Evening star., 1899-04-03
AN UNSOLVED PROBLEM
Selection of Postmaster for Washington
Question of the Future.
Belief That President Mckinley viii
Decide Mt an Early Day
The Aspirants.

After all the spasms and intermittent ex-
citenent during the past six months. and
the many ebulitons of absolute assurance
that President Mckinley had definitely Sc
lected successor to City Postmaster Wit
lett the fact still remains that the impor-
tant question is as much a problem as II
ever was. That 1t will be taken up for
solution shortly, however, is regarded as
very probable, owing to the condition OF
the business demanding executive atten-
ton. The vast and vital affairs which have
occupied President McKinley's mind to the
exclusion of immaterial things like city
post offices, to speak comparatively, OF
course, have been virtually settled, and he
now has leisure sufficient to consider such
subjects. The shades of Madden of De-
troit and Harlow of ST. Louis have passed
away; the very positive declaration of Mr..
T. H. Anderson of Ohio disposed of another
very generally believed in possibility, and
at present accordingly the question of who
is going to be city postmaster has mar
rowed down to the local candidates already
In the field.
They are all strongly backed, especially
in the shape of petitions. During the early
days of their candidacy the information
leaked out that President Mckinley had
declared that he intended to name a post
master who would please the most Dis
trict people" Immediately the various can
didates and their friends put strongly
worded petitions in circulation for sigma
ture. Probably no business man or male
resident of Washington failed to be ap
preached with one or more of these petit
tions. The genial responsiveness of the av-
erage American citizen when asked to sign
his name to petition is well known, as
well as his aptitude to scratch his name
down on anything a friend may present
with the assurance that its all right" If
it were not for the prodigious labor in
volve1, 1t might be interesting for an inves-
t4gator to go over the petitions in question
and find out how many of them contain the
same signatures AT any rate, the facts
about the circulation of the petitions and
the inspiration of them are as stated, and
1t car be regarded as equally true that the
President was made aware of what was
going on in the way of petition ma king
and let it be considered that such backing
would not be considered
Potent Influences.
There were other influences, and potent
ores, however behind the several candi-
dates in the shape of strong personal let
ters from prominent men in business. pro-
fessonal. political and social circles as
well as personal appeals by such men to
the President. This is particularly true in
the cases of Mr.. Louis d. Wine Mr. Arch
ibald Greeniees Mr.. Rufus H. Thayer Mai
Eben Huxford. Dr. George Henderson and
Mr.. Charles H. Bradley.
Capt. M. T. Anderson, who is an employe
of the city post Office at. present, has the
backing of the G. A. r.
Declines to Interfere
There was an impression prevalent some
months ago that Judge VIM. r. Day. then
Secretary of State, would be most potent
factor in determining the name of the sue
cessor to Mr.. Willett. This was exceeding
tly interesting at the time, because of the
fact that Judge Day was a lifelong friend
of both Mr.. Wine and Mr.. Thayer, having
been a soldier -comrade of the former and
a college chum of the latter. Judge Day,
it is understood, did not desire, when the
events of the last twenlve months began
to crowd each ether 50 rapidly, to take any
active part in the settlement of the prob
lem.
The delay in appointing city post
master however has not been due, 1t is
understood, so much to the difficulty of
selecting a man as in the desire to leave
Mr. Willett undisturbed in the management
of the new and unexpected duties which
were placed upon him. When Porto Rico
passed into our possession its cities were
made branches of the Washington city post
office, and have been such ever since Mr..
Willett being responsible, in a large de-
gree, for the proper transaction of the
Porto Rican postal business. Now, 1t is
understood. Porto Rico is about to be made
independent of the Washington Office, and
this is taken as another indication that
the President may shortly take up the
selection of a city postmaster and settle
the very interesting question.