The dispatch-news. [volume] (Lexington, S.C.) 1919-2001, 1920-09-29
WEDNESDAY, *'sEpTt ss; 1920
/ STRAW BALLoT.

STRAW BAILtOT. i
The Dispatch News has received
from The Literary Digest blank
form for q straw ballot for members:
OF the cabinet in case of Democratic
success. So far as this newspaper is
concerned Sths see no good,,reason
to have every possible voter on ,eHen
every newspaper editor express a
choice forS members Of the cabinet:
There is so much of the personal
equation and So much personal con-
tact between the chief executive and
his cabinet that no shrinking man
would want to force upon any pres.-
dent men mot personally acceptable.
The American speople do not want
"one- man ,government' ana they have
never had d;itiafid will not have it un-
til our system Of government is
changed. The congress OF the United
States is still fpHctioning and will con-
tinue to fuaatfeB tFPrl this reason
most people Beliege.ftHat / capable
man should be selected as president
and he should be given free rein in
the selection Of his associates Of the
executive department. All success
full businesses are rum Upon the same
principle.
Candidate Harding. In his anxiety
to have the people lose sight of his
own weakness, started all the talk
about cabinet appointments prior to
election. While t. may be entirely
proper for a candidate for president
, tosannounce those whom he would
gather about him as advisors though
it ought by no meahA I'd be neces-
sary, it shows woefph lack of conf
dence in the nominee. TO have others
make the selections fcr him. ~: :'l;!,
For these reasons the editor of The
Dispatch-News has refused to cast a
straw ballot for The Literary Digest
further shan to make the suggestion
that the services OF Frank Lever in
congress should entitle him to the
portfolio of secretary of agriculture,
an appointment which would be graft
flying to this section and which would
be worthily filled by Mr. Lever. Fur
ther than this deponent saith not
In writing to The Literary Digest,
the edior of The Dispatch News said:
AS to who should be appointed 20
positions in the cabinet in case of
Democratic success, the, opinion of
the writer is that the average citi-
zen, including the average weekly
editor of ourssection, has not suf;i
ficiently intimate acquaintance with
nationally public men to make an
intelligent choice. So much has
been said Of late years about the
South being in the saddle" in
Washington that it would seem to
us the better policy for this. section.
to insist that by far the, greater
number of positions in. the cabinet
be filled by Northern or Western
men. The success of the party
friendly to the South is Of decidedly
more importance to us than whether
or not capable citizens of our section
are honored with cabinet positions.
AS a matter of fact we have so few
qualified men who are financially
able to accept a. cabinet position,
that it would bearather diseouraging
to pick slate which would include
any Southern men. 'F'''S''" r,~@'>'a"' .--
Further, we are of the opinion
that the chief executive should be
unhampered in his choice. While
we do not believe in "one-man gov
ernment," we do believe that it Is
a good principle Of governmental as
well as business administration to
select for the head executive a man
a mol la ~ .-srx