The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1893-12-10
THE VAN ALIEN APPOINTMENT.

/
sided. Even the positive declinatior
of the gentleman in the face of the
Presidents urging that he accept, does
not seem to pacify the disturbers
They started in to defame the admin
istration and they keep at it, as the
hackneyed saying has it. with a zeal
worthy of a better cause"
There was an appearance about the
appointment of j. j. Van Allen as
Ambassador to Italy which gave a
fine opportunity to arouse popular pref
udice. He had been a liberal con-
tributor to the Democratic campaign
fund. He had not been prominent in
public affairs. He was not an active
politician. He was outside the coterie
of Office seekers and of the class put
forward by the patronage dispensers.
The Republicans saw in his appoint
ment an inviting opportunity to retort
on the Democratic administration for
the jibes thrown out at the previous
Republican administration for its Wan
amaker and similar appointments, in
reward for services rendered the party
in the campaign of 1883. New York
Democrats joined in the noise because
they did not want little Rhode Island
to take so valuable a plum. The coun-
try caught up the clamor as sheep
bleat when the bell wethers commence,
and there was tremendous cry with
a very small quantity of wool
1t was represented that the gentle
man was not American in his tastes
views or manners. That he affected
foreign ways. That he was a nobody
and a know nothing. and that his pay
ment of $4,000 to the campaign fund
the exact amount, however, was never
verifed-was his only qualification for
the important post. In vain it was
declared that these stories were in
correct, that the gentleman was well
fitted for the place, and that the Presi-
dent had assured his Rhode Island
friends that he had made the selection
solely on it's merits. The charge that
this was purchase and sale was reiter-
ated, and Mr.. Van Allen determined
to decline the appointment.
The criticism which has been di-
rected against the President falls with
almost equal directness upon the
Senate of the United States, which
does not seem to be mentioned in the
That august body con-
frmed the appointment after investi-
eating the charges as to his lack of
and his so-called pur-
chase Of the place. Why should the
Senate have endorsed the Presidents
if Mr.. Van Allen was an
unfit candidate?
The text of his declination has not
appeared in full in this part of the
country, so we here insert it that our
readers may decide on this subject
for themselves:
The Hon. Walter Q. Gresham, secre-
tary of State:
SRI have the honor to acknowledge
receipt of your letter of October a2s. in
which you officially notify me that
the President, by and with the advice
and consent of the Senate, has APP
pointed me Ambassador to Italy.
Since the receipt of your letter l have
given the matter my most serious and
careful attention, and, as the result
Of my reflections, have concluded to
ask You to express to the President
my decision not to accept the office
me.
l must beg that you will not infer
from this action any lack of apprecia-
ion on my part of the honor conferred. !
On the contrary, 1 fully comprehend
he dignity Importance and RESPONSE |
1llity of the position, and, having this |
'ealization, may frankly add that the I
nomination was extremely gratifying
% Ine-not in 2 personal sense merely. |
)ut more particularly because of the |
afforded me OF represent |
ng my country in such a manner as
hoped might be satisfactory to the |
American people and creditable to the |
administration.
Among the comments upon my nomi-
i1tAOAA WHICH, dHpSdIGQ III the DuDllc I
,ress one charge only merits atten-
ion, not because it was true, but be-
'ause it was and I suppose still is.
believed by many persons unfamiliar
With the individuals concerned and the /
acts essential to the formation of an
-ccurate Judgment. The charge was
hat l received the appointment in re-
urn for a contribution Of $4,000 to
he Democratic national campaign fund. |
While my nomination was pending in
he Senate it did not seem fitting and
proper for me to offer more than an
xplicit denial. I was aware that. as
N interested party, my statement
would have little effect beyond the I
limits Of my personal acquaintance.
Vow however, when my action cannot
'e fairly attributed to purely selfish
motives, it seems to me that a repe-
itlon of that denial, which / make
Without qualification, should be suf-
cient for any honorable man.
l have never denied and do not now I
eny that | have contributed to the
fund-not $50, 900, but vet a
considerable sum of money Sincerely
as / did that a continuation
I Republican supremacy would be not
My a hindrance to national progress,
ut in time a positive menace to the
uccess of popular government, and
aving large interests at stake, I was Is
npelled by both patriotic and selfish. i,
easons to aid the Democratic cause.
l did not do so until l had made my L