The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-02-22
Better Southern App0intme nts.

NeW fork Tribune.
 The desire of President-elect Taft to do away with the referee system" of appointments to Federal offices in the Gulf States has been hailed by the peo- pie of those States as an indication that they are to be, treated hereafter m the same way in which other sec
 9f she are treatd fbs sG of agents to fill Federal offices Is con- cerned. the controlling elements in those States have not had the same exerted elsewhere. No President would be likely to oppose the wishes or tns great majority of citizens in by selecting man to represent the Federal authority among them whom they considered unworthy to represent It. Yet abnormal political conditions Federal appointments of that order.
 or course. the administration has peen only partly to blame. It has been the rule in American politics to be classified service on members of the party in Washington. Democratic as we'll as Republican administrations ocratic States at the South could not expect Republican administration to which a President elected by their Unfortunately the Republican orgapf- cations in most of the Gulf States have shrtvelled to nothingness. The lead better party prospects. but have form ed close corporations to enjoy the Fed eral patronage. Disinterested recruits have been rebuffed rather than en- states have been moribund. except for the brief period every four years in which delegates to the Republican Ma PreSidQnf R00AaValf ran0RniZad th ir- responsibility of Gulf State organiza- tions and the futility of depending on then. them for F, resomImendations, and in- more citizens of character in each State to pass on candidates for Fed eral appointments; That was an ad- flee from dependence on the Republi- can machine and gave a chance for ap- pointments of a better character.
 The referees in the South have done. the party politicians ever did. But the system was defective in that 1t lodged too much power in one or two who no sosd sSsr1 Soa 6s which Federal official was to be named. Many creditable appointments have been made on the advice of ref to avoid some nominations which were obnoxious to local sentiment. MT. Taft hopes to remove the i'll feeling caused Dy Sucn SeleCllOnS Dy OepenQ- ing. as far as possible. on the Judg- ment of Southern communities them- selves. making nominations there after such a careful canvass of opinion as Is made in Northern and Western States. The Board of Trade of St. Augustine. Fla. passed resolutions the other day calling on the commercial bodies in the South to cooperate, with out regard to party lines, with the new administration in preventing poor ap- pointments. These commercial bodies are not expected to oppose or support candidates because of their political affiliations. but solely on their quail fications to discharge the duties of their posts with satisfaction to every body. If the people of the Gulf States will interest themselves sincerely in getting better Federal appointees, we think that they will be rewarded for their pains. No man should be se- lected to Federal post who does not as man command the respect of the people among whom he lives Other things being equal. he should be a Re publican under a Republican national administration. But capacity to dls- charge his duties with credit to him self and the administration which he serves is more important than any claim based on partisan allegiance or activity.