The National tribune., 1909-07-22

~.
cans are serving under the Taft Admin
istration who served under the Roosevelt
Administration.
1t Is different among the smaller places.
those that pay salaries ranging from
$1,000 up to $4,000. There has been q
considerable moving of men out of such
places and the substitution of men of the
Presidents own selection. Postmaster
General Hitchcock and Secretary Nagle,
of Commerce and Labor. who are the
Presidents leading political advisers. have
been cognizant of most of those changes,
which have by 30 means been confined 70
their two Departments. Those two Cabi-
net officers keep the roster of those who
aided in the Taft campaign. both before
and after the Chicago Convention. The?
keep the President acquainted with tbs
facts about such workers, and no week
goes by without some of those workers
bei3s taken care of.
Rewarding the Workers.
The rewards to such workers have by
no means been as rich as in previous AL
ministrations, but they constitute recogni-
tion. There has been no descent of Office
seekers upon Washington this year, srch
as that of the faithful legion who toiled
under the late Cha rman Hanna. or even
Of those who came TO ask for office under
Roosevelt when the became President in
his own right during March, 1905. Most
of the Office seekers of the Taft Admin
istration have remained at home and
pleaded their cause from afar. Many
Southern Republicans have come on 70
Washington. but they have ascertsinei
that it is not easy TO obtain access 10
former Chairman of the National Com
mittee. has had their matters in charge.
They also find that Mr.. Hitchcock gives
them careful and methodical considera-
tion, whether they come 10 Washington or
not. and therefore have decided that il is
wiser to wait.
But in quiet and unobstrusiVe ways,
the Taft men of 1903 are being taken care
Of TO the extent of the Administration s
ability. There has been no unseemly
haste about il and will be none. The Pres
ident wants the changes political, such as
all his predecessors have deemed wise.
made in that fashion H. has demon
strated again and again that he wants 10
look out for those who were his friends,
alfho not to the extent of ignoring Repub-
licans who favored other candidates. His
course in that regard has won him an un-
usual amount of support in both branches
of Congress. There has been no such BIT
terness among the Allies and their many
lieutenantS as, there was among the Reed
men during the FIRST two years of the Nc
kinley Administration, or as there was
among the Mckinley and Hanna men dur
ing the frst years Of the Roosevelt Ad,
ministratons.
Postmaster General Hitchcock is TAX
inc care of few Republicans in the Post.
eat removing any of his four assistants
and, as far as can be judged. without i'm
pairing the efficiency of the postal ser
vice. This is in marked contrast with
conditions IL years ago. when the Post
Office Department was made the dumpins
10 .c ltss M.
when laws and regulations were ignored
20 make places and even sinecures for th'
faithful. The Census Office will help out
as it has several hundred Supervisors Il
name. each of whom will receive salar,
of 81 800 and perquisites which bring th'
total eonpensation up TO an average o
about 5000 But these welcome place,
have not been turned over TO the spoils
men and care Is being exercised TO selec
Taft supporters who are competent 70
the work. In the Renuhlican States. Sen
ators are being permitted TO name man
of the Supervisors. although occasionall
requested TO indorse men whom the Pres
ident personally wants.
The Diplomatic and Consular Service
The President has exercised more car
and shown iess partisanship about th
Diplomatic and Consular appointments O
his Administration, probably. than any Q
- his predecessors. His selections for thos
places have been almost entirely free fror
politics. No personal favorites have bee
rewarded and there has been very littl
political consideration in naming men fe
those much desired places. There wa
some outcry few weeks ago when aboi
dozen score of transfers of consuls WI
announced. IL WAS promptly recognized
Washington that there were good an
sufficient reasons for these consular tran
fers and promotions and that this in
pOrfant service had been benefitt
thereby.
Very few new men have been designate
as Ministers and ambassadors. altl
heretofore Presidents have regarded il
their right TO bestow those places ups
their personal friends and supporter
The European practice of transferring al
promoting capable diplomats has been ft
lowed TO an unusual degree. particular j
stances being the transfer of w. W. Roc
hill, Minister at Pekin. to st. PetersbuT
and the transfer of ). q. a. Leishms
from ConstaptiDople TO Rome. Embass
dor Rockhill has had no part in Americ;
politics for many years and has never,
any sense. been a politician.
Many Fine Piums TO Bestow.
When the President returns to Was
ington in the late Autumn. there will
many ripe plums on the tree OF patronas
~ The Federal service, in its many branch'
Is now SO large that deaths and the expir
tion of terms make big crop of vacanel
every year before the assembling OF &c
gress in regular session. There will
Federal Judges. District Attorneys, c
lectors of customs and of internal reN
nue. and a considerable list of other O
cials TO name. Some of these places {
necessarily more or less political. I
filling of them will affect politics in ma
States.
To date, the President has been e
broiled but little in the factional pollt
of different localities. He has had Z
sic or two over minor offices in his no
States of Ohio. but he has had ne big b
ties such as Roosevelt had over places
New York or as other Presidents hi
been unable to avoid. These troubles
ahead of him. His friends have no
pectation that he can escape. They v
loom large next Winter, and he will hs
TO choose not only as between men "
want Office, but between political facti'
they represent.
However, the President has proceed
- thus far so satisfactorily TO all concern
in the distribution of patronage, that
has laid an excellent foundation of pol
cal amity and good will. This will h
him materially hereafter.