The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-04-25
BEHIND THE THRONE.
Private Secretaries Of the Cabinet and
Their Influence.

in Their Hands the Fates of Office
seekers-The Claims They Veto are
Turned Down, While Those Which
They Indorse are Apt to Be Favor
ably Regarded.
From the Washington Star.
The private secretaries of cabinet Off
GERS are the individuals whom office
seekers most desire to propitiate. Their
mower to control the distribution of
patronage at the departments is great
such applications for places as they choose
10 veto are usually turned down, while
those which they deign to indorse are. as
a rule, successful Standing at the elbows
of the great personagcs who dispense the
GOOD things under government they Jog
them as they like. 1t is their part to be
familiar with men and matters in detail
which the executive chiefs have no time
10 inquire about. and whatever they de
eide is in effect final. They can hopelessly
piccon-hole a mans papers or put them to
advantageous use, JUST as they please.
Nothing goes to to the secretary without
passing through their hands.
Considering the great powers which
they possess it seems odd to find that
nearly all of the confidential clerks of the
new cabinet officers are mere Youngsters
The average of their ages is less than 80
wears The most youthful of them all is
private Secretary Seager, Mr. Lamont 5
factotum He is only "a. His complexion
is light and his hair and mustache are
very blonde. He acted for one year as
stenOgrapher for Secretary of the Navy
Whitney, in whose service he has re-
NAMED nearly all of the time since Mr..
Whitney went out of Office. Mr.. Whit
ney recommended him 20 Mr. Lamont.
Only one year his senior is Lewis H.
Secretary of the Navy Herbert.
He is small man with dark
hair and eyes and very engaging
manners. For eighteen months
under the last administration he was en-
poyed in the navy department as private
secretary to Assistant Secretary Solely.
He comes from Virginia and was formerly
the right-hand man of Frederick w.
HuidCkOper who now is receiver of the
Richmond and Danville railroad.
Two of the private secretaries to the
new cabinet are newspaper men. Jour
nalists make the best confidential clerks.
in the - business they are apt 20 acquire
the essential qualities, not the least i'm
portant of which are tact, genial manners
and nerve. Robert Wynn had tifteea
years experience in doing the depart
ments" for newspapers before he became
private secretary to Secretary of the
Treasury Foster. He was for long time
on the Cincinnati Commercial Gazette,
and being well acquainted with Ohio
politics, he was just the man Foster
wanted. His familiarity with Kentucky
politics has rendered him valuable to Mr.
Carlisle, who has retained his services.
Wynn is 80 years old; he is of medium
hight and has dark and curling hair
There is no man better known in Wash
ingtOn as an all around good fellow. One
reason why he is useful in his place is
that he knows all the dead beats, black
mailers, beggars, fraudulent claimants
and other disreputable persons who asSail
every new Secretary of the Treasury
The other news man is Claude n. Ben
nett, Hoke Smiths private secretary. He
is 26 years old. During the last two con-
crosses he has been engaged in Washing
ton as correspondent for the Atlanta
Journal, Mr.. Smiths paper Besides, he
has done good deal of political work for
the new Secretary of the Interior. He is
tall and slim. Yesterday he told a story
about an Irishman named Mike Reddy,
who worked so hard for the democratic
ticket at Naldosta, Ga, that he became
known in that region as Grover Cleve-
physique. During the campaign he met
Hoke Smith and said to him: when you
are appointed to the cabinet I'll come and
ask you for place as messenger. HOke
Jokingly replied: you shall have it"
He had forgotten all about Mike when the
latter turned up in Washington and re-
minded him of his promise. The Irish
man got the place he wanted.
Nearly all of the boys who used to know
H0l[n Smith az
with him lost no time in writing to him
letters of congratllatiOn. AS a rule they
nave refrained from accompanying these
friendly messages with applications for
offices. The latter are sent on from a day
to week later. There are probably one
third more applicants for places in the
department of the interior than at any
other Of the departments, because the
number of employees is so great, aggreea-
ting $4,000 in the pension Office land office,
census office, geological survey and other
bureaus. The chance for getting a Job is
supposed to be propOrtiOnate There are
thousands of petitioners who have asked
Mr.. Smith for amy place you think | can
NIL Ihey commonly say: You know
me and are acquainted with my abilities
Can you not find hole that | can fit
intol"
They expect the secretary to look
capable filling. The great majority are
willing to take anything they can get,
while those who are better acquainted
with the methods of Office seeking point out
positions which they feel disposed to ac-
cept. Many ask for situations with
salary of from $1,000 to g, 5000 enough"
as they say, Ito support the family com
fortably." Some speak of their daughters,
whom they would like to take to Wash
lng-On, with a view to introducing them
10 fashionable society at the capital"
numerous applicants send their applica-
llonS by registered mail, in this way OBJ
tanning signed return card, which makes
them certain that their petitions have
peen duly received and contents noted"
dU the department. Only the other day
PrlVate Secretary Bennett was the re
Clpient OF an express package marked with
valuation of 500, He supposed that it
was an Easter gift for himself, but it
proved to be bulky petition for office.
The private secretary of the Secretary
Oh state is Hclnesaw Lands of Illinois.
lie Is 20 years old. clean shaver, VITA
piack hair dark complexion and lines on
ms lace which make him look older His
HrSt name was taken from the battle field,
Where his father-nOt Gen. Gresham, as
mas been wrongly reported-was wounded
turing the war. He is lawyer. and
gresham has known him from boy
Most of the applicants for offices with
NnOm he has to deal are seeking con-