Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-09-21
HOW HE WAS APPOINTED
A Nice Bit of Diplomacy.
Boston Budget.

When Mr.. John Appleton left the edi-
tOrial chair of the Washington COnStttu
ton, President Buchanan's organ, to be-
come Assistant Secretary of State there
were dozen applicants for the position.
Among them was a good-lookIng young
Irishman at New \ Ork named William
NJ. Browne, and it was said that he was
thus helped to the place by George N.
Sanders, then navy agent at New York,
whose influence he had solicited.
sEWho are your friends?'' said George.
"Well,V Browne replied, "Mr. Slidell
has bsen interesting himself In my be
half"
"Who elser
s'Mr. Mason and Mr.. DAVIS"
George reflected for a moment.
Browne" says he, ''if you will give me
carte blanche I'u get it for you"
"Browne was delighted, of course, and
went away with renewed expectancy.
Two days later he received a telegram
from j. Buchanan Henry, the Presidents
private secretary, asking him to come to
Washington at once. He flew around to
the magician's on a gale of gratitude.
George Sanders sat unruff1ad and unsur-
prised, and received his overflow with a
grunt.
George reached for his copy-book, turned
over a few leaves and pointed the happy
enthusiast to a page. 1t was letter 10
Mr.. Buchanan, and il read as follows:
SsMv dear Mr.. President-There is a young
Irishman over here by the name Of
Browne. He is in some way connected
With the Sligo family, but he is as poor as
a rat. doing penny-a-lining for the Jour
nal Of Commerce. He has good manners
and a ready pen, no alliances and no
principles, and, in my Judgment, he is
iust the man you need to edit the COnSti-
tuition"
Browne was first thunderstruck, ana
then indignant.
my dear young FRIEND" says George,
edo learn a little worldly wisdom. l had
to undo what your great friends at Wash
ington have done. The President doesn't
want SlidelPs man, nor Mason's man,
nor Davis man. He wants his own man.
l know exactly what he wants and what
he is looking for; you answer the descrip-
ton well enough, and so 1 stuck out the
pole that would fetch out the persimmOns.
Bottle your pride along with your wrath,
cork it tight, take the next train, and if
you don't succeed both as cOurtier
and a journalist / am greatly mistaken in
you"
Browne came to Washington, and soon
became a favorite with the President,
Howell Cobb and Cornelius Wendell, who
paid the bills Of the Constitution out Of
the profits of the public printing. He es-
poused the prO-slavery cause, and when
writer lin the Douglass organ,
the States, intimated that he
was the grandson OF the Mar
auis of Sligo, who had played an impor-
tant part in the emancipation of the slaves
in Jamaica, he replied in an editorial: 'It
Is untrue that the editor of this paper is
grandson of the Marquis of Sligo; but 1t is
true that he was born a gentleman, though
no baa vet to learn that that is accounted
a misfortune, and still less an Otfense in
the United States"
Browne followed his Southern friends
into secession, and was, believe, As
sistant Secretary Of State Of the COnfede-
rate Government. After the downfall OF
the COnfederacy he was appointed to
ProfessOrship in the University of Geor-
gIa at Athens, where he died few years
afterwards.