The Washington times., 1909-04-05
PRESIDENTS FIGHT
GETS BIG SUPPORT
Political Activity Among
Federal OfhceholderS
Seems Doomed.
Continued from First Page.J

class postmasters put under civil SER
vice. Now the fourth-class poStmasters
are under civil service only in that ter
ritory north OF tie Ohio river and east
of the Mississippi. 1t Is an open secret
that, within a short time, this order will
be made to apply TO the whole country
When Secretary OF the Interior Bal
nnger issued his order that all officials
OF territorial governments should stav
at their homes and refrain from COM
ing 10 Washington for lobbying or
other political purposes, he was merely
crystallizing part of Che President S
. policy in regard to officeholders and
political activity.
Lost No Time.
Thus. in many quarters. It is evident
that the President recognized the evils
Of the system of officeholders taking
too strong a hand i'm politics. and that
he meant TO lose no time in abolish
ing such a custom He means that the
reform shall apply to all parts of the
country, but, like all those who are
interested in the growth Of the party
in the South. he sees that that section
is where the greatest enormities have
existed.
1t IL his purpose to do away with
a situation where the party is used
merely as source of revenue to a few
persons who can hold office and where
the getting OF office is the primary
purpose, while the Strengthening of the
party so as to give il a place in Con-
gress is not looked after at all.
Report is Quoted
Part of the report says
cit has been found in this investi-
cation. by means of comparing the
official roll OF delegates at Chicago
with the latest Government blue book,
that at least one delegate in every
ten sent TO the national convention
was Federal officeholder. OF the 900
delegates from Texas, Arkansas, Lou
isiana. Mississippi, Alabama, Florida.
Tennessee, Kentucky. North Carolina,
South Carolina, Virginia. West Vir-
ginis. and Georgia, ninety-nine-
practically one in three-were Federal
officeholders. In the Georgia delega-
ton of twenty-siX there were twelve
bederal oficeholders; in the Arkansas
delegation of eighteen there were nine
Federal officeholders; in the Florida
delegation Of ten there were seven
Federal officeholders, and in the Ala
bama delegation of twenty-five there
were sixteen.
Controlled By Officers.
with regard, however, to the pro-
portion of officeholders I'm these dele
cations, it should be kept I'm mind that
practically the entire delegation OF
every Southern State above named
was elected and controlled through
the officehOlding machine. Allowing
for delegates absent or with half
votes, 279 were actually cast by the
delegates from the thirteen States
above named. OF these, two were
cast for Hughes. five for Fairbanks,
eleven for Foraker, and PSI for Taft.
These figures are taken from news
paper reports of the official vote
Coupled with the other evidences OF
Mr.. Tafts desire To make needed
changes in the personnel OF Southern
Offices. comes the announcement today
that the number Of colOred occupants
OF positions under the Government in
that section is sure to decrease steadily
as time gees on. This decrease will be
CnTIe a reality as other men are FOUND
for the places
The dozen Of the old regime has been
sounded, and no claillor from The ma
chine politicians can change the result