The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1910-01-20
OFFICE-SEEKERS
NOT SATISFIED
Think President Does Not Pay
Sufficient Attention to Rec
concentrations.
RELIES ON OWN JUDGMENT
In the Matter Of Making Appoint
ments II Has Come to Be Under
stood That He Will Make
His Own Selections.

Washington.-Some of the senator's
6nd representatives in congress have
more than limited to President Taft
that II he expects answering support
for all the measures which he recon-
mended for enactment into law he
ought to give more attention to the
offce-seeking demands of the law
makers, demands made on the behalf
OF others. There are many Democrats
in congress who say that the presi-
dent is very much like President
Cleveland in the matter Of dispensing
patronage. Mr.. Cleveland is dead,
and naturally nothing but good is
said of him, but there are Democratic
officials still in Washington who served
here in the Cleveland times, and they
have sharp memories of office-seeking
difficulties that they are ready to de-
clare are just like the difficulties
which the Republican representatives
and senator's are meeting to-day.
1t is now an assured fact that Presi'
dent Taft intends to be an absolute
law unto himself in the matter Of NIL
ing court vacancies, and this does not
apply simply to vacant positions on
the bench, but to officers of the courts
and to prosecuting attorneys. The
president feels that his long expert
ence in law courts, and especially his
experience on the bench, ought to give
him at least as clear an idea of the
fitness of men to serve the country as
is given others who never sat on g
bench and perhaps never practiced
law.
Notable Cases in Point.
There have been several cases in
which the recommendation of senators
have run counter to the judgment Of
the president and in the main these
cases have had direct connection with
court appointments. In the case o.
the Eastern district of Missouri where
there was vacancy in the office o.
the United States attorney, the presi
dent declined to act in anything like
the hurry that he was asked to act
He went into the pros and cons of the
matters diligently and sifted the facts
for and against the two candidates
most prominently mentioned, and ht
did this irrespective of the fact tha
one of the candidates had the endorse
ment of the only Republican senator
from the state of Missouri and the
endorsement as we'll of the strong Re
publican organization of the city O
St. Louis.
Democrats Shown Consideration.
The Democrats in congress, being il
the minority, of course do not eXpec
to get much patronage from the White
House, but as a matter of admitted
fact they have been shown good dea
of consideration by the administra
tion in appointment matters. There
were Republicans who thought tina
President Taft ought to have giveI
the supreme court vacancy to mem
Der O: the majority party. Instead o
this the president appointed judge
Horace H. Lurton of Tennessee, a for
mer confederate soldier and lifelong
Democrat. When Judge Lurton
name was reported favorably from thu
senate committee to the whole senate
the honor of making the report wa
given to a Democratic senator, Mr.
Bacon of Georgia.
Many Lawmakers DiseruntIed.
Another Grover Cleveland feature
of the Taft administration is to b,
found in the addition to the presi
dents message to congress Decembe
6, in which he urgently recommended
that a law be passed requiring tina
candidates in elections of members o
/ the house of representatives and com
mittees in charge of their campaign
should make return to the Unite,
States government of all the expense
that they incurred during the cam
paign for election. This has beel
taken to mean that the presiden
wants to secure purity of the ballot Il
all federal elections, and it is in lin
| Will Wu6L 10 odlu " DC LID uOISl
ton to appoint only fit men to office
Trouble may come to Mr.. Taft be
cause of his refusal to listen to tn
pleas of the senators and representa-
tives to give preference to their cand
dates for office. The disappointed one
may seek to obstruct some of the les
islation that the president desires t
have passed.
Civil Service Investigation.
There is every indication that tn
United States senate will sanction tn
resolution introduced by Senator Be
rah of Idaho authorizing the invest
CATION of the whole system of civi
service of the United States govern