The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-08-24
The History Of His appointment
as Secretary Of the Interior.
WHY HILL DOESN'T LIKE HIM.
Some White House Interviews Never Before
Published Something as to
Evarts as Diner


est and most able man that his state has
ever sent to Washington, aud L am told
that his only opponent of any prominence
is Tabor who has to buy ali the votes he
gets. Senator Teller is one of the most
remarkable men in this country. He is
the sou OF farmer in western New York
and he has the blue blood of the hnicker-
bockers in his veins. His ancestors came
\to this country from Holland in 1884, and
the present generation IS the first that has
not been able 10 speak the Dutch language.
His father was in ordinarily good circum-
stances ana young Teller got a good
education, studied law and went by
stage to- Denver in 1858. Central
city was then great mining town and Tel
Ter moved here and practiced law. He is
one OF the brightest lawyers in Colorado
and he has made several fortunes in his
practice. He has lost as well as made and
he is now a comparatively poor man. He
left his law office in 1876 to be one of Colo
RADIOS first Senators and he left the Senate
for the cabinet in 1882. When Teller was
Senator the millionaire n. p Hill was
also in the Senate and the two did not get
along well together.
HILL WAS JEALOUS OF TELLER
and lie was so angry with President Arthur
when Teller was made secretary of the in
terror that he became Arthur's enemy as
far as he dared to ne He never got over
his disgust at Teller's appointment and he
is now opposing Ieller's election to the
Senate
The story of Senator Teller's appoint
ment as one of President Arthur's cabinet
ministers has never been published and the
inside history of It was known only to three
or four statesmen. These were the Presi-
dent himself, Senator Teller, John A
Logan and Don Cameron. Now Arthur is
dead, Logan is dead, and Senator Teller at
my request gives the story through me to
the public. The truth is the place was
forced upon him. l had a chat with him re-
garding it the other night Said he: Il had
not the slightest desire for the position and
1t was ten days after the place was offered
TO me that | consented to accept it, and |
could not well afford the expenses of a
cabinet minister. My wife did not want
me to take it, and | refused to
accept it as long as l dared Ex-
Senator Chaffee was a candidate for the
place and so was Senator Logan Don
Cameron and myself We're pushing him for
1t. One Monday morning l was called out
of the Senate by the Presidents private
ScSIOldIys MI WIZ UOlQ NE Jnat
President Arthur would like me to come to
the White house at 10 O'Clock that night
and talk with him about the appointment
of a secretary of the interior | supposed
that he referred to Mr.. Chaffee's candidacy
and when / saw him again presented Mr.
Chaffee's case.
WE WERE DISCUSSING THE MATTER
in the little private room which Arthur re
served for himself, in one corner of the
Presidential mansion. As was going on
about Senator Chaffee President Arthur
said:
There is no use of talking of Mr. CAT
fees appointment. | have decided that
shall not have man for my secretary OF
the interior who is not lawyer and who
is not fresh from good practice. EX-Sen
ator Cnaffee has not the qualities that
want for my secretary of the interior's
Il was rather nettled at this Senator
Teller went on, land | referred to the
fact that number of the past secretaries
had not been lawyers, when the President
. said: 1 will tell you the elements that
want in my secretary of the interior aDG
the kind of man propose to appoint
The secretary of the interior has to settle
more important cases during the year thar
the supreme court, and he investigates
twice the number Of legal questions of the
department of Justice. Hence the mar
must be good lawyer He must hav,
some experience with public affairs anC
with public men. He must come from tn,
west, and President Arthur went on Il
tellme the other qualities which he wanted
his secretary of the interior to possess. A
he went on | saw that
HE HAD SOMEONE IN HIS MIND
and racked my brain to figure out who h.
was driving at. / ran over man after mai
f,.nrY ifr- hut L T,ol
who had the qualities he mentioned. Hi
talk grew hazier to me as he went on an,
at last he concluded, leaning over and put
ting his hand on my knee, and saying:
'Now, Senator Teller, l have decide
that you come the nearest to tlllingithese re
quirements of any man l know, and
want to offer you the place"
Il was thunderstruck. | jumped to m
feet and eXcitedly exclaimed: But dom
want it, Mr.. President. am in the Sen
ate and can't leave it. l cannot afford il
and you must not offer me the place, for
cannot accept il. Besides. / am here to pus
the claims of Mr.. Chaffee'"
THE President begged me to sit dow
and talk over the NATTER Senator Telle
went on. 81 complied with his request
though | said there was no use in talkin
about it, and our conversation lasted unit
= a. m. A | left begged the President no
to tell anyone he had offered me the pos
ZION, and reiterated my statement that
could not take it,
President Arthur replied: ~ don't wan
you 10 decide tonight. Think oyer tn
matter until Thursday night and in tn
meantime j will say nothing to anybod
about it." replied that
1 WOULD THINK OF IT,
and with that left On Tuesday or Wei
nesday called al the White house on som
other business and the President said
'sYou are coming around. Thursday {.
YES | replied, ''but [ have nothing ne,
10 say.n
.-On Thursday | met my appointment
and upon my again refusing. the Pres
pent asked me to go and see Don Camera
at the Senate and talk over the matte
with him, and to tell Cameron TO come an
see him after he had had his conversatio
with me. j saw Senator Cameron, an
Cameron urged me by all means to take th
place. He said: If the President wi
not have Chaffee, you must accept tn
place and l am for you / gave Senate
Cameron my reasons for not wanting i
Ee said: You can not help yourself. 70
will have to take it. and with that he lei
20 go TO the White house.n
The next day when came out of tn
Senate Senator Allison met me with a 81
wink in his eye and asked me if the go
ernor of my state was Republican an
whether he would appoint a Republics
successor to my place in the Senate. | sa
from this that the story was out, and tt
next there was a line in New York new
paper saying it was rumored that / hs
been offered
THE PORTFOLIO OF THE INTERIOR.
This statement was teiegraphed
Denver, and l got a hundred Telegram
next day urging me to accept the position
In the meantime Don Cameron telegraphe
Chaffee who was in Florida to come