The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-04-18
A sohemine Private Secretary.

The president of the national farmers
| Clliance, Mr.. Polk, ma lie a very grave mis-
take when he selected D. H. Rittenhouse for
his private secretary. According 20 all
accounts Rittenhouse attempted number
of times to make money out Of his position
by means calculated TO bring the alliance
into disrepute. At the alliance convention
at Ocala statements were made that came
near getting President Polk into trouble.
The impression got abroad that President
Polk had been engaged in a political job Of
some sort with Mr. Blaine. investigation,
however, showed that be had been put in a
false position by the unauthorized acts of
Private Secretary Rittenhouse.
1t is stated that on the first of this year
President Polk got rid Of Rittenhouse, and
that at about the same time Rittenhouse
ceased to be a member Of the farmers ALI
ance. But his power for doing the alliance
harm did not cease. He is a shifty, and,
from all accounts, an INSCRIPTIONS fellow.
Recently Lieut. Gov. Jones of New York
received a letter signed by Rittenhouse as
lecturer Of the independent Order Of
American Citizens 1t was written on the
Official paper Of the alliance and purported
TO come from the office Of President Polk
in Wa hington. In the letter Rittenhouse,
after intimatlng that the alliance was
controlling the votes of the people and
pointing out some of the things which he
said the independent Order of American
Citizens taught" be closed with the follow
ing: Owe propose to enter your state and
organize it. If you desire our aid you will
assist us in a financial way. Our literature
will he spread all over your state. If you
desire our aid write me at once. If you do
not desire our support, perhaps some others
will. A failure TO hear from you willsDe
considered inimical to us, and we will act
accordingly"
This Matchmaking letter Lieut.. Gov.
Jones sent to President FOLK, and, it is I'M
derstood, he received assurances at once
that neither President Polk nor the alliance
had anything to do with the writing of it.
Lieut.. Gov. Jones was further informed
that he had nothing to fear from the alIi-
ance.
1t is time that President Polk had pub
lished widely that Rittenhouse is no longer
connected with the alliance and has no au-
thority to represent it in any way. 1t is
alleged that the letter to Lieut.. Gov. Jones
is not the only one of the kind that Ritten-
house has written. Other prominent men,
supp osed to be ambitious for political hon
ors, have, it IS asserted, received similar
letters. Whether any of them responded
by sending Rittenhouse money is a question
that cannot be answered with any degree of
certainty. 1t would not be surprising,
however, if he had collected quite a large
sum in the way he attempted to get money
from Lieut.. Gov. Jones.
1t is probable that the reason President
Polk did not expose Rittenhouse long ago is
that the latter's wife is highly respected and
has a large circle of influential friends.
Thinking that Rittenhouse, after having
been dismissed from his place and forced
out Of the alliance, would be powerless to do
any more harm, President Polk concluded,
doubtless, not to expose him. That he erred
in adopting that course Is now quite ap-
parent. He must make some statement
showing the sort of man Rittenhouse is or
take the chances of having the alliance still
further injured by the ex-private secretary.