Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1921-03-28
HARDING WILL EMULATE
WILSON IN PATRONAGE
'rcsidcnt Announces II Restriction
Of General Arpoin; mcnts to
Three Days - Week.
IEE lm.'NI NnlNs !

WASIIlNGTON. March 27.-prc.l-
dent Harding - iinbinE that the path
OF pGllt!"ai patronage : ~ir.wn with
contradictions and intrigucf As "A
result OF th. he hau decided upun :,
conrs" which. whi!r not quite so
nrastic' -. n"Icrthn'rss. not unlike
wilson when The !.,ier TOOK oi,ice
la 1913.
WILSON made "a his hrs, formal
announcement from tile White IIouS"
tn" drcNtrnt.On ina; h, would not 80.
any "u" IN ra'rpnag" uu'~tluus .N-
cent ihrS" D." personals invited to
llH riiiCc FOR tn;if rp~tIHC purpns,
Wilson added tn"'. im mos, appoint
mon; natter. Nr Was going to b..
Guided very largely by his cabinet
secretaries
iinrdinE Ia Emulate Wilson.
BEFORE Inauguration day. Attorney
Genera! Harry DuuEh.rty, speaking
IA" purposes of the President eject.
declared that Harding was going 10
adopt similar course. I;ut Hard
ing is OF that wholchcarted friendly
disposition that. when elected he hes
ltatcd 10 clos. the door on any Of
his cd friends. personal or political
and, as direct result, OF this course
found himself almost hopel.ssly
bound up In appointment problems
which tied his hands Cor other work.
Every senator with whom Harding
had been associated on THE hill. and
every Congressmnn who has had re-
iaiions with him in the past began
paging the White House for confer
cnccs on patronage. In the case Of
many suggested appointments which
might be mentioned. Harding found
huSe delegations coming down to
plead the case OF some Individual.
Seeing all these people and shaking
hands with them took much Of his
time.
Political E,prdienry.
But the dlshcartcning thing about
IL was that. before long. he learned
that members OF many OF the dele
cations We're not participating In The
conferences OF recon :ncndaiion be-
cause they believed in the ability of
the man suggested. but because Of
political eNpedicncy. ON numerous
occasions members OF the delegations
phoncd the White House later TO say
that they did not care whether The
man they recommended was selected
or not: that they had gone as mem
bcrs OF tn" committee OF rccommcn-
daiion because they had 10 for local
political reasons
II is perhaps this discovery az much
as anything else that has led Hard
Ing to announce restriction of his
general apnoin,mcnts Ia three days
II week. and also his greater reliance
upon his Cabinet for advice n to APP
nointmehis rather than upon mem
bcrS Of Congress.
Harding was much impressed hy n
story that reached his ears regarding
an applicant for the job OF Director
81 Census under the Department OF
Commerce. Harding said he would
have Ia refer the applicant TO Sccre-
;aTy Hoover as told by one OF those
close TO the President. the story is as
follows:
II"ovcr's Celebrity PIcuscs Harding.
AT 10 y NJ the applicant for the
census directorship was nshcred into
iIoovcr's Office. Ten seconds later
Hoover had asccrtaincd the mans
mission. Hoover asked one question,
namely. arc you an expert statis-
tician?' The applicant admitted he
was not. At 1901 Hoover declared.
then YOU are not the man for the
place Ten seconds later the man
was being ushcred out OF the Office"
TiardinG's comment on the story is
said to have been that is tho way
the patronage disposition should he
determined" And senators and Con-
gressmcn are worried at the sudden
restriction placed upon their recon-
mendations and the growing import
ance of Cabinet heads in dispensing
jobs.