The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-12-04
President Mckinley 1t Is
Said Will Appoint Him
Attorney General.
GOVERNOR IN WASHINGTON
Ills appointment Raises an In-
teresting Question Concern-
ing the Choice of His
Successor.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 4, 1S97.-Governor
Griggs will be nominated by President Nc
Kinley next Monday to be Attorney-Gen-
eral, succeeding Judge McKenna, who will
go upon the Supreme Court bench. Gov
ernor Griggs arrived in the city last night
and was the guest of Vice-President Ho-
bart. to whose good offices he owes his
selection. Senator Sewell has also warmly
pressed his appointment upon the Presi-
dent. Governor Griggs says that he is
willing to resign the Governorship, allow
ing the President of the Senate to take UP
the reins of that office. The news of the
appointment of Governor Griggs to be a
member of McKinley's Cabinet, although
not generally known tonight, has been re-
ceived with approval by those to whom
the knowledge has been confdentially i'm
parted. The Governor is expected to be-
come great addition to the social life of
Washington on account of his good quali-
ties and also because of the popularity of
his wife
Inquiries yesterday ELECTED the informa-
ton that Governor Griggs has not been
a candidate in any sense of the word for
the Attorney Generalship, but that a
number of his friends have seen the
President and urged the appointment. If
Governor Griggs will accept the honor,
he will be the next Attorney General
In the absence of the President from
the city no authorized statement relative
to Governor Griggs could be obtained, but
enough indirect admissions were made to
fully warrant the belief that the Prssi-
dent has asked Governor Griggs If he will
accept the place.
Lyman B. Gage, Secretary of the Treas
ury, informed correspondents that the
name of the Governor had been discussed
at Cabinet meetings, and that the mem
bers were agreed on Governor Griggs'
eminent qualifications for the position.
Secretary Porter the news censor at
the White House. also said Governor
Griggs had been discussed relative to the
Attorney-G -Generalship, but he would not
at Neither would he deny that the place
had been rendered the Governor. IF the
President were here, said Secretary
Porter 'I would ask him for an authentic
statement, but, until he returns, I cannot
obtain one, and until he does get back
1 must decline to discuss the affair."
The custom is so general to deny at
the White House rumors of alleged ap-
pointments, when there is no truth in
the rumors, that the reticence relative to
Governor Griggs very much strengthens
the belief that he may be Attorney Cen
eral if he desires to.
Governor Griggs, Senator Sewell and
a few other influential State politicians
have been in consultation with Vice
President Hobart at Washington con-
tinuously since last Saturday. with the
exception of a brief interval on Tuesday
last when Governor Griggs and Senator
Sewell went to Trenton. Governor
Griggs himself left yesterday for his
home in Paterson.
According to the reports certain promi-
nent politicians who stand close to the
Governor were notified last night that
he had agreed to accept the ap-
pointment and would assume his new po-
sition and retire from the office of Gov
ernor Immediately after~the organization
that Governor Griggs has been in the
lead for the place for some time, and
that it was the knowledge of this fact
which induced Judge Nathan GoH. of
West Virginia, whose name was men
toned in connection with the Office, to
declare that he was not candidate.
President Hobart is referred to as
working assiduously for the Governors
selection, and Senator Sewell is said to
be working equally as hard in the same
direction. They had but little difficulty
in securing a. favorable consideration of
his candidacy at the hands of the Presi-
dent it is said. As an instance of the es-
TEEN in which Governor Griggs is held,
the fact is cited that former President
Harrison seriously contemplated appoint
Justice Joseph P. Bradley, and would
have done so had the Governor not been
regarded as rather young for the place at
the time.
nor Griggs to a. place in the Presidents
Cabinet is looked upon as solution OF
the problem of why New Jersey has not
been sooner honored by President Nc
ISinley with the appointment of one OF her
favorite sons to one of the numerous high
ar his dismissal