The Washington times., 1913-09-07
THE CASE OF ROGER WILLIAMS.

Congressman Dyer of Missouri wanted to amend
the general deficiency bill so that District of Coum
bia appointments should 60 only to residents of the
District. Just before he offered his proposal the
Democratic House caucus had voted to "clean out
fhe entire force of remaining Republican employees
of that body and put Democrats in their places. The
Dyer amendment was supported by Republicans, op-
posed by Democrats, and defeated ..
Mr. Dyer, representing the Deep blue sea, and
the patronage hunger now acute in Congress being
the DEVIL the District administration is exactly be-
tween Nobody in official Washington is under more
constant or insstent pressure from Congressman
and Senators anxious to get places for supporters
than the heads of the District government Every
device of sympathy, partisanship pull personal rea-
tionship is brought to bear to get the jobs When the
Congress is Republican, Republicans do the demand
ing and insisting and Democrats denounce the spoils
system in Washington affairs. But the moment Con-
gress goes Democratic the boot is on the other leg;
Democrats are demanding and Republicans CRITICS.
Ing The executives of the city, with civil service
law to protect them from importantly on one side
and castigation on the other, get nothing but the
worst of it. -.--. .-.-
Roger Williams had been clerk of the Excise
Board for generation, and testimony is that he was
fully competent. He was removed to make room
for a man from New Jersey who had political back
ing 1t is not an appealing method of running the
ciy's affairs. But does any Congressman suspect
that the Excise Board or the Commissioners made
the change just because they didn't like the color Of
Mr. Williams hair or preferred the complexion Of
Mr. Hart, who got the job? Does anybody doubt that
Mr.: Williams was the victim of the system of political
appointments which has been in vogue for many
years under Republican rule, md which was en-
ployed to get jobs for Republicans? Mr.. Hart was
wished on the appointing power by political inilu-
that was strong enough to enforce its desires,
and that is all there was to it. g. --s- ~
Mr. Dyer is entitled to Credit for sincerity, and
we wish he might carry his point. While The Times
does not believe any city should restrict itself in
the choosing of experts and technical people to the
local community it does believe that where expert
and special equipment is not needed, and other
factors are equal, local resident should be pre-
ferred. .-
But the sudden zeal of lot of gentlemen in be-
half of Washington's oppressed people is tommyrot.
If every Republican in Congress who has ever tried
to pun down piece of District patronage on merely
political grounds were compelled to rise and confess
the facts there wouldn't be handful of veteran Re-
publcans left who would dare crtcise the very thing
that has been done in the case of Mr.. Williams.
They would be laughed and jeered off the floor.
One of the very real trouble with Washingtons gov
eminent is that political pull creates jobs, fills them
too often with political appointees makes the gov
eminent expensive and in parts inefficient, and the
just subject to criticism But Congress and Congress
sona pull does most of the offending, so Congress
should at least try to keep its sense of humor on
straight when it sets about finding fault with the
evils itself has caused. ...-.. ....