Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1921-02-03
NO PACKING THE PLACES

The 1ntimation that the Senate
will hold no more executive meetings
for the confirmation of presidential
appointments during the present ses-
sion Nigh seem on the face of it
somewhat startling, in view of the
fact that there are yet several weeks
| OF the session and that there are
thousands of nominations awaiting
action. Yet in one of these very cir
cumstances It may find abundant
vindication.
Generally speaking, II would be
reprehensible for the Senate at any
time to refuse or even unduly to ne
elect to act upon nominations or ap-
| pointments made by the President.
No matter how much at variance
| with him 1t might be politically, it
would not be Justified for that rea-
son in Withholding its necessary
confirmation of appointments re-
quired for the orderly and efficient
conduct of public business. In the
absence of specific disquaiirications
a republican Senator Is as mucn
bound to confirm democratic APP
pointments of a democratic president
as republican appointments of re-
publican president.
There is, however, always reason
for regarding with suspicion the
making of large number of APP
pointments promotions ana what not
in the closing days of an administra-
ton, in either the civil or the milf
tary services; and 1t must be frank
ly recognized that such reason is
conspicuously present at this time.
Propriety obviously requires that
moribund administration shall con-
fine its appointments to the very
smallest number compatible with the
public welfare, so as not TO embar-
rass its successor with a needless
number of "hold-overs" in office, or
to subject its own appointees to the
detriment of an abbreviated tenure
of office. At the same time there is
always temptation, or what may
be to some temptation, TO improve
the last opportunity of taking care"
Of friends and Furnishing enemies.
1t would be difficult for anyone
to maintain the proposition that all
the changes which have recently
been made in the organization of the
navy have been necessary at this
time and have been solely for the
good of the service. Personal favor
or disfavor is writ largely all over
them. Their result is that the, new
Secretary of the Navy, after March
4, will find himself confronted with
the embarrassing dilemma of either
accepting for his own speciai,
ready-made and thoroughly Joseph
used naval cabinet" or mourning
the odium of summarily turning out
of their places a number of men who
were only little while ago appoint
ed to them. These changes are not,
it is true, subject to Senatorial con-
firmation; else they might not have
been effected But the suggestion is
unavoidable that the same spirit per-
vades many of the nominations that
have been sent to that body, from
other departments.
The Army office, FOR example,
which is presided over by one of the
ablest public officials the president
has ever known has proposed num-
Der of promotions which are not ur-
gent, either for the good or the serv-
ice or for the doing of justice to the
individuals concerned. There are
some thousands of original and rou-
tine appointments which may be APP
proved without hesitation and with
out formality of an executive ses-
sion. But there are other thousands
of promotions which are by no means
free from question concerning their
propriety, and which are rightly to
be held over for more careful scruc-
my.
Most of the pending nominations
in the civil service are in the post
office department, of which it is to
be said that the very fact that they
are in that department subjects them
to serious suspicion of political job
berry. From the early years of the
administration, when the Civil Serv-
ice Commissioners themselves were
hornswoggled into refusing inspec-
ton of public records for fear that
the president would be embarrassed
in his campaign for reelection, down
to the present moment, tnat depart
tuted to sordid personal and partisan
purposes as never before IN this gen.
GRAFTON. That the thousands OF
twelfth-hour appointments which
our famous Politicalmaster-Ge
wants made should be approved
without the most deliberate and
searching scrutiny, is simply UNI
thinkable.
The work of the government can
be performed, the service or the pub
lie can be rendered, and justice can
be done to each and every individ-
ual concerned, without any whole
sala nackinp nf nffices win the fay-