Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-02-14
THE MORTON CASE.
The History of the appointment Writteh
6ya Personal Friend.

The History of the appointment Written
6ya Personal Friend.
Washington Correspondence Cleveland Herald.
"The Senate, in executive session, rejected
the nomination of John M. Morton, as COL
lector of internal revenue for the San Fran
cisco district" is the laconic statement that
most all readers of the newspapers in this
country read yesterday morning, and, as
they read it, gave it no further thought or
notice. But did the real history of the case
appear to their eyes, it might, perhaps, give
them considerable surprise to learn that this
matter of John Morton's confirmation in the
Senate has been one of intense personality
and embarrassment during the last six
weeks, both to the President and to the
Senate.
Mr.. John NJ. Morton is the Oldest son of
the late Senator, about 81 years old, of pre-
possessing personal appearance, and very
modest and difident in his speech. He is at
present United States consul at Honolulu,
Sandwich Islands, to which position he was
assigned last spring and confirmed by the
Senate. Mrs. Morton, his mother, has Pc
culiar nervous dread of the water, and does
not like the idea of her Son being exposed to
the dangers of sea-journeying between Cali
fornia and the Sandwich Islands. She finally
became so morbid over the matter that she
made a personal and fearful appeal to
the President for the appointment of her
son to government Office in California,
where she could go and live with him. The
President, in the kindness of his heart, was
willing, and as the term of the present col
lector of internal revenue of the San Fran
cisco district is soon to expire, he offered to
give it to her son. The position is worth
$1,000 per annum. Mrs. Morton gladly &C
cepted, and Johns name was sent in to the
senate.
Well, it seems that on account of John
Morton's dif1idence and reticence, ne is an
almost entire stranger to the California del
cation, both parties, and they resented what
they thought senseless act Oh the part of
the President, who, in defiance of their unit
ed wishes, had sent in the name of on entire
stranger to them for the most i'm
portant federal Office on the Pa
cifc coast. They stirred around and
searched Johns record, upon which they de-
clared that he was ineligible, having no resi-
dence or vote in California; that he was re-
gistered as citizen of the District of Colum-
ba up to the date of his appointment to
Honolulu; and that citizen of the State it.
self should be selected. To this appeal the
President was disposed ia listen, but Mrs.
Morton counteracted the sentiment, and the
fight was transferred to the Senate. Here
the emitted efforts of the Californians
made the rejection of the young man a
moral certainty, and again the President was
notified that he should save John the morti-
fcation of being formally rejected by the
Senate, and again the mother prevented this
action of the President. Then the question
was settled by vote of forty-two against
ten for Morton. This unhappy wrangle
might have been spared to all parties by the
expenditure of trifs of good sense by the
active promoters of Mr.. Morton's interests.