Omaha daily bee., 1894-03-13
GROVER DID IT ALL ALONE
President Cleveland Personally Responsible
for the Appointment of DR., Miller.
WHY HE TURNED DOWN THE MACHINE
Charges Against tho Combines Candidate
Had sufficient Weight to Turn the Scale
and Miller Came as u Happy
solution.
WASHINGTON BUREAU OF THE BEE,
6l3 Fourteenth street,
WASHINGTON. March IL.

WASHINGTON, March IL.
president Cleveland assumes all OF the re-
sponsibility for the nomination of DIR. George
l.. Miller of Omaha to be surveyor of Gus
toms at that port, - said a high official in the
Treasury department to The Bee correspond
ent late this afternoon. There is not a
paper on file in this department in favor of
DR.. Miller for any place. | will tell you
the circumstances under which President
Cleveland dropped the three or four candi-
dates for the surveyorship and arbitrarily
named DR.. Miller.
when the friends of Mr.. Ijams filed papers
for his appointment to the position they
entered charges against MIR. James McShane.
and the fact is the president made up his
mind some weeks ago that under no circum-
stances would he nominate McShane. He
came to the conclusion that McShane was
UNFIT for the place.
THE first real evidence that the president
intended to nominate DIR. Miller came to this
department on Saturday" continued the OIL
cial, when a messenger came over from the
white house and asked that information be
sent TO the president bearing upon the
financial benefit to be derived from the office
of surveyor of customs at Omaha. The
matter was looked up and the president
was informed that the e~moluments made the
office worth between 6 $500 and $1,000 per
annum, or nearly as much as the position
of Interstate commissioner, which DIR. Mil
Ter sought through his friends.
HELPED OUT or A HOLE.
when Secretary Morton and Committee,
man Castor presented the name of DR.. Miller
for the Interstate Commerce commission va,
cancy they no doubt unwittingly sealed tho
fate OF all aspirants to the Omaha suveyor-
ship. The president did not intend to an.
point Mr.. McShane, and he did not want to
appoint either Cunningham or Iiams. He waa
given to understand that nN-fnNarnnr nn,,l
did not care for the place, and 1t was under,
stood that Messrs. Morton and Castor were
unwilling that he should be appointed to it.
Under the circumstances the president was
at a loss to know what he should do about
the surveyorship until DR., Miller's name
was pressed for the vacancy on the Interstate
commission. Almost instantly
the president saw his way clear out of his
dilemma He did not want to give the Inter,
state commission vacancy to Ne.
braska, because he feels that he has already
given that state more than it is entitled to
and because he wants a lawyer for the posi-.
ton. He wanted to provide for DR.. Miller,
and when the idea suggested itself to him
to appoint the doctor to the surveyorship tho
question of compensation was the only thing
in the way. Learning that the office was
worth nearly as much as the one sought by
the doctor, he made up his mind to send his
name to the senate today. While | do not
doubt that Or. Miller knew that his name
was to go to the senate for the surveyorship,
| do not know that he was advised of the
fact. 1t is not known at this department
what Secretary Morton and Mr.. Castor think
of the nomination of DR.. Miller, but after
their appeal for his appointment to the other
place, neither can enter objection
MORTON AND CASTOR r SILENT.
Both Secretary Morton and Committeeman
Castor refused to be interviewed upon the
nomination of DR.. Miller. They both declare
allegiance to James McShane, and say that
they deeply regret that the president could
not see his way to nominate him. Both say
they urged the president with all their
power to appoint DR.. Miller on the Inter
state Commerce commission and are sorry
he was not given that place. At the same
time both are quoted as saying that they
were aware Of the futility of further press
ing the name of Dr.. Miller for the Interstate
commission at the end of last
week. However, Messrs. Morton and Castor
knew on Saturday DR.. Miller would be nom
mated today. The nomination was no sur
prise to them.
Mr.. McShane and his friends in Omaha
have President Cleveland more than any
body else to blame for losing the fight
which they made for this office. The presi-
dent is naturally Of a suspicious turn of mind,
except in a few instances, where, to employ
a vulgarity, he Is dead stuck on" some
personal friend. His ears are always open
to charges and he is even ready to find an
excuse for turning down an applicant who
is endorsed by a large number of the people.
Secretary Carlisle did everything he could to
bring about Mr.. McShane's appointment.
Now that the Morton-Castor machine has
broken down on the Omaha surveyorship,
the Nebraska contingent in Washington ex-
poets to see it knocked out in the selection
of a United States district attorney. At
torney General Olney has the
appointment of some one who Is objection
able to the machine and it remains to be
seen whether he can have his way. Repre-
sentative Bryan still claims a victory in the