Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1922-08-29
CUNNING FOR TOLBERT
Senate May Not Stand For DlStaSte
full Nomination.
AfFIDAVITs CHARGING CORRUPTION

Against the Law ana iHas '"e SA'>
Of Official Positions is Taken as
Matter of Course.
BY william E. Brigham, Regular Cor
respondent of The Boston Trans
cript.
washington, Aug. 19.--The senate
appears ready to administer a sharp
rebuke to President Harding for unit
appointments to public office. the
presidents readiness to listen to po-
litical boomers and 10 play the game OF
the Republican m chine has led into d
great many uni ,rtunate situations.
The National Civil Service Reform
League, in its recent report on the
diplomatic service, surprised the coun-
try by CLOSING over a good many
things and giving the president clean
bill Of health, whereas it is notorious
that Mr. Harding has regarded the
Latin American posts as rewards Tor
political service and in many instances
has acted accordingly. The unfortu-
nate effect has been observable, how
ever, more in Latin American than in
American public opinion, for our
friends to the south are exceedingly
sensitive over the tendency among
American presidents to use political
service in this country as an excuse
for sending to them men with no
knowledge of their languages. customs
or method of thought. 1t is only fair
to say, however, that most of the ap-
pointees, with one glaring exception
have been men of high personal char
acter, and to Chile. Brazil fand Co.
lumbia. the president has sent men of
conspicuous ability.
ToIbert of South Carolina.
The senate now, with a little more
leisure, appears determined to scan
the nominations with unusual care;
and in the case of that OF Joseph W..
Tolbert to be United States marshal
for the western district of South
Carolina it bids fair to support Sen
ator Dial of that state in his fight
to have the nomination rejected. Tol-
bert is the member of the Republican
national committee for that state and
it is understood that his appointment
was recommended by the headquarters
of that organization. Consequently the
fight that is being made. to secure with
drawal of the nomination or rejection
of the nominee is one, calling for
lineup of the Republicans in the sem
ate against their own party organiza-
ton. Tolbert is the Republican
referee" for South Carolina; word
coined in the time Of Roosevelt when
that president, distracted by the pull
ing and hauling of corrupt Southern
Republicans for appointments to office,
selected what he believed to be the
squarest men he could find to pass up
on Southern patronage. The scheme
worked fairly well. although of course
it caused its heartburnings, and Mr..
Harding has adopted it.
Selling the Partisanship.
His selection of Tolbert in South
Carolina appears 20 have been parti-
cularly unfortunate; so much so that
Senator Dial has felt constrained to
lay before the senate the personal
record of the referee and candidate,
backed with affidavits, and these are
now being studied by subcommittee
= hn ind ~
sisting of Senators Shortridgc, Of
California; Ernst Of Kentucky and
Ashurst, of Arizona. In addition,
Senator Dial placed in the Congression-
al Record the story of Tolbert's opera
tions as chief distributor Of patronage
for his state, with the result that the
nomination ha sheen held up and un-,
less Mr.. Tolbert can clear himself OF
the charges brought against him, the
full committee bids fair TO recommend
rejection for the good of the Republi-
can party.
Once before, at the instance of
Senator Dial, the senate has rejected
one Of President Harding's appointees
in South Carolina, fact which en-
courages the belief that it will follow
it's hand in the Tolbert case. 1t ap
pears that in Orangeburg county Toi-
bert appointed as a sub-referee for
that district one z. j. MiNson. The
term of the lady postmistrCss in the
town OF Bowman was expiring, and She
informed Senator Dial that MiXson had
demanded $500 Of her as the price of
her reappointment. She refused to pay
the money and communicated with The
Junior senator Meantime MiXson had
been nominated to be postmaster at
Orangeburg, and SO violent was The
opposition to his confirmation that the
postoffice department sent two in
spectors into the state TO investigate
the case. They reported back that it
was true that Mixson had made his
demand Of the postmistrcss, but sug-
gested in their report that us he was
likely soon 10 receive a federal office
himself and therefore go on the federal
salary list. no doubt there would be nc
repetition of the offensc. The senator
was not impressed by THIS line Of argu-
mCnt, however, and refused TO confirm