The Jamesburg record., 1889-05-25
WASHINGTON LETTER.

very impatient. 1t is limited that thf
President is retarded by the quality o
the applicants If so, be is over particu
lar, for certainly a dozen men as able az
Chief Justice Fuller have presented
themselves, and it did not take Mr.
Cleveland long to select Mr.. Fuller. The
truth is that the few men at the very
front of the legal profession could not be
induced, on account of the smallness oi
the salary to accept the position. The
honor would not prove sufficient induce,
ment, for although the appointment
might still look well in biography, the
character of the men appointed to the
supreme bench in the last twenty years
has been such as to lover the former
standard.
The candidate most talked of is Attor-
ney General Miller 1t would be, ol
course, personally pleasing to the Presi-
dent to thus honor him, but he might
find a serious objection in that it would
deprive him of his Oldest and most stead
fast friend in the cabinet. If he can do
it without seriously incommoding him.
self, you mny be sure that the President
will thus elevate his old law partner.
The necessary changes in the cabinet
would be esay. Secretary Noble original
ly expected and particularly desired to
be Attorney-general. The multiplicity
of annoying details in the work Of the
Interior department and the utter disre-
gard of sound law practice in its various
bureaus, have combined to make his
official life a burden. Added to this he
has political ambition, being even said to
have presidential bee in his bon
net and further habit of trying to do the
work of the entire department., in so far
as distributing all patronage and super
vising all orders are concerned. Decided
ly, Mr.. Noble would make a good Attor-
ney-general, and the administration
would be relieved by the transfer.
In such an event, Mr.. Clarkson would
doubtless be appointed Secretary of the
Interior, position which be has always
coveted To the politicians of the Re-
publican party, his selection would be
eminently satisfactory. 1t is said that in
his present position of Assistant Post
master General he considers party SER
vice as the first and supreme recommen-
dation for office. He is a spoilsmen after
the heelers own heart, though he would
not go so far as to appoint man whom
he honestly thought incompetent. 1t was
stated when Mr.. Clarkson accepted his
present position that the first vacancy IN
the cabinet would be his. A that time
it was thought that John Wanamaller
had accepted the post-otfice portfolio
merely for the honor and would soon
resign. That, however, is now extreme
Iy improbable, and the present is most
decidedly Mr.. Clarkson's golden Oppor-
tunity. If these cabinet changes be made
Mr.. Chauncey /. Filley, of st. Louis,
would doubtless be selected to fill the va
cancy caused in the Assistant Post master
Generalship.
The death of lien Thorndyke Rice
adds to President Harrison's trials, that
of selecting a new Russian minister at as
early day as possible. The pressure for
the place commenced as soon as the
breath was out of Mr. Rice's body. Half
a dozen prominent statesmen were on
hand this morning ready to urge the
claims of various candidates. l believe
that William Walter Phelps will be the
lucky man, at least if Secretary Blaine
has his will.
Mr.. Rice was one of the least known
public men in this country. He belong
ed essentially to the silk stocking contin-
gent and when he was up for Congress
in New York his prospective constituents
knew very little of his personality. He
gave the heelers his money and let them
spend it for him, and, as he should
have known, they robbed him. He
was a citizen of the world at the age of
twenty three years, when he purchased
and rejuvenated the North american
Reuieac, and he has since proved himself
the most remarkable compound of shrewd
business man and graceful writer that
this country has ever known. Whether
or not he was the author of the Arthur
Richmond letters will probably never be
revealed If he was it forever establishes
his pre-eminence in that class of litera-
ture.
Friday was indeed murderer's day in
Washington last week. Beside hang
ing there was a murder and suicide. A
bleared vagrant shot his wife to death in
the presence of the scholars she was en-
gagged in teaching and then took his own
life. She left letter of instruction,
written several years ago, to be opened
after her death Try to get Tom sober to
90 to my funeral - she writes, and buy
him a suit of clothes" This after she
had supported him for ten years, and
after he had spent the last cent of her
money and could get no more, was her
ignominious reward. Washington whis-
key accomplishes wonders.
ALBEIT AND THE WORKlNGMAN.
Ex-Gov. Albeit can always find the