The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-10-24
A DEFIANCE.

The eastern newspapers are commenting
on what is said to be a decidedly interest
ing incident which occurred at the White
House the other day. The average Wash
ington correspondent is so imaginative that
one cannot always place implicit conf
dence in what he says. hence the story re
ferred to below may be accepted with a
degree of allowance until it has been veri-
fed. 1t is to the effect that Senator QUAY,
the skilled manager of the Republican side
of the late Presidential campaign, went to
the White House last Thursday for the
purpose of consulting with the President
concerning certain offices in Philadelphia,
the chief being the naval Office which he
desired for one GEORGE F. LELAND, who
did good political work last year. 1t is re
lated that the Presidents son has a friend,
Captain WALTERS, to whom the place had
been partly promised. WALTERS has never
been prominent in politics, and is com
paratively unknown; furthermore, he IS
not supported by a single one of the Re
publican leaders, and there seems to be no
special reason why he should be given a
fat office. 1t is SAID that President HAIR
RIsoN told Senator QUAY that LELAND
could select any other place in Philadelphia
but he CHI would like to give the naval
Office to Captain WALTERS. There was
much talk, and finally QUAY arose and said
with all the emphasis that the occasion re
quired: "You owe me your election, and if
you refuse me what l ask that will end our
relations. I have promised the place to
LELAND on my honor, and demand Of you
that the obligation be carried OUT
With this the Pennsylvania left the
White House, and so far the dispatches
have failed to mention anything of the out
come.
President HARRISON has an opportunity
in this case which he is not likely to get
again, and one which his friends must hope
that he will take advantage of to show that
he and not Senator QUAY is at the head of
the administration. If the story as de-
tailed by the correspondents is true, it is
an unpleasant position which the Presi-
dent occupies. To break with Quay viii
be to antagonize the most influen-
tial member of the Republican
party, and it may be, to alien
ate the Pennsylvania delegation, which
looks up to the Senator as its head. The
party majority in the House is very mar
row, and it has already been demonstrated,
in the HALsTEAD case, that the Senate
cannot be relied upon to stand by the ad
ministration. Hence it will be coura-
geous act for the President to take the bit
in his mouth and assert the mastery Of his
position; yet he must do that very thing,
or make a most humiliating surrender
which will deprive him of the respect of
the decent members of the Republican
organization. He cannot as a man or as
President, submit to the parcelling out of
offices within his gift unknown to him and
regardless of his wishes; nor can he afford
to let it be known that he is subject to the
dictation of party spoilsmen in the matter
of apportioning the fruits of last Novem-
ber's work at the polls.
HARRISON is credited with the possession
of little frmness, independence or stub
bornness, as may be preferred, and it is to
be hoped that he will now assert it.