Jasper County Democrat, Volume 8, Number 25, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 September 1905 — OFFICIAL GRAFTERS. [ARTICLE]

OFFICIAL GRAFTERS.

Patriots For the Old Flaw—and an Ample Appropriation. Five special agents have been appointed by President Roosevelt to investigate trade conditions in foreign countries. A good fat salary accompanies the position and all traveling expenses are paid, so these special agents will have a soft snap for a year or two. As we have consuls at every port and city of consequence and commercial agents at other less Important points whose duty it is to keep the state department informed on general trade conditions, it will at once be seen that the work will be duplicated. But that would be a waste of effort, so all the special agents will have to do is to Interview the consuls or get their latest reports and forward them to the department of labor and commerce, and then their work will be done until the next set of consular reports are ready. The official graft that these special agents are recipients of causes even that stanch Republican organ, the New York Evening Mall, that has hitherto swallowed the most bitter partisan doses, to gag at this latest political bolus and Inform the administration that “the new agents of the government would be most usefully employed going about among merchants and manufacturers In this country and begging them to pay some attention to the facts with which the government Is besieging them” through the consular reports. But the Mail should know that the Republican laborers are many and the offices to give them are few, so new positions must be created to t-.itlsfy the omnivorous appetite of the Republican politicians for position for their influential henchmen. There is nothing that so fills the soul of the average senator or congressman with joy as to land one of these coveted positions with little to do, good pay aud all expenses paid. The department that has the sense to create this kind of graft is sure of all the appropriations that it has the cheek to ask congress for, and the senate will add a few thousands extra to be sure there Is enough to go around.