The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-10-10
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SATURDAY, OCT. 10, 1903.
The CABINET cAMPAIeNER.

Secretary Shaw is of no particular
use to the country when in his office
at Washington, and he does no partic-
ular harm to the Democratic party
when he is on the stump. 1t is not,
therefore, for political reasons, but
solely on the ground of precedent and
good taste that the public enters a pro-
test against his permanent adoption of
the role of cabinet campaigner. He
has now accepted propositions to spend
the time intervening between this and
election in the states where campaigns
are under way, and will appear first
at Akron, Ohio.
How far a cry this is from the days
when ''pernicious activity was for
hidden in politics, and when the dig
nifty of the man and the office saved
him from such performances as this.
1t has been considered improper in
even a postmaster to take too promi-
nent place in political maneuverings.
Men in the employ of the customs
service have been warned repeatedly
not to make themselves prominent in
party politics. But here is a cabinet
officer, a member of the presidents
council, one of the men holding office
in the highest political advisory body
in the land, the head of perhaps the
greatest department of the government
and the one which should have least to
do with political concerns, whose sole
duty, as he conceives it, is to stump
the country in the interests of the Re
publican party.
AS We said, there is no objection to
this on party grounds. The oftener Sec
rotary Shaw speaks, the less weight
his words carry with the people. He
has already shown himself willing to
make the treasury department a mere
tail to the Wall street kite He has
talked so much and so often on things
within and without the field of his
public labors that he commands little
or no attention. Neither as financier
nor as political orator is he a shining
mark. But we do protest against the
violation of customs and traditions i'm
portant to the dignity and propriety of
official conduct, and against the degra-
dation of national administration to
the plane of a mere party campaign
committee.
The men of mark who have presided
over the treasury in the past have been
exceedingly chary of public utterance.
in great financial emergencies they
have spoken to give counsel or to calm
an excited public; at notable banouets
in the principal centers of the country
they have made dignided addresses, in
which at times word in behalf of
party found place; but one need only
glance over the list of the men of mark
In this country who have been secreta-
ries of the treasury to realize how i'm
possible it is to conceive of them, while
holding this great place, as playing a
part of political spellbinders.
The national administration is suf-
1ering throughout from the terrible
anxiety Of its head to be nominated
and elected president next year. A
similar desire to obtain office has be-
come the ideal of all his associates.
Compare even so recent body as the
cabinet of President Mckinley with
that of President Roosevelt and YOU
Shaw will do no harm to the Demo-
cratic cause by his tour, but the fact
that a secretary of the treasury goes
stamping for his party should be held
up to the severest censure as an Of
tense against propriety and almost
against political decency.
! The Chicago university is about to
| commence the work Of SHADING in and