The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1938-02-24
THE FIRsT-TIME CANDIDATE WHO

THE PRISTINE CANDIDATE WHO
promises to help expand the civil service sys-
tenn to embrace all appointive offices upon
his election may be sincere in his VOWS, max
ing mental reservations that once he has in
stalled his friends in the government plum
orchard what could be nicer than to insure
them of jobs against possible turn in his
personal political fortunes.
But the picture is not so clear as it
seems. To hold office, party leaders today
feel the necessity of building machines. In
doing so they pick the political powers OF
various communities for places in their Cow
eminent, on the payroll supplied by the tax
payer.
1t almost Immediately becomes apparent
to the political job dispenser that friendship
and appreciation for this benefaction are not
sufficient bonds to hold the machine intact.
To WELD club over the appointees, the
head of the machine must retain the right to
hire and fire at will.
Given civil service and freedom from
the danger of the poised political AK, there
is immediate danger that the office holder
will become more interested in the actual
work of the department in which he is for
tunate to hold berth than in the welfare
of the politician who placed him there. Fail
ure to keep up political fences and influence
number of votes in proportion to the i'm
portance of the job held is sufficient grounds
for dispensing with the services of any
spoils system employee.
Furthermore there are conventions to
be packed and local committees to be kept
in line. Political appointees must be depend
ed upon to remain loyal to the group making
appointments, regardless of how radically
they may actually disagree.
The candidate outside the office makes
his promise without clear conception Of
this picture, but he awakens to it rapidly
once elected.
The public wants the expansion of civil
service. But like the practice of buying
votes which shocks us now as we read
American history, the spoils system will be
outlawed only when some party in power is
brave enough to risk disruption of the ma
chine for the acclaim, perhaps short lived,
which it will receive from the public.
CONSIDERABLE CREDIT is DUE
schoolmen and others in this state who have
applied common sense in the arranging of
high school basketball tournaments. Not
many years ago the successful first round
teams were expected to play second round
games within few hours and, surviving
that ordeal, might find themselves slated for
third contest within period of "a hours.
The crowded tourney schedule was handi-
cap to players with less stamina who de-
pended for success on cleverness and skill
against huskier opponents and in many ways
defeated the purpose of school athletics, the
development of American youth. Present
arrangements require only a game per day
of youthful athletes, a much more sensible
system.
"THE POWER OF ADVERTISING is
terrific" DR.. R. M. Wilder, chief of the de-
partment of medicine of the Mayo Founda-
ton, said recently in speech in which he
expressed regret that the power is not al
ways used in the best interests of the public.
He was discussing particularly so-called
Health foods which he indicated may be
regarded with suspicion unless they bear the
seal of acceptance of the American Medical
association.
Much has been done in recent years to
improve the quality of advertising, point
which examination of old newspaper files
proves, but there is still much to be accom-
pllshed. Some of the advertising now being
used, even in magazines of otherwise good
quality, is absurd to the point of insulting
the intelligence of the buying public.
ANOTHER OLD FRIEND is LEAv-
ing us-the buffalo nickel.
He is rs years old, with his well-worn
design of an Indian head on one side and
bison on the other. The law permits chang
ing coins every 25 years, and so, just for
variety or something, we will have a new
kind of nickel this spring, with jefferson on
one side and his old home, Monticello, on the
other.
The design will be different, but the CEN
trail problem will be the same, whether it is
the buffalo or the jefferson nickel-how to
get more of them.-Wo rthington Daily
Times.
A REPORT ON THE STATE RURAL
credits department which has been in pro-
cess of liquidation for five years is that
$500 of the 1876 loans and farms held in
1888 have been completely liquidated. A
total of 1,129 farms were sold in 1887 COM
pared to $40 in 1886. T. H. Ahrens, who has
charge of getting the state out of the mess
this venture into business brought on, is
apparently doing first rate job.
"A POLITICAL PARTY, LIKE Gov