Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1906-11-02
NOW HE'S PLAYING THIS GAVE

8. Straus of New York Secretary ell
Commerce and Labor. The Baltimore
Sun gleefully reports this appointment
beginning as follows:
Mr.. Oscar s. SCraus # New York
city, lifelong Democrat, one of Mr.
| Clevelahd's strongest supporters and
| q leader in b. Democratic bolt against
Bryan in. The first Mckinley campaign.
| is to be rewarded for his active work
in behalf of the candidacy Of President
Roosevelt in he last campaign with
place in the latter's cabinet.
Some persons may think Mr.. Roose-
welt cannot play politics, but he can
try as bard as any body. Whether he
will make miss cue. or his foot will
slip in his most recent effort. awaits
10 be seen Mr.. Roosevelt is COMPEL
ed to appoint some new cabinet OIL
GERS He has named them. There is
no earthly obJectionatO the men, they
are on a standard with any he has had,
save John Hay and one or two others.
They are certainly equal to If they
do not excel Leslie Nj, Shaw 1t is
generally supposed a president finds
| Fl st the strongest men who would be
coDgenial to him, then he finds those
best suited among these for the varl-
GUS positions, then of course be plays
some politics: that is, he undertakes
to strengthen his party and himself iD
the vario us States. Mr.. Roosevelt has
undertaken this last not in the various
States, but in Que State. He will have
three cabinet officers from New York.
This looks as if be must be weak in
| that State, or as if there were not good
timber in any other State. There are
about As States in the Union, and
about 8 cabinet { fiji GERS, With three
| of these from one State and the Presi
dent from that State, New y ork should
amount TO something, no matter what
sorry figure the other States cut.
This is the age of desertion and re-
ward for so doing. Cleveland d, mo.
Gratis are those who get the plums, and
Cleveland is responsible for tie disOr-
ganization and disruption of the party.
Now that politics is being played by
MIR. Roosevelt, we will look at the
effect. Roosevelt is the first to do many
things. He was the first Republican
president, we are told, TO attack the
railroads and trusts, but there are
many who believe this was playing pol
itlcs, that he did it because his party
said they must do something or an.
other party would arise which would
take the job off their hands. But the
attack was not intended, it is believed,
to be more than a sham battle. He
was the first Republican president to
declare for reformation of the tariff.
But be has backed down so completely
on that proposition that we will not
consider that. He was the first Pres
| ident to recognize a rebellion the day
or the month before it began. He was
swifter than any other president could
have been to intervene in Cuba. The
Vi u4lo Ao6 ioo pm
tics bubbling out all over it. He was
the first President to establish court
language by reforming the spelling,
and shaping public documents so there
by that the best friends of the admin
istration may have trouble interpreting
the meaning of those documents. He
has now been the first president to run
after small scions of illustrious faith ers.
to give them position. He has be en-
the first president to put foreigner
of royal birth in bis cabinet. Strictly
speaking MIR. Bonaparte is an Ameri-
can, that is when 1t suits him to be,
but be does not act like Americans, he
seldom thinks like Americans. and he
in our opinion has at heart very little
to commend him to Americans. But
for his name he would never have seen
a cabinet portfolio. But still inteIlec
tually he can rank with Shaw.
Now Mr.. Roosevelt has been the
first to appoint Jew to his cabinet.
Of the many who are capable, Mr..
Straus is possibly as able as any. We
have but one objection to him, and that
Is that be is a renegade Democrat;
otherwise be suits us. But it is Just as
plain as the nose on ones face that
Mr.. Straus 10 catspaw, he has been
used to pull political chestnuts out of
the fire. There are some chestnuts in
the fire in New York just now which
are hard to reach. The fire is hot and
somebody will likely get burnt, so Mr..
Stratus had as we'll have his paw used
as any.
The Baltimore Sun gleefully
adds the following tribute to the APP
pointer and the appointee:
1t is assumed that Presid ent ROose-
welt was not unmindful of the cam
paign in New York in deciding to an
nOunce-in advance of the election
| the selection of Mr.. Straus for his
cabinet, when the appointment will
not be made before the first of the
year. The belief is that this announce
| ment will have a strong influence over
the present political situation in New
York.
Who will declare after this
that Mr.. Roosevelt is not fixer and a
mixer, and possibly trixter. What a
sad condition would prevail if Mr.
Hearst should make the ire too hot
to get the chestnuts ? How humiliat-
ing to Mr.. Roosevelt who has surren-
dered 80 much, who has never been a
lover of the Jews until just now. to
have to endure defeat. Roosevelt
plays the game awkwardly, but be
plays it.
The election is on Tuesday next the
9Th inst.
On Tuesday next a great politica