Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-11-14
VETERANS IN OFFICE
Newly Elected State Officers
Will Have Difficult Prob
lem to Solve
SOLDIERS TO HAVE OFFICES
Question of Making Changes in Po-
sitions of a Confidential Nature by
DispIacins Present Employees Comes
Up-Law to Be RisidIy Enforced
Other Iowa News.
Special to Times-Republican.

| Special to Times Republican.
Des Moines, Nov. 1.-THE newly
elected state officers have been having
one experience a little different from
amy of their predecessors. They go IN
to office as the first new men since the
soldier preference law went into eff
feet. In every one of the offices there
are old soldiers. They are competent
and entirely worthy of their places.
But some of them sustain relations to
their chiefs of confidential nature,
and for various reasons it might be
deemed desirable to supplant them
with other old soldiers. But the law is
rigid. 1t can be said for some of them
that, in perfect fairness, they have
waived all their rights under the SOL
dier preference law; and while this
will do for them personally, it does not
bind their friends who might fall back
upon the law, or at least make a big
protest. Then on the other hand, there
are several old soldiers who are seek
ing appointment to places. Right here
is where the law operates badly. An
official having knowledge of the work.
ing of the law, hesitates to appoint an
old soldier 20 any place, for he knows
that it makes 1t more difficult to shift
the help about SO as to get best re-
suits Nobody who wants to avoid
trouble will voluntarily place in po-
CT ,ho ftar rto i'm,
his absolute right to the place under
the law. This may be a harsh way of
looking at it, but it is one of the diff
ficulties in the way of the law. AS a
matter of fact, there will be just as
many soldiers in positions in the state
house after the first of the year as
now, but there may be some shifting Of
positions 1t has been loudly claim
ed all along that the old soldiers were
all going to go over to the democratic
side of the recent state controversy,
which to some extent relieves the new
officers of obligations, but this claim
was probably greatly exaggerated.
It'seems probable that @. A. Willis,
Of Dallas county, will remain as dep
uty of state under Mr.. Morrow. The
new deputy secretary of state will pro-
badly be John Jameson, of Guthrie
county. The new assistant attorney
general will be Charles w. Lyon, Of
Polk, and this was arranged long ago.
There will be no changes of any con-
sequence in the other offices. In all
these cases men have been picked on
their merits and not for any political
considerations, tho of course men who
are loyal to the republican party will
be preferred.
1t ought to be recorded to the credit
of the state officials now in office that
never before in the history of the state
has there been such general efficiency
in all clerical and administrative posi-
tons in the state service. There are
no loose ends to be gathered up. The
business of the state is well done. Pol
itics have not BEEN considered. 1t is
well known to everyone who visits the
state house that in every office of the
capitol there are those who were on
different sides of the recent factional
troubles. Sometimes in these offices
the political relations of the workers
becomes strained. But they all 10 their
work for the state we'll. 1t is proba-
BILE this state of affairs will be contin-
ued