The San Francisco call., 1906-10-21
PATRONAGE OF THE
STATE JUDICIARY.
Job Holders Agitated Over
Probable Changes to Be
Made in Appellate Courts
HALL AS A DIPLOMAT
By Thomas B. SuIIivan.

By Thomas b. Sullivan.
AS the election approaches the
scurrying of the employees of the Dis
triet Courts of Appeal is becoming
wilder The patronage at the dispo-
sition Of the Judges OF these courts is
tremendous, and If political signs in
dicate anything there will be many
new races behind the court ratings
next January Clerks b6iliffs, stenog-
rapheue and fling clerks are to be
CHOSEN, and as each court will probably
nave different personnel from that
which now dispenses justice. the in
cumbent employees are anxious, and
ambitious rivals for their places are
active in buzzing at the heels of the
eminent Jurists who may be elected
to interpret our laws
If Carroll Cook, fer example, should
De victorious at the polls and should
become the Presiding Justice of the
Court of Appeals for this district he
VIII inevitably give the patronage at
ms command to Abe Ruef. There are
dozen applicants for the place of
A M Johnson. the clerk OF the court,
and Ruef has legion OF hungry ones
endowed by nature and education to
MA the job. If anybody is curious
enough to judge for himself the char
scter Of these men, let him spend five
minutes in the atmosphere OF the ante
room to Ruefs office. The experience
may not be sanitary, but it will prob
ably be enlightening.
In the Northern District, J. o. Wood,
the clerk OF the court, is on the anx-
ious seat, as everything points to a
practically new court, with new friends
TO reward. In the Southern District
the situation is the same, so that all
over the State a
hot-foot after good jobs that have the
double advantage of paying big sal
aries without entailing anything more
than the shadows of work
Word comes from Washington to the
political wiseacres that. George Hall
is scheduled for hrst-class position
in the diplomatic service. For sew
eral years Hall has. as. we all know.
been the representative in San Fran
cisco OF his many highnesses, the
Sultan OF Turkey. In this capacity
Mr. Hall has been the closest realiza-
ton OF an Oriental dream that ever
came within the range of San Fran
ciscans- On occasions of state his
uniform might have been designed in
the Arabian Nights.
It viii be a trif1e strange to see
Hall In the prosaic garb of a United
States representative after his glorious
career in the service Of the Sultan, but
ne has bSSH SCHGQA4SQ as secretary TO
one Of the most important missions
His fight to this political haven is of
more than passing interest, as Con-
gress has practically taken the diplo-
matte service out OF politics.
It is now established upon a merit
basis. similar TO the continental sys-
tens. and the days OF the bewhiskered,
by gosh" representative of Uncle Sam
has gone. The big embassadorial places
are still in the gift of the President,
but all the others must be won and
held by merit. Any one who wishes
70 enter the consular and diplomatic
service must pass an examination to
determine his fitness.
If the applicant proves worthy he is
given q post OF small Importance, and
from there must work out his own
diplomatic salvation according to a
carefully prepared grading system. The
scheme offers splendid opportunities to
young university men who wish to
serve their country in foreign lands.
Two graduates Of Berkeley have al
ready won prizes in this field. They
have only received minor posts in
China. but they have made a beginning.
There isn't a member of Congress in
the United States who is not chuckling
over the new arrangement, which has
relieved them from one of the most
persistent annoyances of their public
life