Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1912-01-26
IN THE SOUTH
How a Virginia Republican Conven-
ton Manufactures Taft Dele
gates and Taft Sentiment.

gates and Taft Sentiment.
Washington, Jan. 22-Gilson Gardner,
one OF the most prominent political
writer's in Washington, recently ex.
pressed a desire to observe at first
hand the manner in which the Taft
administration manipulates the pat
ronage brigade for the purpose OF
having it self endorsed and also o
the purpose OF securing delegates to
Republican National Convention.
In travelling through the country
MI. Gardner was struck by the en-
thusiasm OF the rank and file OF Re-
publicans in organizing LaFollette
He was curious, therefore, TO
see how the Taft folks did things.
Accordingly he went to Roanoke,
Virginia, to attend 4 meeting of the
republican state committee OF that
state. Here is Mr.. Gardner's report
of his obse VatiOns:
The state committee a called to
order by it's chairman, Congressman
C. B. Slemp. Then Royal e. Cahell,
commissioner or internal revenue at
Washington, salary $4,000, formerly
postmaster at Richmond, Va, salary
So, 900; formerly patronage referee OF
the Third Virginia Congressional Dis
trict. moved the appointment of a
committee TO draw up resolutions on
the subject of the Taft administra-
ton. Cabeli, by the way, was not a
member of the state committee.
Next, President Taft vas eulogized
by Lou P. Summers, OF Abingdon,
Virginia. Summers Is a collector OF
Internal Revenue at a salary Of Sd ,5OO.
The committee on resolutions wait
ed impatiently outside the door for
Summers to conclude his remarks.
Its resolutions, praising the Taft adj
m~inistration, had been prepared be-
fore the committee on resolutions
was appointed and handed to the
chairman as he left the meeting room
for the este nsible purpose of drafting
ICSOllVIOuSs IN OtokS
adopted without debate or protest.
MIR. Gardner. being interested to
observe the loyalty of the state COM
mittee members to the Taft admins
tration, took the trouble to look up
their records. There were forty mem
bers of the committee present and
voting. OF that number, twenty-four
of the committeeman he found to be
on the government payroll drawing
salaries as high as $4,000 a year.
Mr.. Gardner also observed that i'll
addition to the committeeman there
we're about twenty spectators in the
hall. He was careful to get the names
of these spectators. With the names
carefully noted down, he went to the
copy Of the Government Blue Book
containing the names and salaries OF
all government employees. Being
thoroughly familiar with the way the
administration corrals its convention
Delegates in the South, Mr.. Gardner
was not greatly surprised when he
found that OF the twenty spectators
in attendance, nineteen of them we're
the Federal payrolls. He also dis
covered that there is a community OF
interest In this matter of Federal pat
ronage In southern states. In look
ing up the state committeeman, he
as has been said, "a of them on
the Federal payrolls. In looking up
the spectators, he found that many OF
those holding Federal jobs we're rela-
tives OF the committeeman who also
held Federal jobs.
In brief, the scheme works out this
way: The president appoints certain
men to federal jobs In southern states,
In this particular instance, Virginia.
The recipients of presidential favor,
c%uriously enough, are members OF the
state committee. At the proper time
the state committee meets. The pat
ronage brigade being In a majority on
the committee, 1t has no difficulty In
adopting resolutions praising the man
who handed out the federal jobs.
The occasion on which the admins
tration is endorsed would hardly be In
good form unless a proper amount OF
were furnished by distn-
terested citizens whose sole consider
alton IS the welfare Of the nation.
Hence the committeeman, holding
federal jobs, call upon their relatives,
also holding federal jobs, to come
around to the meeting and applaud
the Taft resolutions.
The stage has been carefully set;
the play goes on without a hitch and
the press. the next day IS able to state
that Taft was endorsed amid scenes
of great enthusiasm.