Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1931-10-15
POLITICAL PATRONAGE AND
CIVIL SERVICE


Oh, what a fuss the reactionary
newspapers out over the state are
stirring up over political appoint
ments made by the present Farmer
Labor administration! Did you ever
hear such a fuss in the past when
Republican administrations chose
practically only Republicans to the
various posts?
Under the present system, assuming
that out of many men seeking GER
tain appointment there were just one
Republican, one Farmer-Laborite, and
one Democrat capable of filling the
position, who do you think should be
appointed when we have a Farmer
Labor governor? And especially so
when that governor was elected to
clean house. Who do you think the
reactionaries would appoint if they
were in power? Who have they ap-
pointed in the past? The record re-
vealS it. Just a glance at some of
the names of folks appointed or. re-
tanned in office since Floyd B. Olson
became governor will reveal that they
have not all been Farmer-Laborites.
The following might be mentioned:
Pearlove, Mrs. Witch, Babcock, In
drehuS, Peyton, Frankson, and so on.
Then there are such appointments as
Rural Credit appraisers and
local, farm managers and collectors,
game wardens and others-many of
Lob
However, under the system that we
are laboring it would seem reasonable
that progressive governor should ap-
point progressive men to office, all
else being equal, as it is natural that
he would get better cooperation from
them. Ability to fill the position
should be the first consideration ana
while it is possible that Governor Oh
son may have erred in few instances
the same as other governors and I'll
humans do, he has nevertheless exer-
cised much care in his appointments.
Is it possible that anyone thinks all
the able men belong to one party? If
so it is best to remove that notion,
the quicker the better, for there are
able men in all parties. The COVER
nor knows what he is about, he knows
his authority and what is expected
of him by the people. Some of the
clusters were even carried to the
Senate last winter and a lot of time
wasted there by the old reactionary
crowd in an effort to retain their
henchmen on the job, but the COVER
nor out-generaled even the old time
senators and carried through his will.
The appointments were made during
Republican administrations. They
were influential in keeping the old
guard in power for a long time and
of course it was their purpose to stay
during the Farmer-Labor regime and
work for the return of Republican
administration.
All this is not mentioned because
We hold that the system of political
patronage is a good one-far from il
more civil service examinations for
public positions would be far better
but we mention it to show the I'M
reasonableness of the squawk going
up from those who have practiced
political patronage far more than Gov
ernor Olson.
Political patronage works both ways
to the party in power-it does some
good and some harm. A man elected
to an office where he has some ap-
pointments to make may profit by
those appointments for a time, in the
next few campaigns, but when carried
too far the machine explodes and ne
is retired to private life by the voters.
Another man is elected and If he
rursues the same policies he in turn
is turned down by the voters when
the machine is we'll oiled and gets
too powerful. The process continues
and in all that time the public loses
if good appointments are not made.
Therefore more civil service jobs
would be better. In that case folks
could be elected more on the issues
oEthe day, fitness for office, and not
so much on the promise of jobs to
campaign workers. Men in both leg
islative and executive positions could
devote more time and energy to the
work that they are really elected to
do. AS it is now a governor of state
like Minnesota is almost torn to
shreds by the many who wish to con-
fer with him ON this, that and the
other appointment. Applicants want