The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1908-01-10


of the tariff, the curbing Of the power
Of federal courts, the colonial policy,
the question of increased appropria-
tons for the army or navy or anything
else of national importance-he can
get prize by sending his information
to any great newspaper in the United
States.
The Trouble In the Navy.
When Senator Hale, chairman Of the
committee on naval affairs, announced
publicly his sympathy with Admiral
Brownson in the latter's controversy
with the president, new fight on the
Roosevelt plan of complete domina-
ton of the army and navy was begun.
This fight is likely to be very serious
one. 1t grows, Of course, out of social
influence. Mr.. Roosevelt is singularly
amenable to that. Through the infu-
ence of Surgeon General RiXey, one Of
his boon companions, he was led to
commit the error of insisting that
navy surgeon should be in command of
the hospital ship Relief. Possibly it is
tempest in teapot, but there are
plenty of people taking an interest in
it. And when so distinguished q man
as Senator Hale makes protest against
it YOU may be sure that 1t will become
an issue in congress as soon as that
body shall settle down to work.
There has been no precedent set for
giving command Of ship to doctor,
a paymaster or q chaplain. Mr.. Roose-
Welt, however, rises superior to preced-
ence, and even in the face Of the resig-
nation of Rear Admiral Brownson and
of the general criticism Of his action he
has carried through his programme SO
that Captain Stokes of the medical de-
partment Of the navy is to be given
command of the ship. OF course, as an
army doctor, Leonard Wood was jump
ed from the rank Of captain in the
medical department of the army TO
major general of the line in eight
years, chiefly because he used to play
| football with Theodore Roosevelt, so it
seems quite possible that another fa-
| vored friend in the medical corps OF
| the navy may yet come to be an ad-
| miral. There was never On admln1stra-
ton in which personal favoritism play
ed so great part in the advancement
| Of officials as in this one, never an ad-
| miuistration in which either the basic
| principles of civil service reform or the
law intended to give them effect has
been so continually ignored as by
Theodore Roosevelt, who made his ell
trance upon public life by way of the
civil service reform crusade.
And apropos of what has happened in
| the army, where he dismissed without
| trial whole battalion Of troops, and
| in the navy, which he is trying to rule
without any sort Of guidance or sug-
gestlon from congress, it might be
worth while to recur to message sent
by him to congress in the last session
of the Fifty-ninth congress in which he
asked that the president be given au-
| thority to dismiss "for the good Of the
service" any officer or man in either
the army or navy without court martial
or any formal hearing. In other words,
his proposition was that the articles Of
war. which have been enforced for
| nearly three-quarters of a century,
which have been debated and amended
| by many congresses, should be abro-
| gated and that the man in the White
House should be given absolute control
over the lives and the fortunes of men
who had enlisted In the armed service
Of the United States.
Could insistence upon absolute au-
tocracy go further?
A Story Of Taft.
Now, this story may or may not be
true. 1t is current in Washington ami
has come to me from men of the ut
most prominence on the Republican
side of the senate and Of politics. 1t
| is to the effect that an arrangement
has been made between Mr.. Roosevelt
and Mr.. Taft, representing the radical
end of the Republican party, and Sell
ator Aldrich, who is well known to be
the representative in the senate and in
Republican politics Of 1.-The interests
President Roosevelt has but one am
bition mediately-namely, to have
the credit Of naming his own successor
who will stand for his policies Secre-
tary Taft has but one ambitiOn-name-
ly, to get the nomination for the presi-
dency. The proposition has been made
| to both Of these gentlemen by the re-
dictionary forces which are now in the
saddle to toss Taft nomination If he
will leave the Republican machine
alone in the various states. In other
words, what Is known as the senate
rial combine is to have the national
committee and Taft have the nomina-
ton. There is one little joker in the
proposition. The senatorial combine
will not interfere in Ohio. The reason
is plausible. Senator Foraker, one OF
the most eminent senators, is power
there and is himself candidate for
nomination, so Ohio Is to be left en-
tirely to the outcome OF a fight be-
tween Foraker and Taft If Mr.. Taft
should win. then no contests Will be
made in other states. If he should lose,
the whole compact is to be of. AS
most people believe that Foraker can
carry the primaries in his state, this
suggests that the gentlemen with
n