Arizona republican., 1908-01-29
PHoENIX ARIz. JANUARY 29, 1908.
PRESSURE FROM WASHINGTON.

The Washington Herald, comment ing upon charges made in the senate of the administrations violent activity in the interest of Secretary Taft. says: 50 fragrant has the abuse of federal patronage in Tafts behalf become, that it has invoked severe criticism from all parts of the country. This criticism has at last drawn fire from the White House and no one will be surprised to learn that everybody who intimates that the president is using the federal offices to further Tafts nomination is regarded by MT. Roosevelt as an unqualified liar" But" continues the Herald, there are a good many people who, in view of the evidence of their senses will be unable to adopt the pres ident's point of view"
 What is the meaning inquiries the Herald of the appointments to federal positions of Taft men; what is the meaning of all these meetings of polit- icaf committees, composed in large part of federal employees. for the purpose Of endorsing Tait's candidacy? And on what ground, still further inquiries the Herald do the Taft campaigners claim the solid south if it is not that the federal office holders who constitute the republican party in the south, have been ordered to line up for Taft?
 The president has denied the truth of these charges and has stared that many federal office holders are work ing for other presidential aspirants for instance for Hughes in New York, for Knox in Pennsylvania, for Fair banks in Indiana, etc. If there is any where such a revolt among federal of ficials against the wishes and purposes of the president, the country has heard of it from no other source and we do not think the existence of such a revolt will be credited in any section of the country. Certainly no section in the light Of the local evidence at hand will believe that it can exist in any other section of the country.
 We have had in Arizona the most abundant proof of federal activity in furtherance of the administration wishes with respect to the nomination since last June when Mir Hitchcock. first assistant postmaster general swept through Arizona in the course of political tour of the south and west
 The Washington Herald elsewhere speaking of this "pernicious activity" says under the heading Pressure from Washington
 Whatever their motives. senators are doing the public a good service in ex- posing the misuse Of federal patronage to secure delegates for Secretary Taft That a number of nominations to fed eral office have been made with regard to their effect upon the Taft candidacy has been abundantly proved Evidence Is now coming 10 hand from various quarters of the pressure that is being eXerted from Washington upon federal office holders to secure their active support of Taft. The Boston Herald, for example. reports that Massachu- sets poStmasters are being summoned to Washington. where they are re ceiving instructions to line up for the secretary of war" The same authority ! says one postmaster declared he was being pressed by the postoffice depart ment to work for Taft Others assert they are here on business, but their chief business appears to be the hold ing of political conferences. At a re- cent meeting of the West Virginia re- publican committee, the eight members who are federal office holders secured an unofficial indCrsement of Taft. One of these office holders had the con- science to resign from the committee on the ground that participation in politics was forbidden.
 Of course il is forbidden, and by or der of the president of the United States, but what is a poor office holder to do when he gets contrary orders from Washington? No wonder the Massachusetts postmasters are anX- iously inquiring. as the Boston Herald reports. where the path of duty, and self-interest lies. Between pressure from Washington for Taft and the pressure of the regulations requiring him to refrain from pernicious politi-
  badly in need of sound advice And this extraordinary situation in the fed eral service has been brought about by the most ardent civil service re- former of our time.
 We do not agree with the Herald that federal official should be barred from activity in politics. His more or less elevated position should not de- prive him of the rights and privileges of ordinary citizens if he wants to ex- ercise those rights and privileges as a free and independent citizen; but if he exercises them only at the behest of an appointing power for the benefit of that power, the federal official becomes a member of q Praetorisn band and