Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-04-30

the word is used in ordinary converse
ton has been absolutely unknown
among our presidents. and it has been
exceedingly rare in our presidents,
cabinets. Inefficiency, whether due to
lack of will power sheer deficiency
in wisdom, or improper yielding eth
er to the pressure of politicians or to.
the other kinds of pressure which
must be often found even in free de-
mocracy, has been far less uncommon.
OF deliberate moral obliquy there has
been but very little indeed.
n the easiest, quietest most peace
full times the President is sure to have
great tasks before him. The simple
question OF revenue and expenditure
is as important to the nation as to the
average household, and the President
is the man to whom the nation looks
and whom it holds accountable IN the
matter both of expenditure and OF rev.
enue. 1t is an entirely mistaken be-
lief that the expenditure of money is
simply due to a taste for recklessness
and extravaganza on the part OF the
peoples representatives.
The representatives in the long run
are sure to try to do what the people
effectively want. The trouble is that
although each group, has and all the
groups taken together still more
more strongly have,an interest IN keep
ing the expenditures down, each group
has also direct interest in keeping
some particular expenditure up. This
expenditure is usually entirely proper
and desirable save only that the aggre-
gate of all such expenditures may be
so great as to make it impossible Tor
the nation to go into them
1t is great deal the same thing in
he nation as it is in the state. The
demand NAV be for consumptiye hos
pital, or for pensions to veterans, or
for a public building or for an armory
or for cleaning out harbor, or for
| starting irrigation. In each case the
demand may be in itself entirely prop
ar and those interested In 1t, from
whatever motives, may be both sim
| aere and strenuous in their advocacy.
| But the President has to do on a large
/ scale what every governor of state
| has to do on small scale. that is
balance the demands on the treasury
with the capacities of the treasury
i "HlCHGNSI way tSSisiSsoy ooiitS ~
pie are sure to think that he has tip
ped the scale the wrong way, and
| from their point Of view they may con
scientiously think it; whereas from his
| point of view he may know with equa
| conscientiousness that he has done
| his best to strike an average which
would on the one hand not be niggard
~ toward worthy objects. and on the
other, would not lay too heavy a bur
den of taxation on the people.
Inasmuch as these particular ques
tons have TO be met every year in con
nection with every session of congress
| and with the work of every depart
ment, it may be readily seen that ever
the Presidents everyday responsible
ties are of no light order. So it j:
i with his appointments. Entirely apar
4 from the fact that there is grea
4 pressure for the place, it is also thu
fact that in all the higher and more
important appointments, there are usu
: ally conflicting interests which in some
way must somehow be reconclled tt
! the best of the Presidents capacity
!. Here again, it must be remembered
!. that the matter is not always by an.
means one of merely what we cal
politics. Where there is really serious
conflict in reference to the appoint
ment, while it may be merely faction
al fight it is more apt to be becaust
two groups Of the Presidents support
ers differ radically and honestly Oh
some question of policy; SO that what
ever the Presidents decision may be
8 he cannot help arousing dissatisfac
ton.
One thing to be remembered is tina
: appointments and policies which ar
normally routine and unimportani
: may suddenly become of absolute
/ ly vital consequence For instance
the war department was utterly ne
\ elected for over thirty years after tn
civil war. This neglect was due les
n to the successive presidents than t
congress, and in congress it was du
: to the fact that the people themselye
did not take an interest in the army
, Neither, the regular officer or the regu
J lar soldier takes any part in polite
as rule, SO that the demagogue an,
\ the bread-and-butter politician hay