The spectator., 1921-02-25
OFFICE HUNTERS
 CLING TO HARDING
FLEEING TO FLORIDA OR ELSE. WHERE WILL NOT RELIEVE
 HIM OF THE HORDE.
MANY JOBS TO BE GIVEN OUT
Senate Majority, Saving These for Re- publlcans, Holds Up Nearly All the Appointments Made Recently by President Wilson.
By EDWARD B. CLARK.


 By EDWARD 8. CLARK. Washington.-Go where he will in Florida, or olt of Florida, President elect Harding cannot get rid of his burden of troubles over appointments to office. Cut the cabinet out, and still with hlm will be the thousands of petitions from the representatives of the faithful asking for office.
 It was the same story in 1913 when the party boot was, so to speak, on the other foot. The Republicans had been in power for years and the Demo crats were just coming in to look on the loaves and the fishes. and to reach out their hands for the proper share of the provender. Woodrow Wilson had the burden which Warren G. Hard- Ing is bearing today.
 Every Republican senator. every Re publican representative, every Repub- ncan who is of high political place in his home state, every big financier Re publican. and some other kinds of Re pubiicans apparently want something for somebody in the next administra- tion
 The big party man" who does not want anything, either for himself or somebody else, is today man who can get all the fame for himself that the world can accord if only lie will let the. fact of his unseltishnesS, his diSinterestedness and his self denial be known publicly. It Is seldom that such man is to be found to open his mouth.
 How Harding Avoids the Worry.
 When Presldent-elect Harding took his trip southward not long after the election he showed sense of the means necessary to get rid of some of his mental worry. Among his trou- bles was the problem of our inter- national relations; what form they should take on, and whether or not he was to yield to the opportunities of those who wanted the League of Nations scrapped. or to those who wanted to take 1t with coat of res
 
 chose for his travelling companions, rien who were not known as partic- ularly active on either side of the League of Nations controversy.
 In his present southern trip Mir. Harding apparently wishes to get league troubles, but from the impor- tunities of the spokesmen of the office seekers
 The foayes and the fishes once up- on time were given miraculous multiplication. This cannot be done in this day and generation, but never theless a great many basketfuls of the provender will be ready for dis tribution in the March days which, no matter what the meteorological conditions, will be genial to Repub- licanism and dark to Democracy.
 The Republican majority in the sen ate today is engaged in the same work of negation which the Democratic ma jority engaged in eight years ago. The majority senators, in their party wisdom, are refusing the rite of con firmation to those presented at the altar of the chief authority in the church of state" The old dispensa. ton prevails today and for the Dem ocratic lambs. as for the Republican lambs in 1913, the altar of sacrifice has been set up.
 Only Ex-Senators Favored.
 The chief of the problems of pres ldent-elect. after the cabinet appoint ments are out of the way, is that of the job seekers. There never was job seeker who did not have some friend or other who "is close to the president-elect." If he did not have such a friend. or did not think that he had him. he probably would not be q job seeker, or at least an ac- tive one.
 There will be thousands of jobs to be given out when 'the great change" comes on March 4. In the senate to- day. waiting confirmation which is no. to be given, are many hundreds of names sent over by the president as those of men for whom he seeks con firmation for this office or for that office. Out of the hundreds only one or two have been or will be sanctioned for place. The senate always Is kind to its own. irrespective of the party to which its own belongs. The presi- dent has named for office. two Demo. cratic senators. who will lose their seats on the Fourth of March next, and the senate kindly disposed to its colleagues, past and present, unani- mously has confirmed them for the positions which the president has con ferred.
 Problems for New War Secretary.
 The man who Is to be appointed secretary of war by President-elect Harding will be confronted by difficult problems for immediate solution the