The morning call., 1893-04-02

connected with the event. In the Chicago
convention OF last June Mr.. Bissel was
equal in command with William c. Whit
ney. lie did most of the planning and the
ex-Secretary OF the Navy did most of the
executing and got all the credit, although he
would have shared 1t gladly with the Buffalo
man II the latter had been willing. Mr..
Blsselfs name was scarcely mentioned in
the newspapers, and very few persons knew
tnen or know now the measure OF his polit-
lcal power He is now and has been for
nearly decade one of the great generals in
the Democratic party, yet when it was an
nouneed tn at he had been chosen to succeed
John Wanamaker many Democratic CAP
tains asked: WHO Is Wilson S. Bissell ?"
The new Postmas ter General. according
to the statements of those who know him
here, is one Of the closest-mouthed men in
public life. He has always kept himself in
the background, and even in Buffalo he
has been rarely talked about He has not
the widest OF acquaintan ips, but he is
companionable man. broad minded, witty
and a good talker. except where his own
affairs are concerned. Mention these and
he shuts up like a clam and either stops
talking or changes the subject.
In this respect POstmaster-G General BisselI
Will be fonnd FAR different from John Wanna
maker. Our last Posimaster-General was
generally ready to talk about anything
from his Sunday-schOol to great postal re-
forms. and from his store to the chances of
fortune making for young men. Mr.. Wanna
maker is man OF many IDEAS of much
shrewd common-sense aud of lively appre-
citation OF The value of the newspaper man in
the way OF helping on himself and his party
be had frst-class newspaper man at a
salary of $1,000 year, which he paid out OF
MS own pocket, by the way. in the person of
Marshall Cushing, and the correspondents
and news-gatherers were always welcome at
his office. Through this his administration
was better ADVERTISED and better presented
to the people than that of any Postmaster
General OF the past, and l understand that
ne considered his newspaper secretary one
oil his best Washington investments II Post
master-General Bissell does not change the
character he had here ne viii do differently,
He has never had much to do with the news
papers and has, l am told, cut shy of them.
and has apparently rather feared them,
Mr.. Wanamaker was always accessible, and
l have always been impressed by his hon.
esfy and his plain practical common sense
he knew how to deal with men and he sell
making him his friend. He understood
how to brush aside details and make the
other men work for him. The new Post
msster-General has had to deal with books
and legal questions more than with the
managing of men, and he will not start out
with the same advantages which Wana.
makers experience in his store gave him.
The two Postmasters-G General are the op-
posite in appearance. Bissell weighs twice
as much as Wanamaker, and he tips the
skull could contain Wanamaker's head, and
the brown hair of the great merchant would
not touch the walls of BisselPs Uranium
were it boxed up In its center. Mr.. Bis
sell arms are as big around as Mr.. Wanna
makers calves, and his thighs measure al.
most as much in circumference as does
Honest Johns waist Wanamaker is about
i've feet eight; BiSsell is over six feet in his
stockings. Both are smooth-shaven, both
dress in black and are simple in their
tastes.
Here at Buffalo hear many comparisons
of Cleveland and Bissel. and the new Post
master-General seems to be In most WAYS
the twin brother of the President. Their
lives have run closely together. They
squalled in their cradles a. about the same
time away back in the thirties. Both came
Of fairly well-to-do families, Bisselps par
ents being perhaps the richer and sending
him to school at Yale. Both were bachelors
TIL they were fifty years old; their wives
are OF about the same age, and the two girls
went to school together. Each family has
one baby daughter, and the little girls are
OF about the same age. l chatted last night
with an old lawyer friend of the two men.
Said he:
mr.. Cleveland and Mr.. Bissell have been
almost inseDarable ever since the latter was
chief clerk in the Office of Lanng, Cleveland
q FOLSOM IN 1870 When Mr.. Cleveland was
elected Sheriff OF Erie County he wanted Mr.
Bissell to become his Deputy Sheriff,
but the clerk thought he saw better
things ahead in the law line and declined.
A few months after he became the law
partner of the Hon. Lyman K Bass and
three years later Mr.. Cleveland joined the
hrin. The two men were seen together al
most everywhere, and called each other
wills and Grove When Mr.. Cleveland
married the daughter of another of his law
partners, Oscar Folsom, Wilson Bissell was
the best man. and when the present Post
master-General married Louise Fowler
Slurgls In February. 1890. Mr. and Mrs.
Cleveland were the guests of honor. These
two men have never ceased to be wills
and Grove to each other, and 1t is likely
that no one In the Cabinet will have more
influence IN the new administration than
Wilson S. Bissell."
The old law firm In the Weed block. Buff
falo. of which Mr.. Cleveland and Mr. BisseI
were members, has probably sent out more
public men than any other in the United
States, and Mr.. Bissel is not the only Post
master-General among them. The firm
dates back TO 1884 when the Hon. Orsamus
Ii. Marshall, the most famous of Western
New York historians. opened his law office.
MT MarshalPs first two partners both left
him to take public office. His third part
ner was Judge Nathan X. Hall. who had
until then been Willard Fillmere's law part
ser. When Fillmore became President he
selected Judge Hall as his Postmaster Gen.