Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1905-02-21
rIuRRY AMONG REPUBLICANS

FLURRY AMONG kEPuBhlCANS
The latest order of President Roose-
Welt notifying federal oficeholders in
the several States that all who hold
political Office must either relinquish
their federal commissions or their polit-
cal positions has created something of
commotion among the numerous repub-
licans holding places under the govern
meut throughout the country.
A dispatch from Washington says:
president Roosevelt intends to put an
end to the practice prevalent among
Southern republicans holding federal
offices of serving on State committees
and assuming the authority of political
managers. The heads ofthe departments
have been instructed by the President
to see to it that men holding both
federal and political offices shall resign
one or the other. This rule, which is
10 compliance with the civil service law,
will be enforced in one State after an
other as rapidly as the Civil Service
Commission reports upon the subject to
the President.
''The first report of the Civil Service
Commission, affecting Virginia only,
was made sons time ago, and federal
officeholders serving on the State COM
mittee were compelled to resign from
the committee. 1t was not then under
stood how vigorously this order would
be enforced, nor how widely applied,
but it is now announced that the Civil
Service Commission will pursue its
investigation into all of the Southern
States where the practice is understood
to prevail and into other States where 10
may be found that federal officers hold
political Office also.
''The commission took up the case Of
Alabama after disposing of Virginia ami
has reported to the President that a ma
jority of the republican State committee
there iscomposed of federal officehoders.
The President Immediately directed the
heads of the departments to communicate
with the referees OF Alabama and notify
them that the federal Officeholders must
resign at once from the State committee
or else surrender their federal commits
sion. In response to this notice the ref
erees have communicated the fact that
two members of the State committee had
resigned at once and that the order would
be fully complied with.
"The Civil Service Commission will
report upon each of the Southern
States in turn as speedily as the in
formation can be gained, and the order
of the President will be communicated
to the referees in each State in
which the reports show that federal
officers are holding political office,
South Carolina, it is understood, will be
the nextState reported upon. No report
has yet been submitted with reference to
Maryland, but the rule will apply there
as elsewhere whenever the Civil Service
Commission shall report that any federal
officer in that State is serving as apoiiti-
cal committeeman.
''The deliberate manner in which the
order is being enforced, action in each
State being delayed until the Civil Ser
vice Commission has reported, will give
ample notice to federal officeholders, and
it is expected that in many States the
abuse will have been already. corrected be-
fore the Civil Service Commission has
made its examination and is prepared to
report. 1t is apparently the purpose to
avoid the sudden shock of putting the
order into effect ia all the States at once
and this system of acting only on inf9r-
nation ascertained through the Civil Ser
vice Commission is expected to accom-
plish the reform speedily enough FOR
practical purpose: and to put an end TO
the system Of party control in the South
by federal efficeholders.