St. Paul daily globe., 1889-03-17
TOPICAL TALK.


wants to send all the Republican editors
out of the country, and is. accordingly,
filling up the diplomatic corps with
quill drivers. Looking at it from a
strictly party standpoint, it is bad policy
for the administration to be stripping
the country of the Republican editors.
for their services will be needed at
home long before the HARRISON adj
ministration terminates. Or it may be
possible that the president only pro-
poses to put on the foreign mission list
those editors who never will be missed.
But, be that as it may, his disposition
to favor journalists in the foreign ap-
pOintments has created quite stir
among the newspaper fraternity all
over the county, and the excitement
has reached Minnesota.
fff
The first newspaper man to be in
fected by the itch for Office is my genial
young friend, WILLIAM f. HASKELL,
of the Minneapolis Tribune, who has
has already entered caveat for the
Swedish mission. [ rather like Mr..
HAsKELL's style OF going for an Office.
There is refreshing vigor about it.
and he has the air of a man who knows
his rights, with the courage to maintain
them. He doesn't beg for the Office,
nor does he seek to acquire possession
by indirection. Having made up his
mind what he wants, he simply asks
that it be turned over to him; and he
does it in a way, too, that must strike
terror to the heart of the secretary of
state. If Mr.. BLAINE ever had any
idea of appointing any one else to the
Swedish mission, he must have felt
ashamed of himself after reading Mr..
HAsKELL'S peremptory demand. PeO-
pie may say what they please, but my
observations lead me to believe that
there is nothing counts in American
politics like grit and cheek.
TfS
My only surprise is that my young
friend HASKELL should have been con-
tent with second-class foreign mis-
sion. If Minnesota editor is entitled
to anything, it is to swim on top of the
pot. Besides, Mr.. HASKELL has pc
culiar qualifications for the English
mission, and wouldn't cut a bad figure
in either Berlin or Paris. But he is
just moulded for the court of st. James.
Looks go a long way In these things,
and there are times when his own
townspeople couldn't distinguish him
from an English lord. Still, as my young
Minneapolis friend has his heart set On
the Swedish mission, to Sweden he shall
go. He is master of the Scandinavian
language, and | have heard it said that
he has been consorting great deal of
late with OLE OLESoN, in order to ac-
quaint himself with the manners and
customs of the country which he pro-
poses to visit as the accredited repre-
sentative Of this great nation. 1 now
serve notice ou Mr.. BLAINE that. if
Mr. HAsKELL'S wishes in this mat
ter are not complied with, it will
be made an issue against him the next
time he runs for president.
TrT
Now that Mr. HASKELL has made the
break, the other Minnesota newspaper
men of Republican proclivities are IN
vited up to the lunch counter. Ii ther e
is anything they want and do not see,
all they have to do is to ask for it. Sec
retary BLAINE has not asked me to
make up the Minnesota diplomatic
roster, but as personal favor to him
propose to do it gratuitously. All edi-
tors who are too old to perform military
service in the war against Germany are
to be excluded from the list. That will
shelve Brothers SHAW, HALL, WHEEL
OCK, NEWSON. LEONARD, and some
others who have probably sinned away
their days of political grace. Capt.
CASTLE is to go to Russia, because that
is an oil-producing country. CHARLIE
PALMER is to accompany Mr.. HASKELL
and run the Norway end of the Tribune.
Of course GEORGE THOMPSON goes to
England, since Mr.. HASKELL has de-
clined. JOEL HEATwoLE will over
shadow BISMARCK at the German court.
ALvAH EASTMAN is to go to Lapland as
the reward for his services to WASH
BURN. l had laid aside the French
mission for a representative of the
Pioneer Press, but after Mr.. BLAINE
gave notice that no mugwump need
apply turned it over to be divided up
between Brothers SWIFT and MCLEAN,
of the Evening Journal. The other ap-
pointments will be made later.
Although born and practically reared
under the shadow of monarchy, there
is no man possessing stronger demo-
cratic instincts than ALBERT SCHEF-
FER. He not only condemns aristo-
cratic government. but he actually hates
the aristocratic shams introduced into
modern American society. His preju-
diees go so far in this direction that he
will not even wear the conventional
dress coat. On recent occasion he at
tended reception where all the gentle
men were attired in swallowtails, Mr..
SCHEFFER alone appearing in the long
skirted Prince Albert which he always
wears. A friend approached him and
administered rebuke for making his
appearance among the elite without a
dress coat and sham shirt bosom.
Glancing around over the crowd for
moment, Mr.. SCHEFFER turned to his
friend and replied: 81 guess am about
the only man in this party able to buy
cloth enough to make full suit" A
friend tells me of another instance
illustrating Mr.. SCHEFFER's par
tiality for simplicity in dress. His
little daughter, who is attending
school, suggested to her father
one evening That she would like
to be arrayed as expensiyely as the
daughters of some other millionaires
whom she named, and who were school
mates of hers. "Are your clothes not
in good, sound condition." asked the
father. "Yes, Sir" answered the daugh-