The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1905-01-14
THE RRIsToW LUCK

Joseph l.. Bristow, fourth assistant
postmaster general, whose activity in
the pursuit of the rascals in .rhis~ies-
partment set his party by the ears last
year, has retired from the place he
was disposed to fill acceptably to the
people. That he has been forced to re-
tire is not to be doubted, for his resig-
nation followed very promptly on the
issuance of presidential order trans
ferring the division of postoffice in
spectors from his bureau to that of the
postmaster general. With a view to
leading the public to believe that the
retirement of Mr. Bristow was not
forced, he has been given a place as a
commissioner to investigate trade. and
rates between the west coast of South
America and the east coast of the
United States and Europe. The humor
of it is almost Gilbertian.
Joseph L. Bristow is not the first Of
his name to hazard his political for
tunes in the cause of reform and to
lose on the throw. Benjamin H. Bris-
tow, secretary of the treasury under
President Grant, thought he had mis-
sion in the prosecution Of the whisky
ring-an organization of thieves within
the ranks of the Republican party. BY
the time he had been convinced of the
fact that his business was the admin
istration Of the treasury for the benefit
of the party in power>~he had been
shorn of his honors and left deEelict
If Fourth Assistant Postmaster Gen
eral Bristow had been content to close
his eyes to what was doing by the cor
ruptionists in the postoffice department.
he would very likely have succeeded to
Payne's place. He was known as an
active and capable official. That he
deserved this reputation he demon
strated by the vigor with which he at
tackled the men who were making his
department field for jobbery of such
Oil iIiPo0Oiil Cll1ldSlCl .lIldI luG udtlOu
gasped when the exposure came. I'm
fortunately for Bristow he was COM
PEELED to tread dangerous ground in
making his report and he invited the
active antagonism Of the leaders of his
party who have come to regard the
postoffice department as the principal
source Of political strength in that it
furnishes the spoils. He might have
suppressed that report and had the
place now held by Wynne. as locum
tenens for Cortelyou.
The cashiering of Bristow is going to
have an evil effect on clean men in
omce-men who believe that the peo-
pie should be honestly and faithfully
served 1t carries with it practical as
surance that reform must go no farther
than the catching of an occasional iso-
lated rogue. The reformer who per-
mits his Investigations to encroach on
the preserves of the men who control
the party organization must be recon-
ciled to being shelved by politicians
who are not squeamish.
That the president should have lent
himself to the plan for getting rid Of
Bristow will be matter Of surprise to
those who had come to believe that
Col. Roosevelt was above the reach of
men who could be affected by the pres
ence Of an honest man in high execu-
tive place. AS matter of fact Bris-
tow was doomed before the convention
which nominated Col Roosevelt had
met. For it is not to be doubted that
the men who make presidential nomi
nations in the Republican party can
| find the means to show the nominee the
! necessity for getting rid Of officials
whose squeamishness is apt to interfere
whistle political activity of partisans
who have to be shown