Birmingham age-herald., 1895-04-29
THOSE ENTERING WEDGES. The New Policy of the Treasury
 Department. MINTS AND ASSAY OFFICES
Will Be Taken Out of the Reach of the
 Politicians.
MERIT AND NOT PULL GOES HeREAFT ER.
Have Aided in Moving the President and Secretary to This Step-Cen-
 tralization of the Service.

Washington, April 2S.-The reported selection of MT. Herman Kreitz, the pres ent appointment clerk of the treasury department, as superintendent of the
 mint at Philadelphia, vice Townsend, re- moved or resigned and of MT. w. E. Nor gan, now examiner in the mint bureau here, as coiner of the mint in Philadel- phia, vice Steele, transferred, are stated to be the entering wedges of an entirely new departure in the matter of the admin istration of the United States hints and assay offices. Both gentlemen are dem ocrats and citizens of Pennsylvania, MT. Kreitz being from Reading, Pa., and MT. Morgan from Philadelphia, but neither was urged for appointment by either of the contending factions of local politi-
 clans. The purpose is to take the mint
 service out of state politics, not only in
 Philadelphia, but in other states where United States hints and assay offices are
 located. This new policy has not been adopted without careful consideration. For four or five months back the pres ident has been giving the subject much thought. He finally arrived at the con viction that officers to whom the conage and control of the United States money in the national hints were connded
  | the advice of the chief officials of the treas and those appointments should not be made factors in the distribution or the patronage of the state or city Tn which the mint happened to be located Under the rule that formerly obtained and which has been technically adhered to by local politicians of both parties. the superintendent of the mint has been largely controlled in the selection Of his office force by the views of the senator or other state politicians to whose recom- mendation he owed his appointment. ThiS nressure. it is said. will now be lessened if not entirely obliterated by the new pol icy of selecting mint superintendents from a national and not local point or view.
 Men who possess some natural or ac, ouired qualifications for such places Will be preferred to those who only command local political influence. It will not even be essential that they should hail from the city or state in which the mint is sit l uated, but preference will be gwen 10 residents all others being equal. There are United States hints at New Orleans. San Francisco and Denver, Col and United States assay offices at New York Carson City, Nev., Charlotte, N. C., and other points. The same poi icy will be extended to each of these alike should occasion arise, although the principal offices in both the hints and the assay offices are now heid by appointees of the present administra- tion The principal advantage expected to be derived from this new departure IS that the mint service throughout the country will be less dominated by local influence and brought closer under the supervision and direction of the director of the mint in the treasury at Washing ton. Each mint is now more or less inde- pendent of each other and the Washing ton authorities, but under the new plan
 all will be directly under the control Of Washington.
 The Philadelphia mint is the largest and most important. Major Kretz, who will probably be placed at it's head, Is a
 strict disciplinarian and knows the wishes and purposes of Secretary Car lisle the president and Director Preston. The selection of W. b. Morgan for coiner is understood to be for the purpose of emphasizing this new departure. He has been connected with the mint bureau for many years and has practical knowledge
 of mint workings.
 As far back as last December the preSl-
 dent became dissatisfied with the con
 duct of the Philadelphia mint, and de-
 cided that change was necessary for
 the good of the service. United Press
 dispatches announced the fact then. Sev-
 eral times since the matter was on the
 point of being brought to head. Cir
 cumstances of political character at
 one time and of a different nature at an
 other intervened to cause delay. On
 April 15 the president and Secretary Car
 lisle held conference at the White House
 when the whole subject of taking the
 mint out of state politics was discussed
 and the present policy inaugurated.
 Shortages, defalcations and absolute
 thefts at Carson City, New Orleans, Phil
 adelphia and other points have largely
 aided in bringing the president and Sec
 retary Carlisle to the conclusion, which
 they have now adopted.