Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-12-23
MARK TWAIN TO MISS CLEVELAND.

Together They Exercise q Pull ON the
Administration i'm Behalf of . Consul.
From the Chicago Record
Mark Twain has a pull with the admins
traton. That has been demonstrated. Ee
has a bigger pull than Secretary Gresham.
Josiah Quincy and the democratic deieea-
ton of Illinois put together. Last summer
when Mr.. Quincy was engaged in his her
culean labors in the cause OF reform, he
offered a prominent German Of Illinois a
certain place In the consular service which
had been and still Is occupied by one OF the
most efficient men on the rolls OF the gov
eminent The removal and appointment
Were made out with the concurrence CT
Secretary Gresham, and Mr.. Quincy took
them over to the White House for the Press-
dents approval But he brought them back
the consul IN question that he might make
his arrangements to stay at his post as long
as Grover Cleveland was President Of the
United States.
The Secretary OF State never knew the
reason for the Presidents action but IL has
since leaked out that 1t was due TO q letter
written by Mark Twain while he was IN
Europe last summer. He had frequently
visited the place where this consul is sta
toned, and knew kim very well One day
he called at the consulate and found his
friend packing up his books and pagers for
shipment home. He had not been removed.
but had received notice that his successor
might be named any day. This suggested
a discussion of the tenure of Office IN the
consular service. and when Mark Twain re-
turned to his hotel he sat down and wrote
a letter to Baby Ruth Cleveland ON the sub
ject.
Il am a mugwump," he said, land can
not ask the President any favors. 1t would
be a violation of our creed. but there is no
reason why 1 should not ask you to say to
him that in all my travels throughout the
world during the last twenty years I have
made the acquaintance of a great many
consuls, good, bad and Indifferent and I
have never known a better one than Mr.
So and So, who has just received notice that
his place is wanted for some inexperienced
man, simply because he Is a republican and
the other fellow is a democrat"
Here followed a review OF the record OF
the consul in question, a description OF the
peculiar qualifications which fitted him for
the place, and Mr.. Twain's views as a mug
wunAp concerning the manner in which As
sistant Secretary Quincy was carrying ON
the work of reform by turning out all the
republicans in the service and filing their
places with democrats, regardless Of their
efficiency or qualifications. In conclusion he
asked Baby Ruth to use her influence with
her father to stop that sort of thing, and
particularly TO prevent Mr.. - from be-
ing slaughtered Ike the rest.
The letter was posted. and I'm about three
weeks there came a reply written on the
stationery of the Executive Mansion. in
which Miss Ruth Cleveland presented her
compliments TO Mr.. Twain and begged to
say that she had communicated the con-
tents of the letter TO the President. who de-
sired her to thank him for having brought
him that the gentleman Of whom he wrote
would be allowed to remain In Office as long
as he performed his duties as faithfully a.
he had done in the past