The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-05-14
THE STONE APPOINTMENT.

That President Taft took the only
| course which was open to him in the
| revocation of the appointment of Rob-
ert Stone of Shawnee county to a posi-
ton in the office of the federal attorney
general will be the opinion of most per-
sons in Kansas.
For some time past there has not
been the best of feeling between the
Republicans who are at present On the
top of the heap of the affairs of state
of Kansas and the representatives and
senators of Kansas in the national
congress. AS a matter of fact they be-
long for the most part to opposing fac
tions in the Republican party in this
state But the first real clash between
them came when Governor Stubs. Mr..
Dolley, the bank commissioner. and Mr..
jackson, the attorney general. made a
personal visit to Washington and
sought to get the authority of Presl-
dent Taft and the treasury officials to
consent to the participation Of national
banks in the states plan for the
guaranteeing of deposits. The mem
bers of the Kansas congressional dele
cation felt that this visit was an in
fringement on their prerogatfves. They
felt that this was a matter in which
they could look after the interests of
the state and already had taken steps
to press the same sort of a plea that
was made by Mr.. Stubs and his
friends when the latter actually took
it out of their hands entirely. After
the request of. Stubs, Dolley and jack
son had been denied in this particular,
the Kansas delegation got busy and
got the permission of the federal au-
thorities to permit the national banks
of the state to provide for the guaran-
teeing of their deposits through the in
surance plan which they had worked
out. This certainly showed that the
Kansas delegation was alive to the IN
terests of the state.
But with this thorn in their side 1t Is
little to be wondered at that they were
chagrined to the extent of rage when
they did not learn that some federal
patronage had been secured for Kansas
bv Mr.. stubbs and his friends-the ap-
pointment of Mr.. Stone to be an as
sistant attorney general-until they
were wired of it by the State Journal.
In the matter of appointments to fed
eral positions the constitution of thet
United States gives the senate equal
with the president in the
making of the major ones. The con-
stitution expressly provides that such
shall be made by the
president by and with the advice and
consent of the senate. 1t has been the
custom for presidents to talk over with !
the senators such men as he thinks of
appointing to office from their states !
and agreeing with them on the most
desirable candidate. Senatorial court |
esy runs to such an extent that the |
senate will generally refuse to endorse |
a presidential appointment If both of
the senators from the state where the
appointee lives are opposed to him.
Around this custom has developed |
the procedure that even the appoint |
ments to federal offices which do not |
have to be confirmed by the senate are
not made by a president or the men, !
bers of his cabinet unless they are
talked over and approved by the sena-
tors and the members of the house of
of the state in which a |
prospective appointee makes his home
And this plan seems to be eminently
fair Nothing like this was done in
with the appointment OF
Mr.. Stone, and President Taft, in his
letter to Governor Stubs telling of its
revocation, insists that he had no in
tention of making it without approval
of the congressional delegation from
Kansas on the subject. The president !
explicitly states that he does not pro-
pose to be made a party to the promo
tion of the political fortunes of one |
faction or the other in the Republican
party in any state as important as
Kansas.