The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1907-12-25
MANNING, S. C. WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 25, 1907
CAUSES SENSATION
Fall Of Hitchcock, First Assistant
Postmaster General.

The Withdrawal Of Southern Patron
age From His Disposal Stirs u
Hungry Boys.
The Washington correspondent O
the Charleston Post says from 81
exandria to 81 Paso there will be
sensation among Federal oRceholder!
who have been part OF the plans o.
Frank R. Hitchcock, First Assistant
Postmaster General, when they learn
that Mr. Hitchcock has been practi,
eally deposed by the administration
as postoGce dispenser IN the South
and that the work Of handling ap-
pointments dowa there has passed
directly into the hands Of Postmaster
General Meyer, whose loyalty to the
President is not questioned.
The Presidents displeasure with
Mr.. Hitchcock is now too vel! known
for anybody to doubt. 1t is Dolit-
ical history. So Ear 10 move has
been made by the administration to
hint that the resignation Of the as
sistant postmaster general is desired.
Whether Ar. Hitchcock Will retire
before the hint is given or whether
he will remain in once are matters
for the future to determine.
Shorn, however, OF the treme1-
dous prestige and power he had as
sole dispenser If Southern postoflce
patronage Mr.. Hitchcock will no
longer be the figure in the South
that he was. It is predicted that
every plan he made in the South
will quickly fall to pieces as the
o1ceholding rats desert the ship be
placed on the political seas. If that
ship had ever gotten into port 1t
would have unloaded the most cur
ious assortment OF politics ever seen.
When George 3. Cortelyou be-
came Postmaster General. he placed
Mr. Hitchcock in charge Of the
Southern patronage. Mr.. Hitchcock
had been thoroughly familiar with
the situation in the South from the
time he resigsed as chief clerk OF the
Department Of Commerce and Labor
to 80 WITH Nj. Cortelyou in the man
agement Of the 1908 campaign. 1t
was his duty in that campaign to
learn al: about the Southern lead
ers and their methods Of business.
In no time ne found out that they
will rally around the pie counter
quicker that around gospel meeting
or q good card game. He played
them accordingly. n less than
three years he formed them into an
that played bold poll
ties. On the surface the orgdntza-
ton shouted for Roosevelt for an
other term. Under the surface II
was for Secretary CoTtelyou for
President. Even in the national
committee it worked with the pre-
cision of a trained regiment in op-
position to everything that the Taft
people wanted.
The president heard many stories
about the combine. For long time
he remained in doubt. He believed
Mr.. Hitchcock to be one Of the great
est living third termers. He could
not conceive it possible that there
was any other motive back of the
work of the Assistant Postmaster
General. Every bit of gossip that
came to him be mixed it with plenty
Of salt. At last he saw that undec
the third term guise Secretary
Taft's head was being cracked at the
rate of fifty times a day and the
Cortelyou boom was becoming q
power in the land. What followed
every intelligent man now knows
What is to follow may be connected.
In the only cases that have arisen
in the South in the last few weeks
Postmaster General Meyer has per-
sonally handled them. The Annls-
ton. Ala, case was one of these. In
that case the recommendation OF the
men who have been playing with
Mr.. Hitchcock was turned down and
the recommendation Of a new power
in the State was accepted. In two
Georgia appointments about which
there is fight in the Senate, Mr.
Never is personally in charge.
These are the officers at Ioccoa
and Conyers both Of which have been
fled by women. Until these appoint
uents came up Mr.. Meyer had not
bothered with this work and did not
desire to do it. From now on he will
handle it exclusively Mr.. Hitchcock
received a tip about ten days ago
70 turn over Southern appointments
% the Postmaster General.
It is understood that the White
-Touse does not give any creoehce
e, story that an anti-Roosevcl'
combine has been formed in the
senate to hold together the Hitch
,ock coalition by refusing to con-
Srro appointments that may be MADE
w 1he President that are contrary
% the plans of the coalition.
Run Down by Train.
long distance telephone mes
sage from Enoree says Frank AlVer-
son. white man, 55 years old, was
e,+.,,r ;n;uraS there late WeGneS-