The Savannah morning news., 1903-04-22


ice, designed to prevent the removal of
clerks without cause, and was himself
formerly the president of the board of
Civil Service Commissioners, three in
all. under President Harrison. There
fore he has been in full sympathy with
the efforts to perfect the system, now
about as nearly complete as it can be.
The intended conditions have been
concealed as far as practicable In
new code promulgated recently by the
commission and worded in exhaustive
phrases that have not Immediately
conveyed a complete meaning to the
public. The law offices of the gov
ernment however, are fully aware OF
the significance of the new code. 1t
makes the Civil Service Commission
supreme in Determining the personnel
of the enormous clerical force of the
government, even over the heads OF
the department officers. That re-
markable state is made possible be-
cause the commissioners have sole
power to say when the salary of
clerk shall be cut off and even the
Controller of the Treasury, an officer
who is supreme in matters of eXpend1-
lures under law, cannot interfere.
Phe new code of things will make
the politicians howl, especially con-
siderable class of them who are open
ly and above board antagonistlc 10
civil service. However, it is certain TO
result in extensive benefits. The next
two years and also the four years after
that, if Mr. Roosevelt is elected Presi-
dent in 1904, are bound to be the gold
en- era of civil service.
The New York Quarrel
The political quarrel. with which New
York state is just now ringing, is a
theme of the deepest interest to stu
dents of next years presidential cam
paign. 1t looks as history was again
to repeat itself and the vote of the
most populous state in the Union be
turned over to the Democratic party.
The time was when New York went.
so went the Union, but that condition
has long ago passed. President Roose-
Welt can be elected without the vote
of New York state. but it would be a
terrible humiliation for any President,
and a thing that has not happened, at
least in recent years, to any man of
either party who has entered the
White House. 1t is widely realized
that if Senator Platt. now an old and
very feeble man, and Gov. Odell quar-
rel to tho extent that makes a Dem
ocratic victory possible in 1904, the In
fiuence of the Generalization win ex-
tend outside of New York state to New
Jersey and Connecticut.
Money and Elections.
But there is still another important
consideration. In a very broad sence
it is true that lavish expenditures of
money has been a powerful factor in
determining the last four presidential
elections. Generally the Republican
party has had the sympathy and sup
port of great corporations, able to make
big campaign contributions. President
Harrison was undoubtedly elected by
the use of money in 1888. But four
years later in 1892 when Mr.. Cleve-
land came in on a ground swell, the
bulk of campaign funds was with the
Democratic party. Mr.. Cleveland
might have been elected without the
money but il neverthe1ess played an
important part. Had it not been for
the tremendous campaign fund of 1896
Mr.. Mckinley would have. never seen
the White House as chief magistrate.
Four years later his party also had
the funds. but he could have been elect
ed against Mr.. Bryan without them.
In business and financial circles there
is a deep resentment at the prosecu-
ton of trusts and the outcome of the
Northern Securities case. This decis-
ion and a score of kindred matters have
caused a wide spread rage against
President Rooseve1t's administration.
His nomination next year is regarded
as a certainty, but it is very probable,
If the Democrats are conservative in
their candidate and their platform, that
the millions of campaign contributions
next year will go to the Democratic
managers, in which event there will
surely be trouble If not defeat for the
Republican candidates, in spite of all
that can be said about President
Roosevelt's unwonted popularity and
the great prosperity of the country.