The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-01-11
A THOROUGH ExAMINA-
TION.
AN ECONOMIST.
RANDALL
Greatest Statesman the House Has
Ever Known, Says Mr.. HoI-
man.
Special TO the Globe.
w A CHTNCTnN


strong influence upon my entire public
life. 1t led me to investigate the ex-
pendltures OF public moneys; and that
led to the habit Of objecting to the
passage Of bills carrying appropria-
tons, until / could examine into the
cases
i have been called not only an un-
reasonable objector, but other names
less gentle have been showered upon
me, but that has never soured my tenn
per or diverged me from the official
pathway which 1 marked out for my
self when l began my public career.
On the contrary, the anger and vitu-
peration showered upon me at times
have more and more convinced me
that l was right in defending schemes
of all sorts to rob the treasury.
When l came here, in 1859, the
speaker appointed me to be a member
of the committee on revolutionary war
claims. You will remember that at
that time almost eighty years had
elapsed since the close Of the Revolu-
tionary war; but nevertheless there
were claims pending amounting to
table in the committee room was
stacked high with bills and reports At
our first meeting, the chairman Mr..
Briggs, Of New York, pointed to the
immense pile Of claims and said: Gen
tlemen, you see we have an immense
amount of business before this commit
tee, and before we tackle 1t we will
have some refreshments" A big demi-
john was produced, and the chairman
proceeded to tell us some of his ex-
periences with the class OF claims be-
fore US. When the hour Of noon ar
rived we had almost finished the demi-
john, but we had not touched a single
one of those claims We had numer-
Gus meetings, but with Briggs for
chairman the government was perfect
ly safe from those claimants. He
would not let us even give them con-
sideration, because he said they were
not for the benefit of claimants, but
for attorneys and lobbyists. He was
a man Of great magnetism, and his re-
marks and actions had great weight
with me. I began my congressional
career with a look of suspicion on every
claim.
There was one case, however, which
was personally brought to my atten-
ton with eloquent pleas for what was
called justice, and 1 favorably reported
a claim bill l paid no more atten-
ton to it until one day President
Buchanan sent for me, and asked me
if I believed the bill should be signed.
I assured the president that l had
nothing to do with the bill beyond
having reported it. The claim agent had
evidently secured the interest of some
other member of congress to call the
bill up, and secure its passage; and the
same had been done in the senate so
that the bill finally went to the presi-
dent for his signature. told the preSi-
dent that while my report was all right,
I never expected the bill to be passed,
and could not advise him to sign 1t.
president Buchanan allowed the bill
to become a law without his signature.
He afterwards told me that he had
learned from private sources that all
of the original climants were dead, and
that the $4,000 appropriated had gone
into the pockets Of the slick attorney
who had first induced me to make a
favorable report on the bill.
with that original experience you
may we'll understand that, as a young
man, 1 became prejudiced against all
sorts of claims and considered it to be
my duty to object to them. l believe
that l have saved the government a
great deal of money, and l don't care
what names they call me in the news
papers.
Sam Randall was the most honor
able man l ever knew in the house Of
representatives., as we'll as the great
est In the year before he was made
speaker he was chairman of the COM
mittee on appropriations, and he cut
down expenditures Of the government
to the extent of $50, DOC, 900, and no pub
lie interest suffered. When I was then
put in charge of the same committee
I Topped off $50, 000,0 900 for the next
year. without injuring any public in,
terest. 1 have always believed that
the appropriations made by the con-
ury would always be solvent if the con-
gress would properly protect it.
YOUNG MEN FOR CABINET
1.-THE president should select young
men for the cabinet" says Senator
Chandler, of New Hampshire. when
I was secretary Of the navy I learned
physical vigor in a cabinet. The presi-
dent who has young men about him
will accomplish more than he can hope
to achieve with old men. If he needs
to follow the adage old men for coun-
SELL he can always summon to his aid
the oldest and most astute men in his
political party, or in the nation for
that IlldlleT. TIE members MS
cabinet should be men who can work
by night as we'll as by day.
why should they work both night
and day."
Because circumstances require it,
Although the executive departments
close daily at o'clock, and all Of the
clerks go to their homes, the members
of the cabinet usually remain at their
desks until o'clock or later complet-
to- .,P+ do No.
for the succeeding day. Then, after
supper, they are called upon by gentle
men who desire to discuss business
propositions; men who were unable to
see the cabinet official during the day
1T often happens that secretary must
decline to see any one during some
part of the day, in order that he may
transact business with his assistants.
Gentlemen call at such times, cannot
gain admittance, and they come to the
residence of a cabinet officer in the
evening. They all have right to a
hearing and to courteous treatment.
Frank Hatton was postmaster general,
a young, bright energetic, loveable
fellow He used to say to me:
Chandler, you and I are the only
members Of the cabinet who do not
have to go home at o'clock, diet our
selves, and go to bed early. The others
are looking out for their health as
much as they are looking after pub
lie business
That was very true, with all due
respect to the others, who served In
the cabinet OF President Arthur. Sec
rotary of State Frelinghuysen. Sec
retaries Folger and McCulloch, and
Postmaster General Howe, for example,
were gentlemen we'll along In years.
Every one of them was q man of abil-
ity and distinction: but the fact epito-