The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-02-10

when I came to appointing Republic
cans, to put the best men in Office, and
I have every reason to believe that the
average of my appointees Is very high.
made to get up boiling delegations
from the southern states. and the
meetings at which these socalled dele
gates are chosen are usually announced
as 'nonofhceholders' conventions. AS
rule this means only, SO far as it means
anything, that they are held under the
lead Of persons who wish to be put in
office, but whose character and ca
pacity are such that they have not
been regarded as fit to be appointed
under the administration. In these
cases be it rem en- bered that the failure
to secure Office is not the result of the
political action of the men in question
On the contrary, their political action
Is due to their failure to secure Office"
Discussing the appointment Of Geo.
w. Wanamaker as appraiser OF the
port of New York. the president says:
''Mr. Wanamaker's appointment was
recommended by the three congress-
men from New York county and by the
made precisely as the hundreds OF
similar appointments of postmas ters,
appraisers, internal revenue collectors
and the like, which are confirmed by
the senate are made and in conformity
with the custom which has obtained
throughout my term of service and
throughout the terms of service of M.
Mckinley or Mr.. Cleveland and my
other predecessors. In this particular
case, as 1t happens. Mr.. Wanamaker
is peculiarly fit for the position, being
already an assistant appraiser. who has
rendered good service In that place.
and his appointment is the promot1on
Of a proper man.
"The refusal to appoint q good
Hughes man as collector Of customs
at Plattsburg. refers to the case Of
Walter Witherbee. and the accusation
in this case is particularly comic. be-
cause Mr. with erbee was an open and
avowed Taft man, the classmate OF
Secretary Taft's brother at Yale. ana
both Secretary Taft and his brother
requested his reappointmentt-the
they made such request. The con-
gressmen from his district and the sem
ators have not agreed about his sue
cessor and he is still in office.
There remains the allegation as to
the appointment Of Taft workers to
postoffices in Ohio. In Ohio I have
made fifty-eight postoffice appoint
ments: twenty-seven of these were re-
appointments. thirty-one were new ap-
pointments, the list including the cases
where the incumbent had died. had
been removed for cause or had re-
signed. Generally the appointment
was made exactly as in other states.
upon the recommendation of congress-
cases, however. as at Maumee, Stras-
burg Burton. Greenville and Leipsic
the nominations we're made upon the
recomme ndation of both the senators.
Foraker and Dick. or of one or tn e
other. In four cases the nominations
were rejected by the senate. IN two
of these, Dennison and Uhrichsville,
the nomination of the new men Were
made upon the recomm endation of the
then congress man. Mr.. Smyser. in each
case the previous incumbent had not
been giving very satisfactory service.
'1 call your attention to the fact that
the senate withdrew its opposition to
one of these four men and confirmed
him, so that the charge relates to only
three out of the whole number. eleven
hundred and sixty-four pos toff1ces;
that of these. two were made in the
usual fashion-on the recommends
ton of outgoing congressm
that the third nomination was made
| on the report of the Inspector and
would have been made without the
| slightest regard to whether there was
| a presidential canvass on hand or not.
The statements in the editorial in