The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1910-09-30

that the PRESIDENT WAS B4dhlIS
ample of him and a few other In
surgents, unwilling TO support the meas
ures his attorney general had drawn for
enactment in congress. The fighting
Wisconsin Insurgent rung the changes
on this patronage situation all during
the spring and summer. He played
politics with the situation in numerous
localities. and some friends told the
President that the refusal of patronage
had actually helped Senator La Toilette
to pile up a majority of forty thousand
for his own reelection to the senate for
another six wears term. The senator
found il easy to stir up excitement IN
community over the fact that Jim
Jones had been recommended by him
for the postmastership, but could not
oct it because the President would not
honor his political endorsements.
As in Wisconsin, there had been
great cutlery in Iowa. for Senators Gum
III rs and Deliver could not obtain any
federal patronage. Some big dickering
has been under way with the Iowa In
surgents to persuade them to return to
the fold for this campaign and help
hold that State in line for the party.
The restoration of patronage is expect
although Senator Cummins is already
out in the open denouncing the move as
an attempt to bride the Insurgents back
into the Regular camp. Down IN Kan
sas, Senator Brstow was one of those
who could not designate postmasters the
President would nominate. and he made
a great fuss about it, evidently to his
own advantage. for Senator Brlstow has
been a popular idol in Kansas this sum-
mer and was big figure in the over
whelming Insurgent victory won there
some weeks ago at the primaries.
A Right About-Face.
Consequently the nominations of post
masters and other federal officers in
Insurgent territory, which the President
has been holding up, are now being
made. There has been a right about
face in this policy, and many of the
President S friends. even some who
think the making of the letter public
was bad politics, argue that he IS on
the right track and that his recogni-
ton of the Insurgents as Republicans
viii rebound TO the party's benefit.
There has been much controversy over
the question all during the winter.
Many contended that it was unwise
for the President to withhold the
patronage in the first instance, and
that he would have gotten along just
as we'll with his legislation if he haG
given the Insurgents their postmasters.
From time to time during the winter
certain of the Insurgents made forceful
complaint against the President for his
treatment of them, and once or twice
minor concessions were made.
Taft Hates the Job-Giving.
The President wishes he could be free
of the dispensation of patronage, and
has contemplated different plans by
which the bestowal of office might be
minimized in our political system. 1t
may be that the President will make
public utterance on the subject before
many weeks go by. He has thought
well of an idea by which the civil serv-
ice should be extended to a great num-
Der of offices where now the President
appoints and the senate confirms There
are constitutional and statutory obsta
cles in the way, but the President has
had it in mind whether congress might
not confer authority for the civil serv-
ice commission. or some kindred au
thority, to make the appointments in
rogative. :.
While he thinks very favorably of
some such plan as this, the President is
also much impressed with the argument
that great numbers of government en-
ploves under the civil service are some
thing of a political embarrassment.
They organize thoroughly and swoop
down upon congress and the executive
~ Js- fnr lar
vacations and divers other things. This
has been the case particularly with en-
ploves of the postal service, and more
than ever since the rural delivery serv
ice was well established. The carriers
have -teir orgaa cations and ma ntaln
a lobby at Washington on occasion to
look after legislation in their interest.
As much is true of postal clerks and of
cmploves in the other branches of the
service
AS the postal army has now become
very large, having hundreds and even
thousands Of men in every COMPRESSION
al district. the situation becomes
troublesome for many congressman
who does not think he ought to yield
10 their demands The President is
well aware of this tendency and does
not want to urge a plan that would
likely encourage the unionizing of gov
eminent employees.
Rivers and Harbors Matters.
He has two speeches now on the
WAYS One he will deliver this week
At Cincinnati on the occasion of the
opening of a new dam. which is a part
of the program for the Improvements
of the Ohio River. The President will
Use that occasion for some emphasis
upon the kind of river and harbor bills
which congress should enact in the fu-
ture. He will enlarge upon the ideas
he expressed in his memorandum last
June when he signed the river and
harbor bill. He said then that he sign
ed the bill reluctantly because he did
not believe in scattering appropriations
to large number of projects and in
such small sums that many years would
be required to complete the work In
stead of that the President would ap-
propriate for only a few projects. which
the army engineers had designated as
Of first Importance and he would vote