The Yale expositor., 1910-01-14
0fFICE-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.


Neutrality-suspicious. OF the senators
and representatives in congress have
more than limited to President TAFT
that il he expects answering support
Tor all the measures which he recon-
mended for enactment into law he
ought to give more attention to the
office-seeking demands of the law
makers, demands made on the behan
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 senators 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 fill
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 a
bench and perhaps never practiced
law.
Notable Cases in Point.
There have been several cases In
which the recommendation Of senator's
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 of
the Eastern district of Missouri where
there was a vacancy in the Office of
the United States attorney, the presi-
dent declined to act in anything like
the hurry that he WAS asked to act.
lie went into the pros and cons of the
matters diligently and sifted the facts
most prominently mentioned, and he
did this irrespective of the fact that
one of the candidates had the endorse
ment of the only Republican senator
from the state of Missouri and the
endorsement as well of the strong Re-
publican organization of the city of
St Louis.
rate
The Democrats in congress, being in
the minority, of course do not expect
to get much patronage from the White
House, but as matter of admitted
fact they have been shown a good deal
of consideration by the administra-
ton in appointment matters. There
were Republicans who thought that
President Taft ought to have given
the supreme court vacancy to a mem
Der o. the majority party. Instead of
this the president appointed Judge
Horace II. Lurton of Tennessee, for
mer confederate soldier and a lifelong
Democrat. When Judge Lurtons
name was reported favorably from the
senate committee to the whole senate
the honor OF making the report was
given to a Democratic senator, Mr..
Bacon of Georgia.
Many Lawmakers Disgruntled.
Another Grover Cleveland feature"
of the Taft administration is to be
found in the addition to the presi-
dents message to congress December
6, in which he urgently recommended
hnf InV Ia
candidates in elections of members of
the house Of representatives and com
mittees in charge of their campaign.
should make a return to the United
States government of all the expenses
that they incurred during the cam
paign for election. This has been
taken to mean that the president
warts to secure purity of the ballot in
all federal elections. and it is in line
with what is said to be his determine
ton to appoint only fit men to office.
Trouble may come to Mr.. Taft be-
cause of his refusal to listen to the
pleas of the senators and representa-
tives to give preference TO their candi-
dates for office. The disappointed ones
may ieek to obstruct some of the leg
isls tion that the president desires to
have passed.
Civil Service investigation.
ThAre is every indication that the
JnitG.i States senate will sanction the
resolution introduced by Senator Bo-
rab q. Idaho authorizing the investi-
CATION Of the whole system of civil
service of the United States govern
inert. The senate has been brought
TO an investigating state of mind after
O good deal of pressure from outside.
ana many trials and tribulations that
have met the senators themselves.
The Borah resolution is in the hands
OF the senate committee on civil serv-
ice OF which Senator Cummins of.
Iowa Is the chairman. The resolution
10. m m tho COMMITTEES a.,