The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1910-06-23

Senate found itself. "a oE. Senator
expressed IL. merely marking sIne :"
But IL marked time to anconmonis
good purpose II took up ! subject
which. As tais paper has several
times insisted. has not los, It's In
portance in practical polltics-sha
subject. namely of the Offices and
discussed IL In ~ay To- make IL
highly interesting. The debate be-
Ing rather Informal. things were said
that might not have been said II
Senators had been more on their
guard: and If one reads between the
iines-as one frequently must 10 get
al the true inwardness Of things that
go into the Record-the whole dts
eussion becomes more interesting
still
Senator Bourne. Of Oregon. start
ed IL with speech in praise Of the
thorough and up-to-date Democracy
OF his State, and particularly Of its
system Of primary elections. which
gives the people so full a voice in
the choice OF all their officials Al
once Senator Bacon. OF Georgia fol-
! lowed with a striking illustration of
how little that In true of the great
TO a great map on the wall CT the
Senate Chamber, he indicated certain
railroad lines which, running west
ward from Baltimore TO Denver. and
thence southwark to Ell Paso, rough
| ly mark off about one-third of the
country. In that vast territory, he
declared, there is not a Federal OFF,
Ger selected in obedience TO the
choice of the people among whom
: he is 10 serve. That territory is, Of
course, the South, and as the South
adheres almost solidly to a party not
dominant in the Nation, our present
usage-a usage followed by both par
ties-permits it's postoffices and its
other Federal Offices to be distrib-
uted as rewards for political services.
rendered in national campaigns, to
the party which has practically no
strength there. That is not all. Not
only are the people most concerned
without voice in the matter, but so
are their representatives in Congress.
Who, then, does superintend the
distribution? According to the SEN
ator, speaking more particularly of
Georgia, men elected by nobody
who represent nobody, who could not
be elected by any community in the
State, are selected by the Federal
authorities to determine who shall
be the officers to serve that people
| in their local needs" Later he ex-
planned that by Federal authorities
he meant "a political manager
''some one who had charge of the
political affairs of a Presidential
campaign" The men in the several
Southern States who act under him
are the so-called referees"
The Referee System.
The Senator may have put the case
bit too strongly. President Taft
has several times, in making inn
portant appointments in the South
distinctly endeavored to please and
serve the Southern people by naming
representatives and acceptable men
So did his predecessor. But as re
CARDS the vast majority of Federal
officers, what the Senator said il
true; they are selected by what has
come to be called 1.-The referee sys-
tenn" Republican Senators who en-
tered the discussion agreed with him
as to the facts and as to the wrong
and unsoundness of the system
They merely pointed out that when
| the Democrats control the govern
ment it is applied, not to the South
but to such Northern States as find
themselves without Democratic rep
resentation in Congress. But the
number of such Northern States is
small; and the Democrats hardly
ever control the government. The
usage is most widespread, and its
effects most far-reaching, wher
things are as they are to-day, and as
they usually are-with the Republi.
cans in control, and practically the
whole South in opposition.
How far-reaching the effects OF
this usage really are the whole coun-
try would do well to consider; fol-
the whole country, not the South
alone, has good reason to be con
cerned. Said Senator Bacon: 81
have no doubt it is true, while in
detail every Office in that vast terri
tory was not promised, that in prac.
teal effect it amounts to the same
thing"
In at least one Southern
State, where the party has already
some strength and some representa-
ton at Washington, a movement ha:
been started to fight this undelo
cratic system and practice by over
throwing and repudiating thu
referee and his servile following an6
putting In their places men who com
mand the respect, not OF the part,
merely, but of the State The sue
eocS of that movement wou1d he