Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1910-06-03
His Administration Lacks No.
table Statesmen and First
Class Politicians.
suBoRDINATEs NOT LOYAL
ealIInger.Pinchot Controversy Devel-
ops Apparent Conspiracy Among
People Claiming to Represent
Roosevelt Poiicies-CiviI serv.
ice Law Aids Treachery.
Rx WILLIS J. ABBOT.

of President Taft are frankly dis
tressed over the present state of his
political fortunes. Almost every day
brings new stroke at his prestige
the blow as rule being delivered
from one OF his own party. More
often he deals the stroke himself, as
when recently he put forth fiat de-
NAL of the charge made by stenog-
rapher named Kerby that an attorney
in the interior department had writ
ten the presidential letter approving
Ihe course of Secretary Ballinger.
Forty-eight hours later the president
gave the lie to himself, by sending to
Senator Knute Nelson letter in
which he admitted that the Ballinger
message was indeed written by At
torney Lawler, but was prepared In
harmony with his-the presidents
| views. The next day the faithless
stenographer was dismissed, receiving
his discharge with smile and the
modest remark that he would leave
his vindication to the people-a fitting
jury to try an issue between stem
ographer who betrayed the confidence
of his chief, and the president Of the
United States.
Trivial though the incident was 1t
was illustrative Of the complete de-
moralization of the Taft administra-
ton. What a pitiful thing 1t is to
find the president of the United States
writing to a senator of the United
! States in order to defend himself
against the charges preferred by a
$65 a month clerk!
In the Taft administration are many
able corporation lawyers, of wide re-
pute and of trained talents accord
ing to their profession. But the ad-
ministration lacks single notable
statesman. Aldrich, Lodge and Crane
have notable ability but no longer ma
tional popularity. The administration
is even destitute Of a politician of
prime capacity. Postmaster General
Hitchcock was clever enough with his
card index methods prior to the NOM
nation, but that sort of political or
ganization, while helpful enough in Sc
curing nomination, does not help
when an administration thus secured
must go before the people.
1t is fair enough to say of the un-
popularity of the Taft administration
today that the same situation existed
in the first year of the Mckinley ad-
ministration. Indeed Wickersham.
Hitchcock and Dickinson are very
earnest in pointing out that fact. I
remember very we'll that Immediately
after the assembling of congress with
Mckinley in the White House every
body said that we had there the most
unpopular of all presidents. He was
for the moment, but he had big
enough men around him to revive his
! popularity and was himself man Of
such characteristics as to be able tc
live down the too enthusiastic prom.
Use that he was the advance agent
of prosperity Taft came in with nc
such promise, but with no such asso
ciates to give him strength.
BaIIinqer and Pinchot.
As the Ballinger- Pinchot contro
versy dragged its dull length along
the administration was put in the posi-
ton of defending Ballinger. Every
body attacking Ballinger claimed
to represent Roosevelt All the peo.
pie who have been bribing stenogra
piers to make public their notes. rob
bling waste paper baskets, hiring
agents to leave the United States en-
ploy and to act as witnesses against
Ballinger are curiously- enough par
tisans of Roosevelt.
In my opinion the public is tired Of
this controversy. There is probably
not one man out of one thousand
among the people Of the United States
who has been able to keep track of
the enormous volume of testimony
gathered in connection with 1t. The
mere printed reports of the hearings
unbound would almost fill the five
foot shelf which Doctor Eliot said
could include the great works Of the
worlds literature. And yet in 1t all
there seems to be nothing to convict
Ballinger of any act in violation Of
the law, while much of the evidence
seems to indicate curious conspfr-
acy on the part of people. all of whom
are intimately associated with the
Roosevelt ambitions, to destroy the
present administration.
Among politicians in Washington
that is regarded as the real danger to
the administration. Ordinarily pres
ident and his chiefs are able to con-
troll not merely their immediate ap-
pointees, but even subordinate men,
bers of the administration. Today no
man in the cabinet, or at the head
of bureau is able to rely upon the
loyalty of his subordinates.
The Failure Of Civil Service.
Under a civil service law. well in
tended, but badly drawn. the cabinet
officer or the bureau chief is allowed to
select his private secretary. but when
IT comes to the choice of stem
ographer, is compelled to take the
man or the woman who stands first
on the list of the records of the civil
service commission. He can select
bis private secretary with perfect
knowledge of the trustworthiness Of
the man thus chosen, but when 1t
comes to the stenographer he secures
one whose technical knowledge is GER
titled to by the civil service commits.
sion, but of whose loyalty the off,
cial knows nothing.
1t was out of this situation that the
recent scandal sprung concerning the
report drawn by Mr.. Lawler and
G iopod hy tho proSidonf In the gamA