Evening star., 1897-07-31
September In the meantime Capt. Peters

September. In the meantime Capt. Peters
strengthens his Endorsements by adding
every name he can. His money Is scarce.
but he is living cheaply. Some of his
hated rivals charge that he goes to the
market each day, buys a pigs foot and
goes OF in a neighboring park and eats It.
This Is cheaper than a 25-cent dipler and
in hot weather it is better not to eat too
much. His room rent is s. month. When
the end of month draws near he manages
to touch" somebody for that amount.
His landlady believes he Is a man worth
much money, and whose influence is val
the application of her daughter for q po-
sition in the Congressional Library He
signs his name to the application and the
lady thinks she has secured all that is
necessary to get the coveted position.
When September comes the Toulong con-
sulship will 20 to a man Capt. Peters has
never heard of. Capt. Peters will still
stick. however. He will change his appii-
cation to some other consulship. That has
been what all the other defeated candidates
have done so far. He follows custom. Tx
actly what will become of him Is matter
for speculation. but in all probability he
republican party and the President.
Few of the candidates here realize that
they will never get what they want unless
their senators are personally interested in
them and will push their cases before the
President as often as possible. That Is
the way appointments are .ecured. The
two senators fro n state have fifty men
after them for consular Offices. They sign
the applications Of all these men, but they
are told by the President that their state
will not be given more than six places.
Fifty won't go into six.
The wo~senators make up ,hsir minds
that they Will have to pick out the six
men. and they do SO. concentrating all
their influence on the six. Naturally they
hate to tell the other forty-four that there
is no chance for them. The forty-four go
q nuyyo nd
pass through the experiences narrated in
the case Of Capt. Peters. A few of the
more sensible of the number go home and
give up the fight, but many of the others
stick. and will be sticking next September.
They fully believe that the bare 1ndorse-
ment Of their senators is sufn cicnt, wien
they are too simple or too anxious 20 know
the truth.
Senator Mason for instance, has been
known to have dozen consular candidates
waylay him at the door of the White House
to force him to take them to the Presi-
dent. He has had to put them off and even
to talk roughly to some of them.
His Eyes Were Opened.
A bright Illinois man, who came here
early to secure a good foreign sppoint-
when he left Chicago to come here he was
certain that the President would be forced
to recognize him. Il had no other itlea,"
he said, but the President would say:
Certainly. what will you have? 1 will have
1t fixed tor you In a minute. / have found
out something" he concluded, and he went
hcme. He was man of considerable in
huence in his ward and through out The city
OF Chicago. He was a philosophical kind
OF a chap, and when he found out the ex-
act facts he even laughed about 1t. He
didn't go home threatening to turn the
fifteenth ward over to the demo Gratis.
The simplest of all the candidates are
those who are striving for positions with
out the influential Endorsements of -epre-
st natives or senators. They come backed
by the county sheriff, clerk Of courts, cor
oners, all the town merchants and min
isters and the politicians Of the county.
Last Tuesday, the day before the Depart
ule OF the President, there were many
familiar faces in the crowd waiting for
last chance at him. They ought to have
known there was no opportunity. On the
door of Secretary Pcrter'S room was the
sign, in big letters: Cabinet day. Visitors
not received" This was plain, and all of
them saw it because they " ent to the door
to make an effort to get in.
In the number was a piucky fellow from
Boston. He has petition long as the
Mississippi river. He has the backing OF
one or two of his representatives, but the
senators won't indorse him. He says he
doesn't care for that, as he was an original
Mckinley man and MADE speeches every
where. He has been a regular attendant
at the White House for months, and has
seen the President twice. That was when
the President re :eived the public for an
hour each day about noon. The President
stopped that long ago. This candidate
started out for a consul generaiship worth
a great deal Of money. He was SO san
guine If getting it, because Of being an
original Mckinleyite that he sent Cheeky"
letters to railroad and steamship companies
and obtained free passes to his destination.