Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1885-03-21
Ibe lantaster 1ntelli9enfer
LANCASTER, MARCH q. 1885.
Good Appointments. A

Tennessee has received two appointments
to important places and the selections are
received with universal commentator.
The administration is proving very sue
cessful in making appointments to public
office that meet the general idea of what
they should be. The remarkable thing
about them is that they are generally un-
expected selections, and are evidently made
independently of outside pressure. 1t seems
to benefit a candidate very little to be sup
ported by what is generally called " innu-
ence." Theinnuence which prompts the ap-
pointments is the sense of the appointing
power that they will be fit ones
and this sense has so far proved to be very
good. The nominations are manifestly
considered with care and made with a
single eye to the public interests The
policy is unusual enough to be surprising,
but will be successful enough to be perman-
ent The impression abroad that fitness
is the chief recommendation for Office will
thin the ranks of the seekers, and after a
while will greatly ease the task which has
been undertaken to give influence back
seat, and to prefer virtue as the candidate s
recommendation.
The idea seems to be to select men
prominently known, for the higher places,
that their names may carry the vindica-
tion of their appointment. In the two Ten
nessee appoint ments youthfulness has not
been 50 conspicuous recommendation AS
it has hitherto seemed to be. Both Gov.
Porter and Mr.. Atkins are about sixty years
old. Mr.. Atkins has been prominent in
Congress for number of terms and earned
the reputation of being an honest, econom
ical and able legislator. Gov. Porter
is best known for his work in his state
of which he made an excellent governor
and where he has been leader of the
estate credit Democrats, along with Sen
ator Jackson and many other prominent
men in the party. They sacrificed thei
standing in the Democratic party in thu
state by the position they took in favor o
paying the state debt to its bond-holders
The mass of the Democratic voters, as il
the tendency of the mass of voters, were il
favor of paying only about one-fourth o
what the state had pledged itself to pay
SendtOT IldIIS dllu OtutI lcdutlS VI tu'
party yielded to this popular demand. Gov
Porter refused to do so, and has his reward
in the esteem which it won him OUTSIDE
his state, which is now expressed upon hi
appointment to federal Office.
Mr.. Bayard evidently desired to ad,
dignity to the secretaryship of state by Sc
lectiny an assistant who would be gener
ally regarded as first-class man, and III
has been successful in his search. Gov
Porter is just as strong a man as Senator
Pendleton, to whom it is said the position
was first offered. Mr.. John Cadwalader
of Philadelphia, who was suggested for it
is probably as strong man as either, bu
he has never been in place to show hi
quality and so has not as great name. Th'
administration is evidently not wholly
given to the development of undiscovered
talent, though it has made some approaches
in that direction, and may take further
steps in that way when it has secured tn,
entire confidence of the country in it
judgment as it is now fast doing.