St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-05-22
nuKEoE MONTANA.

President HARRISON got letter the
other day which was so different from
the bulk CT his correspondence that he
had to wipe his Eyeglasses and read it
the second time before he was fully as
sured of it's contents. Most Of the let
tiers that the president gets are Of fiat
tering tone, and unstinted in their
praises Of his administration. But this
one was an exception. 1t came from
out in Montana, and its writer was
Republican politician, whose name is
about as familiar in the East as it is in the
West. RICHARD F. NEGLEY is an old
Pennsylvania who was one of the
founders of the Republican party, but
who in recent years has been living in
Montana. The other day, while in fit
of the blues over tho gloomy prospects
for the Republican party in the new
state, he took it into his head to sit
down and write letter to President
HARRISON, telling him of the why's and
the wherefores of the political changes
that were being effected in Montana.
This is the letter that we referred to in
the opening of this article, and
if such thing is possible. its caustic
tone must have brought the blush of
shame to the presidents cheek as he
read of the silly things that his boy
RUSSELL had been doing in the name
of the administration. That Mr.. Neg
LEY is as rough-spoken as lie is truth
full, is illustrated by the abruptness of
his opening sentence, which begins:
Montana was reliably Republican, and
would be reliably Republican still, if
your son RUSSELL had broken his
neck, his back, burst blood vessel, or
died a respectable natural death soon
after your Inauguration as president.
1t was the impertinent intermeddling of
your son in Montana politics that as
Sured the Democrats control of our con-
stitutional convention. 1t was his bar
tering of federal Offices in Montana,
some of them for private gain and
others for private pique, that will per-
nit the Democrats to send member of
the house of representatives and two
senators to Washington next Deem
her,"
The veteran Montana politician then
proceeds to write the president hon.
lily on executive propriety, and in doing
so unquestionably voices sentiment
that other Western Republicans will
subscribe to. He continues: eff you
had considered the appointment of fed
eral Offices in Montana as great public
trust devolved upon you by the consti-
tuition, instead of comforting them upon
your son as private perquisite. to be
disposed of as he saw fit, Republican
prospects in Montana would not now
be SO gloomy. One of these Offices. at
least, your son sold for a printing con-
tract. He disposed of other Offices to
personal favorites, who enjoy neither.
the respect nor confidence of the peo-
pie. If you entertain any hope, MIR.
President, Of your son RUSSELL 3. HAIR
RIsoN being chosen senator from Mon
tana, please abandon it and save your
self from disappointment. We know
your son too well in Montana to commit
any such monumental folly"
1t was probably after reading this irri-
tating letter that President HARRISON
remarked: "There is only one way to
get satisfaction out of public Office,
and that is to please yourself while in
it. Thank God have satisfied myself,
and it is the only satisfaction that man
can be certain Of" If the president
could only be made to believe it, there is
better way Of getting satisfaction out
of public office, and that is by follow
ing Old Man NEGLEY'S suggestion of
adhering to the spirit of the constitution
and by making public office public
trust, and not degrading it to mere
private perquisite for family use.