Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-01-13

seekers, but there has been a great deal of
exaggeration about this. AS a matter of
fact there have been comparatively few
office seekers from other parts of the country
in Indianapolis since the election. Hoosiers
aside, the number of ofice-seeking callers
upon the President-elect has not averaged
dozen day.
A SMALL PROPORTION.
There are said to be 1000 Federal Of
fees in the country in the filing of which
President Harrison will have more or less
direct hand. 1t is doubtful if, not counting
Indiana people, thousand applicants for
Office have made personal visits to the Presi-
dent-elect.
The same thing is true in as marked
degree as to the more important offices, in
the filling of which political influence is the
principal thing looked at. The amount of
personal pressure brought to bear upon the
President-elect in the matter of the selection
of Cabinet officers has been infnitessimal
compared with the importance of the in
terests involved in those places. From
all the New England States, for in
stance the only man who has come here
especially on Cabinet business was Con-
gresham Gallinger, of New Hampshire. OF
all the Republican leaders of New York
State the only ones who have visited Gen.
eral Harrison have been Vice President
elect Morton and Senator Hiscock, with
flying, stop-over, one-train call, one after
noon, from Elihu Vedder and Zerubbabel
Erwin. Quay is the only Pennsylvania
who has come, although there have been
delegations aggregating probably 25 men on
behalf of Wharton Barker.
THE SOUTH NOT BASHFUL.
The South has sent representatives more
generously than any other section of the
country, considering the lack of the size of
the Republican vote in that section. Prob
ably $50 to 200 people have come here from
the South to visit General Harrison on mat
tiers connected with the filling of Office.
From the Pacific coast there has
been just one caller, Mr.. Hazel
tine, representative of Michael
DeYoung's paper, who was on his way to
business in Washington. Colorado had
had Senator Teller and Senators Plumb, of
Kansas and Manderson, of Nebraska, have
also been here, but Manderson did not
see the President-elect, and Plumb
spent only 20 minutes with him. The
Territories have rivsled the South in the
number of their messengers here. Probably
25 from Dakota and as many from all the
rest of the would-be States have visited In
dianapolis since election. Minnesota has
had half dozen political callers, and there
have been about as many from Wisconsin
and Michigan.
The great bulk of the callers from outside
Of Indiana have been from the adjoining
States of Illinois and Ohio. A hundred
apiece would probably cover the number of
political advisers and wire-pullers from
these two States.
Ho0SIERS HESITATE NOT AT ALL.
This makes it apparent that if the Presi-
dent-elect has been overrun at all it must
have been by bis fellow statesmen of |
Indiana, and, for a fact the Hoosiers have |
shoEn no backwardness about coming |
forward at this interesting occasion to |
bespeak choice seats at the banquet that |
will begin on March 4. There have been
doubtless several hundred applicants for
Office among the thousands of Tndianians
who have pushed the electric button at the
Harrison front door since election.
The reason for this singular hesitation on
the part of Office seekers in coming to press
their claims personally upon the President
elect is easily apparent TO any one who has
been long in Indianapolis. While
obstinate and persistent upon occa-
sion, the Office seeker is as shy and
modest as the trailing arbutus when news
paper publicity is to be risked. There are
very few men who want Office who lack the
supreme gall necessary to come here and worry
the President-elect about it three months
before the Inauguration, but when it comes
to having the whole country read at break
fast next morning that "BiIl Quigley, who
claims to be the boss hustler for the
Republican party in Squeedunk, Mass,
called upon the President-elect, yes
terdsy, in reference to the post
mastership of his town." the situation is
different, and hesitation quickly leads to
the determination not to come, when it is
considered that the newspaper men may add
q paragraph to the effect that "Mr. Qulgley
is the man who was fred out of the office
three years ago upon charges of having
opened letters addressed to the Widow
Smith"
ONLY ONE THING TO GAIN.
The only thing to be gained BY an Office
seeker In visiting the President-elect would
be the possibility Of slipping in ahead of the
other fellows and getting claim upon the
Office BY priority OF application, and this
would amount to little when all
the other fellows would read next dav the
details of the visit, and thus be posted on |
their opponents moves in the game.
The same influences have been equally
eficacious in preventing the visits of more
important statesmen. Of the 200 Republi-
can members of Congress not 90 have been
here since election, although twice that
many have had to pass within convenient
distance of Indianapolis on their trims to
Washington and back, and the num-
Der of real party leaders who have
called on the President-elect could almost
be counted on the fingers. And this, al
though all the leading Republicans of the
country have received an informal invita-
tlon to visit General Harrison for the pur-
pose of expressing personally any views
they might have as to the public and party
questions. The newspaper men have kept !
them away too. {
The experience of few real statesmen I ;
who have come here has shown that it was
practically impossible for such men to come j
aud 90 without the purpose and result of
their visit becoming pretty nearly known
by the newspapers within a short time
aiterward, even if it was not fully exposed s
by the next morning.
SOURCES OF INFORMATION. !
Inere are dozen or 15 newspaper men 9
here whose particular business is to look ]