White Pine news. [volume] (East Ely, Nev.) 1920-1923, 1923-08-19
BURDEN ON PRESIDENTS

CONSPICUOUS in every editorial and
other eulogy of the late President
Harding is the truthful declaration
that the American people have placed
too heavy a burden upon their presi-
dents and are working them to the
grave Yet Il furehtr truth is that
q great deal of worf an! perhaps the
most onerous part of it is of a politi-
cal nature thai could we'll go undone
or be placed in different hands alto
gether, with better results all around.
The greatest of all burdens upon
presidents in that of appointing men
to federal offices and placating the
unsuccessful ones and their friends.
He must select from many applicants
and candidates, always with the
knowledge that he is making no
friends and mourning enmities galore
with each and every appointment.
Thousands of appointments that
legally are to be made by the presi-
dent are not made by him at all,
being left to senators and members
of congress, often to INSCRIPTIONS
men, yet for these the president gets
no glory save in the ironical sense
and a modicum of blame from each
and every one. But aside from these
thousands there are other thousands
that he does appoint and these take
up more of his time and are a great
er burden upon him than any other
duties with which he must wrestle.
Yet the worst of hal situation is
that presidents are never willing
to give up their appointing powers
or any powers whatever. So long
has it been a part of the American
system-and the major part at that
for the president to have whole
showers of patronage - deluges OF
it, in ftct-that it is accepted as a
foregone conclusion that every new
office which ingenuity and political
erpediency can create, the president
must have not only the official but all
his scores and thousands of help to
put in as cogs for his political ma
chine.
Many times it has been suggested
that postmasters be elected by the
people. The average of these art
comparatively small fry appointments
and in reality are not made by the
president. P~ostoffices in cities run
ming into the hundreds of thousand
in population are IN reality farmed
out to the senators and the presi'
lent has nothing more to do with
them than to sign on the dotted line.
but even this carries a responsibility
and a lot of labor.
Suggestions to lessen the appoint
i've duties of the president are not for
one person alone to make. They
should be he first duties of the
membership of both houses of con-
gress at the next session. But the
trouble in congress has never beer
known to suggest legislation in that
direction, much less to actually
propose it. Thousands of bills are
introduced 1T every session and hun
dreds of them adopted, practically
every one adding a new duty or sew
eral of them to the already over
worked president. It IS lot and
never has Decn lle ldoLiCu W ieSlS-
late to reduce the presidents labors,
and, indeed, no president has ever
advocated or asked it in n mes
sage that has been delivered by him
to congress.
Therefore, do not blame the peo-
pie for this craze any more than YOU
should blame those having the lust
for power. The politicians, from
president down, demand it and mus
have it, and if it means the death
of a mar in the highest Of places it
goes as a part of the system, that
probably will never be changed in the
span OF persons now living.