate whether
the public is prepared to stand by the
president The presidents friends believe
that the tide of criticism running so high
just now will soon pass away and be for
gotten.
Skilled politicians say Roosevelt 5
denomination in 1904 depends on his abil-
ity to hold the Republican national ma
chine together. Evidently foreseeing this.
the president has prepared to bring into
his cabinet that skilled politician, Henry
c. Payne, Of Wisconsin, vice chairman
of the Republican national committee,
and it is agreed that he did not make
a political mistake when he decided to
take as another member of the cabinet
Gov. Leslie NJ. Shaw of Iowa, rising
Westerner, with a presidential boom all
most ready to burst from the bud But,
the politicians say, it will take even more
than this to counteract any general move
ment of the party organization to break
away from the administration and look
for new candidate for president.
Hungry for Political Pie.
The administration attitude on the
subject of patronage has tended to alien
ate the practical politicians in many
sections Of the country and if it remains
unchanged during his term of office it
may, we'll informed men believe, be the
greatest stumbling block in his political
path No one doubts that the lovers Of
good government everywhere admire the
stand that has been taken for respect
for the merit system, but there is a prac-
teal political side to it, and that is the
side with which the president makers
have to do.
Evidently the hope of the president is
to intrench himself in such a strong posi-
ton on the patronage question that the
'practic politicians will not dare chal-
1enge his position before the people. 1t
is apparent to everyone that just now,
whatever the general tendency of ;he
estimate of the president is, the PEP
pie sustain his declaration that fitness
shall govern in choosing men to serve the
republic.
Teddy Talks Too Much.
Perhaps the presidents personality has
done more to bring him into disfavor
with certain public men than any one
other attribute. The picturesqueness of
the daily interviews with public men at
the White house was most entertain
ing for a while, but senators and repre-
sentatives have tired of it. They declare
they like a president who can talk, but
they do not want him to do all the talking.
Not a few men have had taste of the
same dose Gen. Miles got in the general
reception room, and while they refrained
from saying anything about it, they
cherish the hope that by and by the
young president will cease to be strenu-
Gus in his intercourse with men who call
on him to talk of the public business.
Well informed men here who have been
watching presidents come and go for near
ly half century say Mr. Roosevelt will
either wear or he will not. They mean
that in the end-after full account has
been taken and checked up-he will be-
come a popular president-popular be-
cause he does things as they should be
done and does them his own way-or he
will be most unpopular, and will find his
party looking for a new man long before
his term approaches an end.
So 1t is that the people from all over
are asking: ''Wiu he wear?"
Sensitive to Criticism.
The president, from all accounts, feels
keenly the lash of public criticism not
withstanding he is frequently credited
with being anxious to run counter to
the expectations of the people.
Naturally the dissolution of the Nc
Kinley cabinet and the presidents atti-
tude on the subject of patronage have
tended to check the popular favor with
which the executive was received before
any perpleXing obstacles arose in the path
of the administration. Many exaggerated
stories of cabinet quarrels have gone to
the country, and no doubt the president
has been put in a false light before the
people of some localities, but it is never
theless true that there would not have
been any break in the Mckinley cabinet
# things had been as agTeeabIe about
The White house as they were under tine
former president.
The outgoing members Of the cabinet
peak in the highest terms of the presi-
dent and nothing will be done by them "a
cripple his administration, but their going
bt a time when the searchlight of the
public was turned full on the man in the
White house has not tended to strengthen
Mr.. Roosevelt in public favor.