St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-06-05
EVERY INDICATION THAT SEC
RETARY OF STATE WILL BE
HIS TITLE.
SEEKING A SUCCESSOR
FOR THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
CAUSES A DELAY IN THE AN
NOUNCEEMENT.
SENATOR GRAY IS MENTIONED
Holmes Conrad, of Virginia, the
Present Solicitor General, n
Possibility.

WASHINGTON, June 4.-There is
no longer any reasonable doubt but
that the president has fully determined
to ask Attorney General Olney to ac-
cept the state department portfolio.
While this is an undoubted fact, it
is also certain that the president has
not even intimated to Mr.. Olney that
this was his purpose. To other MEM
bers of the cabinet, however, it is
learned that he has stated ain sub
stance that he should ask Mr.. Olney
to accept the place, and that he was
delaying the public announcement in
order that he might at the same
time name successor to Mr.. Olney
as attorney general. Persons in a
position to know what the presidents
purposes are anticipated an early an
nouncement of Mr.. Olney'S appoint
ment, and probably that of his sue
cessor. Senator Gray's visit to the
White house was undoubtedly in re-
spouse to a telegram from the preSl-
dent, who, it is learned, would not
his cabinet were it not for the fact
that his retirement from the senate
would almost certainly result in the
election of a Republican as his sue
cessor 1t is thought that up to this
time the president has not definitely
decided upon Mr.. Olney's successor.
A long list of names is being discussed,
but everything in that connection is
purely speculative. EX-Postmaster
General Don M. Dickinson, it is said,
would be very likely Of appointment
if he would accept. A possibility is
Holmes Conrad, of Virginia, the pres
ent solicitor general. He has the rep
utation of being a man of brilliant
legal attainments, and enjoys the high
regard of the members of the United
States supreme court. The fact that
Mr.. Conrad comes from Virginia,
however, may operate against his ap--
pointment, but in case he is selected
it is believed that Mr.. Uhl, the pres
ent assistant secretary of state, would
be a candidate for this place at the
time Mr.. Maxwell was appointed, and
it is believed that the change from the
department of state to that of justice
would be most agreeable to him.
OLNEY's RECORD.
Richard Olney, who is now in all
probability to be advanced to the flrst
place in President Cleveland's cabinet,
has won this distinction by the able
service he has thus far rendered the
president on all the more important
questions that have engaged public at
tention since the present administra-
ton began. During the great strike at
Chicago Mr.. Olney's services were par
ticularly notable. He developed each
step that the government authorities
took. and President Cleveland was so
fully convinced of the wisdom of the
proposed policy that he gave it thor
ough support and execution. In this
question Mr.. Olney was impelled by a
desire to suppress disorder. He had
shown in another case his sincere re-
spect for the rights of labor. This was
in a case of the Reading railroad, which
sought to compel one of it's employees to
either sever his connection with rail-
way beneficial organization or the COM
pany's service. Although the govern
ment had no direct interests in the
case, Mr. Olney secured the permission
of the court to present brief in be-
half of the employe, in which he held
that the proposed action of the COM
pany was against justice and right.
The brief was marked by a vigorous
defense of the rights of labor to or
ganize in any way it saw fit, for ad-
vancing its interests, so long as the
means were peaceful and within the
law. The
NEW SECRETARY OF STATE
comes from sturdy Puritan stock. His
ancestor, Thomas Olney, came from
England and settled at Salem, Mass, in
1875. The father of Richard Olney
owned and managed the cotton mills
at Oxford, and also engaged in bank
ing. His mother was a Sigourney, de-
scended from French Huguenots who
fed from France to this country. The
new secretary of state was graduated
from Brown university in 1856, and from
the Harvard law school in 1853 He
married Agnes, daughter of Judge
Benjamin F. Thomas, with whom he
studied law. They have lived at late
years at Boston, with summer homes
near BuZZard's Bay and Gray Gables,
the summer residence of the president.
Mr.. Olney is a gentleman of fine liter
ary attainments and tastes. Although
a close student, he is a lover of out
door sports, and is a good hoIseman,
an enthusiastic tennis player and a
skillful angler. He is a man of me-
dunn height and robust form, and in
general appearance he conveys the i'm
preston of intense vitality and physf-
cal endurance beyond that of any man
who has occupied the position of sec
reary Of state in recent years. His
face is strong, keen and Intellectual.
Though his manner is somewhat re-
served and austere, he unbends readily
to the approaches of intimate friends.
Mr.. Olney has served one term in the
state legislature of Massachusetts,. In
politics he is an old-time Democrat, but
was unable to support Butler for gov
ernor. He did not take q prominent
part in the last presidential campaign,
but rendered effective service to Mr..
Cleveland in an unobtrusive manner. AS
a lawyer, Mr.. Olney's success has been
that of a counselor, rather than that
of an advocate. He is regarded as a
mastery exponent of the law, relying
upon conciseness of expression and
clearness of statement, rather than upon
purely rhetorical effort, for the sue
cess of his efforts.