Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1908-01-15

what at his present attitude toward
that doctrine. In a Washington news
paper of recent date was an interview
with q New Yorker who had known the
present president when he was a boy
of ten years of age This New Yorker
tells that even at that tender age the
young Roosevelt had stirred the emo
lions of family gathering by declar-
ing after -Overbearing conversation
about the sinfulnesS of politics that
when he grew up he was going to be
political reformer. The Renaissance
appeared at Il somewhat unfortunate
moment. In the same paper which
published it appeared the news that
the secretary of the interior. james
Rudolph Garfield, had presided over Il
county convention in Ohio which was
intended TO advance Il presidential fa-
vorite and to injure the prospects of
Senator Foraker. 1t is n matter of his
tory that for the last twenty years no
cabinet officer has taken SO open and
! avowed interest in partisan or faction
al politics. On the same day attention
| was called to the fact that First As
sistant Postmaster General Hitchcock
had been invited TO undertake the
management of the Taft campaign
and was seriously considering it. More
over. the United States commissioner
of internal revenue, John G. Capers.
| had also been summoned to the aid Of
| the Taft forces. Mr.. Hitchcock has
| throughout the south an army of ap-
4 t., h. Nf fl,a
| dental postmasters. Mr.. Capers has
| the internal revenue collectors, the
| GaugerS. the secret service men and all
the hangers-on of the great bureau of
which he is the head.
| At this moment of writing no news
has come that the civil service reform
| err in the White House has rebuked
| these federal officials for what used to
be called in the days of Cleveland "of
fensive partisaDshp."
Why should one, however, expect
that the ideals of youth should still be
| cherished by the practical politician
now in the White House? Let us not
forget that it was he who invited Mr.
Hartman to call upon him and discuss
the New York situation as between
practical men. One can hardly over
look the fact that no word of rebuke
has ever been uttered by the president
to either Treasurer Bliss or Secretary
Cortelyou for the part they took in col
lecting and expanding in the Roosevelt
behalf more than 100000 collected
from trusts, life insurance companies
-,
government. While the public memory
is VIGOROUSLY short. yet people proba
bly, remember that Mr.. Cortelyou heit
the position of postmaster general
with its colossal patronage, while still
, chairman OF the Republican nationa
committee. and that today he would
/. still be holding that Craftsmanship :!
the scandal of the secretary of The
treasury acting in such u capacity hat
, not been too much for the caseharden
ed consciences of United States sepa
tors who refused to confirm him as sec
, rotary unless he resigned as Chairman
, Friends of the early refOrmer Roose
welt would find sorrow if not shame il
his present utilization of al the pat
ronage of the federal government t,
! advance his 2wn ends. His excuse i
1, that the policies which he desires t
Z enforce justify the means which he i
!, adopting. That excuse can be offere,
r by the most uHblushing spokesman o
n any of our municipalities. 1t is curl
r Gus one to be offered by man who's
r life was q protest against the spoil
q system until he found himself in a pc
o sitiou to distribute the spoils.
). Washington, d. c.
WILLIS ]. ABBOTT.