The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-10-09
Increasing Business With the
Globe Increases Business
for Business Men,
FRIDAY, OCT. 9, 1903.
A SINGULAR VIEW.

A Republican contemporary, which
does not quite dare go to the length Of
protesting against a congressional in
vestigation of the frauds in the post
office department, throws cold water
upon the project and reasons about it
in a remarkably amusing fashion. 1t
CLOSES over the fraudulent perform
ance of officials, and finds the real Gull
prits in the members of congress who
insist upon disposing of the patronage
in their districts. 1t says:
at is matter of common notoriety
that the root of the trouble lies outside
of the postoffice department and can
not be reached under the criminal law.
Congress could both expose and remove
It if it had the disposition to do so.
1t is notorious that the opportunity for
frauds like those exposed in the post
office department is created by abuse of
patronage by members of congress.
These members claim their right TO
recommend persons for appointment
to department places. They use that
right to reward persons who have aid
ed them to secure election without
due regard to the honesty or capacity
of the persons recommended"
Having thus comforted the INSIDERS
and thrown the burden of guilt upon
congress, our contemporary goes on to
say: only congress has power to deal
with this evil. Only congress can go to
the root of the trouble" The average
citizen who is acquainted with the
methods followed in the departments at
Washington will have some difficulty in
is quite true that the members of con-
gress desire and expect to control the
patronage of their districts; that they
insist not infrequently upon the APP
pointment of unworthy persons; and
that the departments at the capital are
filled with the proteges of senators and
representatives. What then? The
members of congress have no appoint
i've power. The best that they can do is
to bring pressure to bear upon those
who do have it.
If the head of bureau or the head of
a department objects to having such
appointments thrust upon him, he can
decline. No power on earth can reach
him save the president. If the chief
executive himself takes a stand for fit
appointments and against the patron
a in oil
ready to apply in practice to his own
acts the theory that he advocates as a
civil service reformer, the abuse is at
an end. Senator or congressman is
utterly impotent to force a single man
outside the classified service into public
office against the wish of those with
whom the power of appointment lies.
We might carry the argument OF
our contemporary logically little far
ther. Members of congress do not
force offices upon unwilling private cit
liens, any more than the cabinet forces
them upon Indifferent members of con-
gress. The member tries to make q
place for some constituent because that
constituent mas asked for it, insisted
upon it, besieged him with letters OF
recommendation and petitions signed
by electors in his district. He does it
under pressure. The same argument
which carries back the blame from de-
partment officers to members of con-
gress should carry it back from mem
bers Of congress to the Office seekers
among the people. If "the remedy
lies with congress-" 1t can only be in
the passage of an act making it a
criminal offense punishable by fine or
imprisonment fer any citizen to seek to
hold office under the government of the
United States.
The position taken thus reduces it.