The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-06-06
NOT A PARTY MAN.
econtlnued from FAC one.l

(Contt1Ued from rage One.l
has said; partly, because he has not
the gift of political appeal and partly
because the general impression is that
Mr.. MacVeagh has never been a very
enthusiastic Republican, While at times
he was an enthusiastic Democrat. An
other member of. the cabinet was a
Democrat and had been a confederate
s~sol0ier, and he was esteemed as E
very capable man. This estimate Oh
him, however, was not of much avail
when party success was under consul
Grafton. Another member of the cab
met. possibly as able a secretary as
ever held the portfolio which he holds
is regarded as a perfect type of the
American aristOcracy.
A Great bin
The cabinet as a whole h-s typifieG
President Taft's view that in the ad-
ministration the men most competent
to serve should be given places. One
sanecdote will illustrate this: When
President Taft was called upon tW-
years ago to appoint a solicitor general
of the department. of justice, he sent
for Frederick William Lahman. one oI
the ablest lawyers OF the United States
and at one time president of the
American Bar association. The presl
dent said to Mr.. Lehman that he want
ed to appoint hin solicitor general OF
the department of justice. In reply,
Mr.. Lehman said that the president
might nave overlooked the IaCI ina |
he was not only a Democrat, but of
the kind they sometimes call "dyeC
in the WOOL" In answer, President
Taft said. Il don't care what your
party associations are, l want a COM
-petent lawyer for solicitor general,
and I'm going to have a lawyer fot
hat office" What could Mr.. Lehman
say to tlat but to assure the president
if this were the sole quaAIcation
the president looked for, then he would
- 49, 60 40 @@AeT1@-aAi0 IL
did do that and accepted; but Mr.. Leh-
mans friends say that he has often
felt that it was a E'-+ake 20 I've don@
so; both a mistake for himself and d
mistake for President Taft's own party.
1t has been known for some time
that Republican politicians throughout
the United States lave felt somewhat
resentful that in President Taft's APP
pointment to the supreme court bench
he has made choice of two Democrats
both southern men-and these poll
ticians are saying, Gould he not have
found in all the Republican party two
men competent to serve upon thai
bench?" It should be said, however,
that no appointment of President Taft
has been so cordially approved as his '
of Associate Justice White for
the chief justiceship.
When President Harrison was in of
flee the appointment of a man of in
ternational reputation to a -ery high .
OA1ICS q ICCOlllIIlCl10CO ~ IAlIils 41dA
said: "An you say of this man is !
true; he is of the highest type of Amer ,
lean citizenship. He is a man of great
gifts and of spot!ess char, .
acter. But 1 ant appoint him be- l
cause there is no politics in it," And
it was also said that had not President l
been careful to recognize ex-
clusively Republicans when making l
his appointments, he would have failed l
of denomination by the Republican con !
of 1892. Z
These are some of the reasons given |
by men who are in most intimate per- 1
sonal and official relation with Presi-
Taft for the strength which the l
friends of Colonel Roosevelt nave |
shown they possess. They also say l
if Colonel Roosevelt should tri- |
at the Chicago convention the [
true meaning that would be in that :
triumph would be this: That the Re =.
publican party, like the Democratic l.
party, does not believe in any attempt c
to administer the government along L
nonpartisan lines. They believe the e
party which is triumphant at the polls
be called upon through its l.
membership exclusively to administer a
affairs of the government. Should b
President Taft fail to receive the re-
nomination these close personal friends a
his say that not again in this gen. p
Grafton will the attempt be made to q
the government along ideal. Q
1onpartisan lines. f
HOLLAND. c