Bisbee daily review., 1910-09-27
THE PRESIDENTS
 STRANGE ADMISSION.


 politician. in which notice is served that thc progressive republicans have been forgiven, and will be taken back into full party membership, must be set down as an embarrassing. if not humiliating contribution to the litera. ture of the campaign, in striking contrast wfE the forceful letter re gently sent by the President to Cl air man Mckinley of the Republican congressional committee. One of the notable paragraphs of the letter fol- lows:
 While Republican legislation pend ing in congress was opposed by cer- tain republicans the president felt it to be his duty to withdraw federal patronage from certain senators and congressman who seemed to be in opposition to the administration ef- fort to carry out the promises of the party platform. That attitude, how ever. ended with the. primary cleo tions now being held and in which the voters have had opportunity to declare themselves"
 The admission that the president sought to use federal patronage to force certain republican senators and congressman into supporting admins tration measures and afterwards to withhold such patronage in order to influence election results in the pri- maries is not complimentary to the presidents appreciation of the duties of his position and his obligations to the whole people rather than to party factions. His action was a resort to the old machine method of playing pcAhiSS aldl udS iiSl Nltli Shta us favor with the people.
 There is more tsan a political question, too. in the practice of with holding patronage for the purpose of forcing support of those entitled by custom to the award of such patron age. The moral phase of the quota tion is quite as important as the political. It is generally admitted now that the wickersham railroad bill, introduced in conress as an ad- ministration measure, was vicious Tn many respects and the country is to be congratulated that the progressives in congress, is spite of the welding or the patronage club over them, sue ceeded in amending the bill so that as passed it is an acceptable measure that holds high promise Of serving the purpose for which il was designed
 We agree thoroughly with the sec tion of Secretary Norton's letter in which he says:
 The president feels that the value of federal patronage has been greatly exaggerated and the refusal to grant t has probably been r,ore useful to the men affected than the appoint ments would have been." This is a clear statement Of the effects Of using the patronage club but it fails utterly to warrant the motive that inspired the withholding of the pa tronage from the members.
 The letter unfortunate too in de. ciaring that the presidents change of mind and heart toward the progres sives was due to the results of the re. cent primary elections. This leaves the inevitable inference that had the regulars been sustained in the primaries the patronage club would still be considered available for flu. ture use in like emergencies. The presidents future policy is thus stated by Secretary Norton.
 He will now follow the usual rule in republican congressional districts and states and follow the recom- mendations made by republican con. greemen and senators. of whatever shade of poli,ica' opinions, only re, quiring the men recommended shall be good men, the most competent and the best fitted for the particular office"
 The rule is good and proper one. under our system ot government by