The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-08-26
GROWERS NEW ADVISER
DAVE" FRANCIS A IAN AFTER
CLEvELAND'S OWN HEART.
Something About the New Secretary
of the Interior-Carlisle Whipped
Into Line Again.
Special to the indianapolis Journal.

WASHINGTON, Aug. e. - Ex-Governor
Francis. of Missouri. who has been appoint
ed Secretary of the Interior 10 succeed
Hoke Smith. resigned. is a Cleveland man
after the Presidents own heart, and he
has shared the fate of all other Cleveland
men. When Dave" Francis defeated old
Garden Sass Cockrell for the guberna-
torial nomination in Missouri years ago. he
was recognized as the coming man in MIS-
souri, politics. For a while he dictated Mis-
souri, politics absolutely. Then he joined
the Cleveland camp, became the Presidents
grand alarmer' of all the federal patron
age in Missouri. and to-day it is doubtful
II Mr.. Francis could rally five thousand
votes out of the hundreds of thousands Of
Democratic voters in Missouri. Mr.. Cleve-
lands admiration for Francis was without
limit. Every appointment that he made in
Missouri was dictated by Governor Francis
He absolutely ignored Senators Cockrell
and Vest. and in the case OF the lattr car
ried this disregard Of senatorial p~rerogative
to open contempt. AT the request of Mr..
Francis President Cleveland had appointed
Mr.. Samuel Priest a federal judge for the
Eastern district of Missouri. Mr.. Priest
was an excellent lawyer. but he had been
for years Mr.. Gould's attorney for the Mis-
souri, Pacific railroad, and his appointment
was very unpopular. Mr.. Cleveland paid
no heed to the protest, but Mr.. Priest, after
a few months service, retired from his po-
sition. He wrote out his resignation, but
instead of forwarding it to the President,
handed it to Mr.. Francis. Francis placed
the resignation in his pocket, came on 10
Washington. saw the President. and in
half an hours interview had Priests resig-
nation accepted and the appointment OF
MIR. George Adams, a personal friend, made
out. Senator Vest, or Missouri, had been
for twelve years a member of the judiciary
committee. AS a Senate from Missouri
and a member OF that committee. which
decides the disqualiications of federal APP
~pointments, he had a RICH TO demand that
he be consulted. but Mr.. Vests first knowl-
edge of Mr.. Priests resignation was when
he read in the afternoon paper that his sue
ceSSor, MIR. Adams, had been appointed.
When Postmaster-general Bissell an
nounced his determination to retire from
the Cabinet, President Cleveland had Sc
lected Ex-Governor Francis as his success
sor and he intended to send Wilson 70 Mex
leo to succeed the late Governor Gray, of
Indiana. Mr.. Wilson wanted the place. and
at the last moment President Cleveland,
for reasons which it is not necessary TO
enter into at this omen changed his
plans and named Senator Ransom, OF North
Carolina, for the Mexican mission, Mr..
Wilson was indignant. and he placed no
limits on the passionate language In which
brakes as he dubbed Mr.. Ransom, who
had robbed him of the coveted post. So
g gTfis6n vas fr the ou tSsyy Of Prs Protest clsyslaD DS
was reluctantly compelled to shelve Francis
and give the .Postmaster-generalship to
very gracefully, and 1t is believed that he
recently intimated to the President that
Secretary Smiths retirement afforded an
opportunity to cancel this outstanding obi
Francis is no lawyer and it has been held
by every President that the Secretary of
for nearly every case coming before that
department is one involving some fine legal
te~chnicality. But his friends claim that the
can do the work and that as he has mil
lions of money he can entertain lavishly
this winter and SO let the Cleveland admin
istration go out in a blaze of social splen-
dor, the only distinction that Is apt TO mark
it's declining days.
The circumstances attending Mr.. Smiths
resignation would seem to indicate that
President Cleeland has whipped his recall
citrant Secretary of the Treasury into line
again, as he has done so frequently before.
Mr.. Smiths first letter of resignation was
largely tentative. 1t was spiked with ifs
and "ands.'' But the very news that it
had been rendered was received by the
Democratic press and especially in Georgia
with such acclaim that Mr.. Smith was car
ried of his feet. He knew that IL he
served out his term in the Cabinet he would
return to Georgia a political ghost, where
as a digniied martyrdom would repay very
handsomely. After waiting a reasonable
time on the President he wrote a second
letter, again rendering his resignation, this
time made conditional solely on the Pres
idents opposition to the Chicago ticket.
Then the resignation was promptly ac-
cepted. From this fact those Members OF
the Cabinet who had intended to support
the Democratic ticket. but remain in the
Cabinet. took their cue. 1t is certain that
Mr.: Carlisle had intended to vote for Bryan
n Sewall. He told Senator Lindsay SO
and Senator Lindsay felt himself at liberty
to announce that fact. He told another
very prominent Democrat in this city that
he intended to pursue the same course in
the presidential campaign which he had
followed in the Kentucky State campaign,
that he meant to say nothing at all and
on election day quietly vote the Democratic
ticket. But since his visit 10 Gray Gables
the Secretary has again displayed his usual
vacillating nature and it need not surprise
anyone to have him declare for the third
ticket which will be nominated at Indian
apolis. So. too. ii is believed now that Mr..
Wilson will listen to the crack of the whip
and come into line.