The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-04-23
CLEvELANp,s HUmoR.
His Grim Hilarity as Shown In the Appoint
ment Of Bayless Hanna.

ment Oh Bayles6 Hanna.
Chicago Tribune.
In the matter of the appointment of Bayless
w. Hanna of Indiana as minister to Persia the
President has shown himself grim humorist
1t may be promised that Bayless w. Hanna, of
Indiana, was one of the most pestferous old cop
perheads in that copperhead ridden State, that
he opposed every war measure of the govern
ment up to the limit of incarceration, and that
he antagonized and embarrassed the administra-
ton of Governor Morton much as was posi-
bic. 1t may also be promised that Bayless w.
Hanna, of Indiana though probably the hungri-
est and thirstiest Democrat in that State, has
| never risen higher than the Attorney
generalship of the State or the occasion
al honor of figuring in the Democratic
national convention, and yet such has been tie
clamor he has made, in private and public on
the stump and in convention, that probably
every man, woman and child has heard of Bay
less W. Hanna, of Indiana as they have heard
of Daniel Pratt, the great American traveller,
They simply know that he was always after
something. In point of fact, he has always been
hungrier man even than Hendricks. He is an
Indiana Democrat which explains everything in
the way of political appetite.
When Cleveland was elected Bayless w.
Hanna of Indiana, at last, after his thirty years
fast, saw his opportunity, and he went In to i'm
prove 1T. de let no grass grow under his feet on
his way to Washington. He was there early.
He first applied for the Mexican mission, but
He then shot o long ways from home,
with the intention of bringing down the
Japan mission, but Hubbard of Texas, another
Southerner, was ahead of him. little dscour-
aged at the way the Southerners were stepping
into the trough and picking up the choice bits,
he secured the advocacy of Hendricks and Voor-
hees and made dead set for the Chinese
mission, but here he met with plump refusal,
as the President had some one else in his eye for
that celestial place. Bayless W. Hanna, of
Indiana n a "a
refusals. He made personal visit to the
President and presented his own case with all
the directness and earnestness which the last
extremity of hunger will inspire. The President,
however, was non-committal and did not seem
disposed to take him into his confidence or to
commit himself in any manner to Bayless w.
Hanna, of Indiana Some indirect allusion to
South America made by the President evidently
raised hope in his breast, for we next find him
applying for the mission to the Argentine Re-
public. Again the application failed, and at last
he sat down, wearied, disguised, and despairing,
when suddenly the word came to him that the
President had appointed him Minister to Persia
Even to man as hungry as Bayless W. Hanna
of Indiana, this was little too much.
When the environments of the ministry to
Persia are considered, one must come to the
conclusion that the President did not intend the
appointment as compliment, but that, not
knowing what to do with so importunate q Gus
toner, he followed the practice of the Ro-
man Catholic Church, which dispatches a
troublesome bishop as far away as it can
send him and sent him to Persia, with the hope
he would accept. Persia is a long way from In
diana, and when a man once gets there he is
never heard of again. 1t has no trade with this
country except in rugs and insect powder, and
there are strong suspicious that both these al
legged Persian products are made in New Jersey.
This country has no relations of any kind with
the Shah's empire, and a fact the position
itself was created two years ago by President
Arthur for some friend of his. who has since
been beggarized by accepting it and hasntmoney
enough to get home with. The United
States has 10 more use for minister in
Teheran than it would have for one at Lady
Franklin Bay or On one OF the moons
of Jupiter. And the hardship of the situation
grows out of distressing habit the Shah has OF
entertaining a foreign minister and making him
presents and then sending him a bill for them, a
practice which has broken the recent incumbent
all up. The President could not have made the
appointment in the interests of REFORM for if he
had been consulting reform he would have abol-
ished the Office, so We must reluctantly come to
the conclusion that he rendered this post to
Bayicss W. Hanna of Indiana, with the expec-
tation of getting rid of him. 1t good joke,
but deserved better fate, for the Persian min
lister That was to be is getting ready to decline,
and will soon be prancing round again for
provender that is more profitable.