, 1889-03-14
THE APPOINTMENTS.

Some time ago the editor of the
ARGUS received q communication
from a gentleman relative to the ap-
pointment of Il collector here under
the present administration. Before
committing ourselves in any way we
interviewed several business men as
TO who was the best man for the po~
sItion of collector of the port With
out single exception they answered
A. II. NintrOde, as the other appll-
eants had no endorsement for the po- !
sition. On the strength of this we
endorsed Mr. Wintrode's application
for the position. Mr., Allen Weir. we
learned, was an applicant for the po-
sition as special agent of the treas
ury, with headquarters here. Yester-
day We learned that Mr.. Weir had re-
esived a message of which the fol-.
lowing is copy:
WASHINGTON, d. c., March 4.
Mr.. ALLEN WEIR. Port Townsend:
Wire application for the collector
ship to the president, and mail re-
recommendations. JOHN B. ALLEN.
This rather throws shade of doubt
upon Mr.. Wintrode's appointment to
the place. MIR. Weir was seen by
representative of the ARGUS yester-
day and he informed him that he had
received communication from Mr..
Allen some time ago in which il Was
stated that he would endorse Mr.
Wsir's application for the position Of
special agent with headquarters here.
but that as he felt under obligations
to Mr. Hoar for carrying Thurston
county for him he would also endorse
his application for the same position,
but with no specified office Mr.. Weir
states that he declined this offer and
wanted TO know positively just what
would be done. Mr.. Weir received
another letter from Mr.. Allen in
which he stated that he would en-
dorse MIR. Weir as collector of cuss
toms provided, he would get Mr..
Wintrods and MIR. Winslow, who
were also applicants for the position,
to withdraw. Mr. Weir then wrote
MIR. Allen that he could not ask that
as he (Mr. Weir) had already signed
Mr.. Wintrode's application for the
place. We are informed by Mr.
Weir that he received third commu-
nication from MIR. Allen on Saturday
in which he suggested he get the 9TH
applicants to Withdraw He then
called upon Mr.. Wintrode and stated
that Mr.. Allen seemed to show a
preference for him and asked him
again to withdraw, Mr.. Wintrode de-
chned and Mr.. Weir went to Seattle
to see Mr.. Winslow. After he told
him OF the communications he had
received from MIR. Allen that gentle-
man withdrew his name and tele-
graphed the fact to Mr.. Allen. We
presume that the last telegram re-
eeived by MIR. Weir is the result of
Mr.. Winsiow's action. A close friend
of Mr.. Wintrode informs us that Mr..
Weir when in Seattle, called upon
Col. Haines and stated that Win
trode had consented to withdraw,
and that when Mr.. Wintrode
called upon Col. Haines in Seattle on
Monday that gentleman was on
the point of telegraphing to Mr..
Wintrede to know why he had done
40. We could not see Mr.. Wintrode
when we called at his office yester-
day so that We could not learn pos
itively that this was the case. Mr..
Weir feels that although Mr.. Wins
trode has the endorsement OF the
peoble Mr. Allen shows q decided
preference for him, bet as Col.
Haines has already pushed Mr. VIM
tIode's name and as the Colonel and
Mr.. Allen are very close friends we
are at loss to know how Mr Allen
can decline to grant his request 10
appoint Mr.. Wintrode Just now the
appointment of the new collector is
in about as bad a mudile as the
confirmation of the old one.