South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1921-02-28
Other Editors Than Ours
AN UNFIT APPOINTMENT.
New York Worldly

Mr.. Hardings nomination at Chicago was the
triumph of the old guard element within the repub-
ucan organization.
His subsequent election by an unprecedented
jority vindicaton old politics with
in the organization.
1t taken for granted that his cabinet would be
a cabinet that represented the old guard theories
of administration rather than those of the rank and
file of the party; but that hypothesis no
body could easily have foreseen such an extraor-
binary selection as that of Andrew W. Mellon to
be secretary Of the treasury.
Mr.. Mellon has record Of public service any
kind, nature or description. He has no record OF
party service except a contributor to campaign
funds He belongs to the Pittsburg millionaire
group of captains of industry" having inherited
large fortune, which has been rapidly increased
by traditional Pittsburg methods
The banks and insurance companies in which he
is a director officer have resources of $780,
1854, and the other corporations with which he
identified assets of $75343O92S, but il this
is a convincing qualification for the secretaryshir
of the treasury, then John D. Rockefeller should
have held the office for life, with Andrew Carnegie
as comptroller of the currency.
The American people have always been highly
sensitive about their secretary OF the treasury. and
rightly They have tried keep the ofice of
the clutches of the great corporations, and in this
they have been almost uniformly successful. Eligi
bnity has never been expressed in terms of money
except when Prest Grant tried to make A. T.
Stewart secretary of the treasury and congress
wisely refused TO remove Mr.. Stewards legal dis
abilities. in that Prest Grant least
selected a who had a nationwide reputation
and whose achievements a great merchant were
familiar TO every part or the country.
No such distinction attaches TO Mr.. Mellon. He is
wholly unknown to the American people His reputa-
ton is restricted TO the corporation groups with
which he has been associated in his various mani
pulatOns and combinations The rank and file Of his
party heard Of him. No candidate for presi
dent would have dared in advance OF election to
nOunce such appointment Apparently he
suggested to Mr.. Harding by Sen. Knox after men
Of public reputation ana public experience like Gov.
Lowden and Mr.. Dawes had been killed of by the
intrigues Of organization politicians.
The great secretaries OF the treasury have never
been Of wealth OF exceptional private
business ability. Alexander Hamilton, who the
ablest OF all American fnanciers left barely enough
property pay his debts Albert Galatin any
thing but a successful business man according 10
Pennsylvania standards and the two great wars in
which the United States have been engaged
financed by salmon p. Chase and William c. Nc
Adoo. neither OF whom particularly fortunate
IN financing his affairs There is relation
whatever between the ability to make money and
the ability deal with financial problems OF a ma
ton. There has been and there never will
be such relationship because the two undertak-
ings are quite distinct; yet Mr. Harding can find no
material for secretary OF the treasury than
an obscure Pittsburg millionaire who has nothing
10 commend him except his wealth and his reac-
uonary environment.