St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-10-16
A CHAT WITH LOCHREN
HE IS NOT A CANDIDATE FOR G0H-
ERN0R or MINNESOTA.
WOULD NOT ACCEPT IF CHOSEN.
The Commissioner of Pensions
Talks From the Shoulder-He
Never Sought Office Present
Position Accepted as a Gall of
Duty - Full Sympathy With
Legitimate Pensioner.

Special to the Globe.
WASHINGTON. Oct. 15.-Some of the
Twin City daiIies are engaged in the
task of providing gubernatorlal honors
for Commissioner Lochren. The COM
missioner was asked as to his wishes in
respect to being transplanted from head
of the pension bureau to the head of the
executive department of the state.
"These newspaper correspondents are
extremely kind,' he responded, ''but
am afraid their generosity IN this par
ticular instance is misplaced. do not
know that my Democratic fellow citl-
zens would consent to nominate me for
governor. If they did, think it doubt
full whether majority of the people of
the state would give their suffrages for
my election. But there is one thing
that am quite positive of. and that is
that would not accept nomination for
governor of Minnesota, and further, l
would not consent to serve as governor
if elected.
81 have not been entirely engaged in
politics for many years. In fact, all
my friends know that l never was a
practical politician, in the sense that
that term is now used. ] do not now
recall that l have ever asked the Demo-
cratic party of my city or state to sup
port me for any office. have thank
fully accepted such positions as my
fellow citizens have rendered to me, and
have endeavored to give to them in re-
turn my best services. My successes
and failures in these endeayorS are
written in the history of Minnesota.
SIT is well known that did not seek
or expect the position of commissioner
of pensions. When the call came, how
ever, it came in such shape that con-
celyed it to be my patriotic duty to ac-
cept and to give to the discharge of it's
duties such ability as l possessed. I
may say, that while find the position
laborious and exacting, it has also it's
attractiveneSs tor man who is not too
sensitive to criticism. The rumor that
am dissatisfied with the posi-
tion is an error. I am rather
pleased than otherwise with the
duties of the office. / find the critl-
cisms easier to bear than had ina
gined. And then (smilingly) my friend
Mr.. Smith, the secretary of the interior,
serves as a sort of buffer" so to speak,
between myself and the great public.
He is frequently visited with the pun
ishment which of right should belong
to myself. Thus, you see, | am very
largely protected from assault, and as
Secretary Smith does not seem to be
| annoyed by it, why should complain?
Il will, therefore, take this occasion
to say that am satisfied to remain COM
missioner of pensions. There is little
probability that anything will arise to
make me dissatisfied, and if there should
there would be ample time to consider
such a contingency after 1t had arisen.
II hope the newspapers will not dis
turb this contented frame of mind by
holding out bats of any more exalted
| positions. l am not at all ambitious for
high political preferment, and at my
age am only deslrOus to discharge the
duties before me conscientiously and
patriotically.
1.-The only solicitude l feel in connec-
ton with the discharge of my present
| official duties is found in the fact that
many of my comrades of the war period,
for whom l have the prOfoundest affec-
tion and the highest regard, differ with
me as to the correctness of some of nv
positions. l am quite sure, neverthe-
less, that those among them whose opin-
ions are worthy of respect are ready to
accord to me honesty of purpose. as well
as far reaching sympathy for that
large class of the veteran soldiers of the
war with whom the affairs of life have
gone wrong, and who in their old age
find themselves poor, sick and defense
less while surrounded by struggling
and aggressive generation, who neither
know nor care for their services
of thirty years ago. l personally
partook of those hardships, and
was for three years witness to thei1
courage. their patriotism and their sub.
lime self-sacritice. No thought of polt.
ical partlsanship prevented those vet.
eran soldiers from performing the task
allotted to them. In my task of today
of separating the suffering and deserv
ing veterans, their widows and orphans.
from another class that l do not care tc
characterize, l ask my old comrades tc
believe me when | assert that nc
thought of political partisanship or
party advantage actuates me. AS they
did their duty amid difficulties, hard.
ships and disasters thirty years ago. ]
am striving to do mine now. | ask all
of them to aid me in the discharge oi
those duties"
Hints From Hastings.