The Van Buren press., 1893-05-13
Especial washington Letter.l

During the past month you have
read in the daily papers the lists OF
nominations sent to the senate by the
president, and it may prove interesting
to read something concerning the prepa-
ration of these nominations after they
have been decided upon; the prelim-
mary consideration given to the appli-
cations and recommendations of the
various candidates, and the manner in
which these nominations are delivered
to the senate.
OF course you know that applications
for Office may be made by letter, with
or without Endorsements. If you want
IN Office and write to the president or
any member of the cabinet, making
your application, your letter becomes q
part of the case, is filed and briefed
with the other papers, and remains on
the files of the department for fifty
years or more, until it becomes neces-
sary to destroy papers in order to make
room for Others If your application is
not properly recommended you cannot
get an office, but you have right to
apply, and great many people do SO.
There are plenty OF applicants forcvery
good Office, but only those who are
properly recommended are appointed.
If you want to be postmaster in city
which has a first, second Or third class
post Office your application will ulti-
mately reach the president; for all post
Offices of those classes are called ''presi-
dential," because they are filled by di-
rect appointment of the president. The
clerks in the post Office department pre-
pare such cases, brief all papers, and
finally make a legal brief of the entire
case; and the papers of all the candi-
dates are laid before the president. II
you apply for 4 foreign mission or con-
sulatc, the clerks in the department of
state handle all of the papers. If you
want to be collector of internal revenue,
or collector of customs, your papers are
prepared in the treasury department.
II you want to be district attorney or
marshal, ycrr papers become part of
the records of the department of justice.
Ultimately, the member of the cabinet
at the head of the department calls
upon the president and explains the case
TO him, and he orders the appointment.
The power Of the president to make
important appointments is limited by
the constitution; for he must secure the
consent of the senate before commits
sions can he issued. except when the
senate is not IN session. In such times,
the president has absolute power to ap-
point; but when the senate again con-
venes the president must secure the
consent of the senate or the appoint
ments become void. So the president
has only power, after all, to nominate
and not to appoint to the best positions.
Consequently, you read in the daily
papers the list of denominations sent to
the senate" by the president.
When the president has carefully
considered each case he informs his
cabinet minister that he wishes "a
nomination paper" prepared for the man
whose appointment he has decided
upon. This order is carried to the
department and issued by the cabinet
minister. The appointment clerk" fills
out a blank sheet of paper with the
name Of the lucky candidate, SO that it
reads: Z" nominate - -- to be
postmaster at - In place OF -
resigned" or removed, as the
case may be. To this paper, which is
filed with the names pertaining to the
case, the president attaches his sigma
ture and the paper is returned to the
department. When the senate is in
session again the nomination paper is