The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1889-02-07
The Problem Now in Good Condi-
tion for a Casual and Reminis-
cent Review.
Blaine Will Probably Be Secretary
of State, Because There Is No
Contest.

however, furnishes q sufficiently substantial
framework for reminiscent comment. These
things m;.y be taken for granted: That ALI
son Is Gen. Harrison's choice for tho treas
ury; that Sherman is no longer thought of
for any position; that Blaine is most likely
to be secretary of state, for the reason that
no other Republican leader of equal rank
cares to contest the place with him; that
New York is unlikely to be represented In
any prominent place; that John Wanamaker
will have some portfolio; that no other SEN
ator than Allison will be called into the cabi-
net, and that the smaller places will be given
to men relatively qualified for them. like
Gen. Alger, Estee or Swift Of California, the
lesser Indiana aspirants or the compare
lively unknown candidates from the South.
It will not be a distinguished cabinet, except
In one or two places. It will not drain the
senate of its talent; 1t will not be an assem-
blage Of the great lights Of the party nor q
group Of factional leaders.
THE CABINETS COMPLEXION.
1t will be reasonably harmonious in itself
and fairly representative. It will probably be
a good working body. 1t will not be a bril-
liant council of statesman of national fame
and commanding ability. How has such a
SoOlAOO sAo"A OuV VI ~ VSAJ oAAOASA
probabilities which took shape in the public
mind soon after Harrison's election? Mainly
by q process of progressive exclusion. One
name after another dropped out Of the first
tentative lists as the views of the president
elect and of the gentlemen proposed to him
as his cabinet advisers became known. If
the great suggesting and advising public has
not had its way altogether about the cabinet,
<hn~ u o,oo o,Seolot;op Fo, IL i1 tho roAon
ton that Gen. Harrison has not wholly had
his way about it either. He has had
to make a cabinet uch as he could,
not such as he would. The available
cabinet material presented to him after
his election is roughly divisible into two
categories, men who wanted places without
being notably unfit for them, and men who
were notably fit for place without wanting
it. That is to say, men who urged thetl
claims to cablnet appointments upon the
p~resident-elect, and men whose appoint.
ment was urged upon him without any effort
on their part. This division does not neces-
sarily stamp one class as selfish office seek.
ers and the other as patients. ~Men are often
as selfish in refusing office as seeking it. 1t
happens that most of the cabinet candidates
urged on Gen. Harrison without any effort
on their own part had better places already.
Most OF the candidates of the second category
are in che senate. Tue party leaders to whom
the public mind spontaneously turned as the
tittest men to serve, as advisors of the
new president were nearly all senator's or ex-
senators-Sherman, Warner Miller, Allison,
and John Spooner. The men whose claims
were urged by themselves or by interested
friends, like Blaine, Platt and Wanamaker,
were all out of Office and, with one brilliant
exception, out of the range Of spontaneous
public selection.
GEN. HARRIsoN's POSITION.
1t is undoubtedly true that Gen. Harrison
himself, like his great voluntary advisory
council, the oficious and interested public,
turned first to the senate in his search for
cabinet material. This was the more natural
because nearly all his personal intimates
among the public men of tho day are SEN
ators and ex-senators. Scarcely a~ny'cabinet
candidate outside OF the senate was person.
ally known to him, or, indeed, prominent
enough to be well known to him in any
way, except Blaine, and there were reasons
for not turning first Of all to the man who
seems to be his final choice for the first place
in the cabinet. 1t is perfectly wellknown in
well informed circles that there was q time
when Mr.. Blaine himself doubted whether he
wished to go into Gen. Harrison's cabinet.
There was u time when he would nave pre-
ferred to return to the senate If either OF the
Maine senators would lave taken the secre-
taryship Of the navy or a foreign mission.
Their willingness to do 40 was tested and
both preferred the senate. It was not until
latter this that Mr.. Blaine was sure he wanted
to 90 into the cabinet. So it happened that
the senate remained the most conspicuous
field of cabinet gossip. There is probably
this solid foundation of fact for all the gossip
connecting the names of senators with cab
met places that at least two members Of that
body besides Allison could nave had places
in the cabinet If they would have taken
them.
MEN WHO DIDN'T WANT IT.
r That Sherman is one goes without saying.
Without doubt he could have been secretary
of state IL he had given one-fourth as much
evidence of his desire to DO SO as Mr.. Blaine
has given. Nobody can say the place has
been positively offered to Sherman. but near
ly everybody believes that 1t has been made
known to him that he could have IL for the
asking. The opinion OF those nearest to him
is that he would have been willing to round
out his career with n or two terms Of serv-
ice in the state department If it could have
come to him without contest or solicitation.
But he did not want the place enough to ask
for it or show the least desire to have 1t. Be-
tween two party leaders. like Blaine and
Sherman, of equal prominence and follow
ing, one eager for service and ready to resent
neglect, the other cavalier and Indifferent
and perfectly content to be overlooked. the
choice of the p~resident-elect was almost in
eyitable. He could not well urge the place
upon Sherman, and 1t is scarcely to be won
dered at If he has finally decided TO offer 1t
to Blaine. The case was different with Sem
ator Allison. He was never q candidate for
q place in the cabinet in any sense, though
his fitness for the TREASURY department. was
universally recognized. He was still more
reluctant to leave the nat than Sherman.
II he has consented to do SO. as everybody
believes he has, he has made considerable
sacrifice of comfort, inclination, and even Of
ambition. Allison is still a presidential pos
ability, and the senase is better training
ground for the presidency than theFcabinet
ALLISON A NECESSITY.
But he has been urged as Sherman never
was The New York party feud and the i'm
possibility OF taking Q secretary OF the treas
ury from there without embroiling the ad-
ministration Ia local politics, made Allison 9
necessity to the president-elect. There was
no such alternative to him az Blaine to Sher-
man. He hid to be prevailed upon. II APP
pears that he has been. The coniectural cab
met turns upon Allison II, after all, he will
not accept. It will be chaos again. He is more
q liked point in 1t than Blaine, upon whom
public opinion has settled only because sipce
Sherman was out OF the question there IL nc
other name Of adequate Importance in the
field Of discussion. Il Is NOT believed. 90 hia
friends assert. that the state department haa
been offered to him and accepted. Il 10 not