Evening star., 1896-11-19
Mr.. HANNA'S ELIGIBILITY
The Law Regarding the Treasury Secretary
ship.
The Chairman Denies Having Said
That He Was Barred From the
Office by Statute.

Despite Mr.. Hanna's repeated statements
of his intention not to accept a place In Mr..
McKinley's cabinet. gossip continues to
make use of his name in that connection.
1t has been asserted that Mr.. Hanna is
barred by law from taking the office of
Secretary Of Treasury. Mr.. Hanna has
been represented as himself saying that he
" as ineligible under the law, but this Mr..
Hanna denies.
The statute which Is quoted against Mr..
Hanna's eligibility was passed in 1883 and
Is contained in section 243 of the Revised
Statutes.
1t is as follows: Section 243. No person
appointed to the office of Secretary of the
Treasury or first controller, or first auditor,
O." treasurer. or register. shall directly or
indirectly be concerned or interested in car
rying on the business of trade or COM
merce. or be owner in whole or in part of
any sea vessel, Or purchase by himself. or
aEother IN trust for him, any public lands
or other public property, or be CO .cerned in
the purchase or disposal of a9y public Sc
CurlSeS OF any state, of the United
states. or take or apply TO his own use
any emolument or sain for negotiating or
transactins any business in the Treasury
department. c;ner than what shall be al
lowed by law: and every person VINO Of
Iends against any of the prohibitions
or this section shall be deemed guilty of a
nigh mlsdemeanor and forfeit to the United
states the penalty of three thousand dol
lars. and shall upon conviction be re-
moved from office. and forever thereafter
ne incapable of holding any office under
the United States; and If any otner person
than pubic prosecutor shall give infor-
NATION OF any such offense. upon which a
prosecution and conviction shall be had,
ohe-nait the aforesaid penalty of thre.
thousand dollars. when recovered, Shall be
tor tue use OF the person giving such in
formation "
AS everybody knows. Mr.. Hanna is en-
saged IN business on a very extensive scale
ana MS commercial interests are Of a COM
preheEsive and diversified character He
Is the senior member of the firm of NJ. A.
anaa fnan;a % whlch Is not engaged in the
Iorelgn trade. but deals in pig iron and
mines and ships iron ore and coal The
llrn owns large fleet of steamers among
.nem the finest vessels on the great lakes
" W. 5; 1anha Is also heavy stockholder and
director in the Globe Iron Company of
Cleveland which operates iron mills. fur
haces and a shipbuilding plant This Is
uhder the management Of his brother. Mr..
n. NJ. Hanna He Is also the principal
owner in the west side system Of street
railways in Cleveland, and is proprietor of
the Cleveland Opera House
IN the history of the United States MANY
men, standing high in banking and com
merclal circles. have been considered in
connection with the treasury portfolio. but
win the exception of the case of Mr. A. r.
stewart the New York dry goods king no
lbs ever ACTUALLY Deen appointed to
lne once In contravention of the statute
above quoted Mr.. Stewart was nom
mated by President Grant as Secretary of
the Treasury. but the nomination was al
most Immediately Withdrawn from con-
sheraton by the Senate when the Presi-
dents attention had been called to the
law.
Denied by Mr.. Hanna.
CLEVELAND. Ohio, November 13.-Mr
NJ. A. Hanna stated to an Associated Press
representative today that an alleged in
terview Sent out from this city by the
United Press. wherein he was made to say
that he was ineligible for the position of
Secretary of the Treasury. was entirely
untrue.
You can say for me- said Mr. Hanna
that the statement attributed to me on
that subject is a pure fake
While there has been more less talk
in regard to Mr. Hanna being barred from
the treasury secretaryship for the reason
OF his commercial interests, 1t is neld by
many well-informed persons that the law
bearing on the subject does not apply to
internal commerce and that if even should
it be decided that the statute i'll question
does bar Mr.. Hanna there are numerous
other ways il which the objections could
no nI,o1