The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-08-23
MONDAY, AUGUST as, 1909.
THE NEW POLICY.

Some of the newspapers are aliuding to President Tafts course in connec- ton with the next census as "Possum Policy" and are confessing themselves unable to understand it. One of the late announcements made was to the effect that in at least nine of the Southern States the supervisors are to be as nearly as possible equally di- yided between Republicans and Dem ocrats. while in all the other States including several Southern ones. they are ali to be Republican, Discussing these reports. The Muskoges Times Democrat says:
 If the President, according to the everything everywhere for his sup porters the order could be- classin~d Or if he had proceeded on the theory that politics. neither on a 6o per cent no footing In the census bureau and had instructed Director Durand ac cordingly. this would have been un. ferstahdRble and consistent. But a. things are now not 2 few are in the state of mind of Col. Cecil Lyon, the Republican leader of Texas. who has travelled all ths way to Beverly in search of eAlightenuent. For the life of him the colonel can't penetrate tha mystery of why but so per cent. of the supervisors In Texas should be in vkiahoma. a state as soiidly Demo- cratic. they are all to he Republicans In Tennessee and North Carolina Dem ocrats need not apply. while in Vir- to them. Manifestly 1t is all most confusing, and 1t is not stranGe that no one has been able to explain teh exact principle of the discrimination
 The people or the country. Kepub- licans as well as Democrats, are be- ginning to lind out that MT. Taft can play politics as we'll as some of tne rest of them. In those States of the South in which he nag dlvIded the patronage he knows that the kepubIi- cans caunot give him any electoral votes. but he hopes that by dividing patronage he can so coddls the Dem ocrats that his party may be able to control at least some of the States. In short, his motto is Divide and con Quer." and he is practising 1t in ap. pointing census supervisors.
 Whether this Possum Policy will re- suit in any political advantage to Taft and his party remains to be seen. IL will probably cause the loss of some Republican votes and the gain of some Democratic votes. but not enough, we judge. to change the electoral vote of any real Southern State. We can eas. fly understand that Republican lead CTS in these States may be in an un- pleasant state of mind over the loss of some of the pie to which they are entitled as they view It, but In most cases they will submit with what grace they may, knowing that open rebellion will not be good politics.
 The census work should be as dis tinctly non-partisan as anything con- nected with the affairs of government It was never intended 10 be a part of any political scheme, or used to ad- vance any political interests or ambi- tions, but 1t should be non partisan without regard to State or section. To divide the offices and the emoluments between the two parties in one State and give the whole to one party In an other State. is the worst Kind of par tisanship. MT. Taft can no more con- trol Texas by his course than he could win Oklahoma by dividing the census appointments but he should he lm- partial. at least. The PoEsum Policy is not even good politics. we think.