The Washington times., 1911-09-21
THE PRESIDENT, PATRON
AGE. AND POLITICS.


about patronage which he made in hi
. Detroit speech Tuesday.
"They have charged me with using
patronage to accomplish something h,
said. "1f I have, I was unconscious Of
it,"
This is such an astounding declara.
tion that it is difficult to believe the
Presidents judicial mind was on
straight when he said it.
What possible purpose can Mr.. Taft
serve in making a statement which ev-
erybody knows is untrue, and whose
untruth is certified by his official ut
terancesi
Does the President take us for ma
tion of gudgeonsi That he has a very
low opinion of public intelligence has
been attested by the whole course of
his Administration. But is it possible
that he thinks we are ninety odd mil
lions of blithering idiotsI
The Norton patronage letter of
course occurs instantly as the disproof
of what the President says. In that
letter, issued from the summer capital
year ago, Secretary Norton said:
While Republican legislation pending
| In Congress was opposed by certain Re
publicans, the President felt 1t to be his
duty to the party, and to the country to
| withhold Federal patronage from GER
tain Senators and Congressman who
seemed TO be in opposition to the Ad-
ministrations efforts to carry out the
promises of the party platform.
Note the language. "THE PRESI-
DENT FELT IT TO BE HIS DUTY
TO WITHHOLD FEDERAL
PATRONAGE FROM CERTAIN SEN
ATORS AND OONGRESSMEN."
Is the President not conscious that
he did that? Is he not conscious that
he confessed it all in the Norton let
teri Does he imagine people have for
gotten about the Norton letter?
But note further this Norton letter.
There was a pathetic note in the con-
fession that the patronage weapon had
proved but a dull instrument. "The
President feels" wrote the secretary,
"that the value of Federal patronage
has been greatly exaggerated, AND
THAT THE REFUSAL TO GRANT TT
HAS PROBABLY BEEN MORE USE
Full TO THE MEN AFFECTED
THAN THE APPOINTMENTS WOULD
HAVE BEEN"
Can there be any misunderstanding
about the meaning of thati
The President took the patronage
away from the progressives, in the
hope of destroying them. Instead, they
were all renominated and reelected. 1t
didn't work, and he admitted it. Yet
now he has the audacity to say that
if he ever used patronage to accom-
plish anything, he "was unconscious
of it'll"
People who recollect how, in the
Ballinger case, a certain document was
made up, predated, and inserted in a
file where it would do the most good;
who recollect how that performance
was specifically denied by the Presi-
dent, and afterward proved and ad-
mitted-people who recall that Incl
dent will not be shocked that the
President now makes denial of some
thing which everybody knows is true,
and which he has himself admitted to
be true. But there is still room for
wonderment on one point.
Why on earth should the President
deny something which not only is true,
but WHICH EVERYBODY KNOWS Is |
TRUEH
Does he believe that the scandalous
use of patronage during the railroad
rate session of 1910 is out of all minds |
Does he think that Senator Bristow |
has forgotten how he was not permit
ted to name the postmaster at his
home town of Salina, for no possible |
reason except that he was at odds
with the Administration
Does he think that Senator Cummins
has forgotten how, month after month,
the President refused to nominate for
postmaster at Des Moines the man
whom Cummins had named, simply be-
cause Cummins was leading the fight
to save the railroad legislation which
Taft wanted to wreckf
Does he dream that Senator La Fol-
lette or the people of Wisconsin have
forgotten how the President imposed a
Federal judge upon them whom they
did not want, merely in order that he
might have the malicious satisfaction
of rejecting the recommendation of La
Follettel
Does he assume that Senator Jona-
than Bourne has forgotten how the
most important patronage in Oregon
was taken away from him, and his
enemies given the privilege of making
the selections, because Bourne had CD.
posed Taft's denomination!
Does he hope that the Senate will
have forgotten that it refused to con-
firm some of the anti-Bourne nomina-
tions, and he was compelled to with
4hapaV