The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1912-12-04
Want TO KEEP Them
REPUBLICANS WILL TRY TO Hold
Onto The OFfSICES.
TAFT said TO FAVOR IT
Elaborate Republican Scheme for
General Shifting Of Important Of
fees During the Last Days Of Pres
ident Taft's Term, But Democrats
MAY RetaIiate Should It Be At
tempted.

!
May Retaliate Should It lie At
tempted.
The Washington correspondent ol
The News and Courier says evidences
multiply that it is the purpose Of the
Taft administration to make hay IN
the way Of Presidential patronage
during the few harvest months that
remain to the Republican party be-
fore the Democrats take charge OF
the Government next March.
The plan is not only to make every
possible appointment that may be
reached in the regular course, but to
create a number OF additional oppor.
tunities by the device of having pres
ent ofice-holders resign, so that their
successors may be nominated for long
terms, or so that the pre- .ge OF haT-
ing held important positions may be
distributed as widely as possible
among ''the faithful.
An instance of the last named lar
gesse is to be found in cases like that
Of the newly appointed Treasurer OF
the United States, Carmi A. Thomp-
son, Of Ohio. Lee McClung Of Ten
nessee, was practically forced to re-
sign a few weeks ago because he had
criticised the official temperament OF
his superior, Secretary MacVeagh, of
the treasury department. This mat
ter could have been brought to a
head before the election, but the Ad-
ministration prudently deferred the
ousting CT Mr.. McClung until it was
too late for him to become an active
Bull Moose, like Mr.. Robert Bacon.
Now, at considerable cost to th
Government, (because with every
change of Treasurers there must be
complete special counting Of all the
money held by Uncle Sam,) Mr..
Thompson is made Treasurer for the
rest of the term, which expires March
4, 1918, in order that be may go into
private life as '.Ex-T!easurer' Of the
United States. This distinction
should be worth a fortune to the
owner of it in the way Of making bus
mess connections, for there are al
ways big banks which are ready to
pay we'll for the advertisement OF
having a former National Treasurer
on their staff.
The process of playing for longer
tenure of good Offices for Republican
holders has been under way for some
time, in the opinion Of Democratic
observers who know "the political
game''. These watchers have seen
a number of designations which
aroused the suspicion that they were
submitted primarily for the purpose
Of giving the President an opportun-
ity to name new men for full terms.
Suppose a Presidential postmaster
resigns now. The President will ap-
point successor for four years. or
course, the incoming Democratic Ad-
ministration can remove such an Of
fice-holder if the President sees ft,
but this power will not always be a
pleasant or a desirable one to exer-
else, and Republican nominees are
glad to take their chances on being
able to hold on for at least consid,
erable time after the political bal
ance changes.
A Republican national committee
man representing a certain Demo-
cratic State has recently come to
Washington with a complete plan FOR
the nomination Of over a hundred
regular Republican postmasters IN
that State before the Administration
ends. The resignation device will be
employed in many of these cases. 1t
is not strange that Democratic poll
ticians are alarmed and angry when
they contemplate such prospects, and
that there are mutterings Of sharp
retaliation unless the outlook
changes.
One weapon which the Democrats
can use is that Of holding up in the
Senate those Presidential nomina-
tions which require confirmation. II
:last chance" ofice-grabbing goes
too far for their patience, the minor
ity in the Senate may come to abso-
lutte loggerheads with the President
and block all his closing appoint
ments. Another weapon is whole
sale election Of these swan-song Sc
lections when the Wilson administra-
ton begins.
Much depends upon the attitude Of
Mr.. Wilson himself. That he would
appreciate being relieved by Nj.
Taft Of the burden Of max
ing Presidential appointments, as
is beDevolently suggested around the
White House Offices, is by no means
probable. The situation is a ticklish
one for bona fide Republican hold
overs who would suffer il retaliatory
Democratic reaction were provoked
by a policy Of greed in the remain
ing Republican months.