Evening journal., 1911-06-23
NEW NEWS OF YESTERDAY
The Real Reason for a Puz-
zling Cleveland Appoint
ment
BY sHoIland."

One Of the first appointments made
by President Cleveland after he had
sent the names of his cabinet nomiua-
tions TO the Senate a few hours after
his first inauguration in 1889, was that
Of Henry G. Pearson. as Postmaster at
New York.
II has always been a public mystery
why President Cleveland, the first
Democratic president since Buchanan,
should have decided 70 make practi-
cally his first important appointment
outside of his cabinet appointments
that of very prominent Republican
to very influential office. Mr. Cleve-
land, when there came a Democratic
howl over the giving of the country's
largest postoffice into the keeping of
member of the opposite political
faith, gave no reason for his choice.
Nor did he offer any explanation to
many of his more intimate political
friends who hinted that they we're
puzzled over the appointment. Now,
however, l am able to give the reason
as President Cleveland gave 1t TO one
who, after Mr.. Cleveland had retired
to private life, asked him the cause
of the appointment; and think this
is the first public explanation ever
made of the appointment.
Mr. Pearson's appointment was
urged upon me by just one Republi-
can, because he urged it it was made,
said Mr.. Cleveland. "The Republican
who urged the appointment i'm face of
| the fact that he knew there were
| plenty of Democrats who we're hung
ering to be appointed postmaster at
| New York was Dorman b. Eaton, the
! civil service reformer. He told me
that If | would reappoint Mr. Pear
son postmaster at New York | would
do more to advance the cause of civil
service than | could accomplish in a
dozen recommendation to Congress.
Mr.. Pearson, Mr.. Eaton told me,
had been the executive head of the
civil service system in the New York
| POstoffce from the time of its incep-
| ton, both as assistant postmaster and
as postmaster under Arthur. He fur
ther told me that II was largely
| through the success of the civil ser
vice i'm the New York Postoffice that
he had been able to induce Congress in
1888. to act favorably upon the first
civil service bill ever presented TO
! Congress. That was the bill champion
ed by George II. Pendleton. of Ohio
in the Senate. Mr. Eaton drafted that
act though IL came to bear Senator
Pendletons name, and it was Eaton
who largely kept the members of Con-
! gress who we're fighting for the pas
sage of this civil service bill supplied
with arguments and moral courage.
But that was not all that Mr. Eaton
told me-" continued Mr. Cleveland
! He did not hesitate TO remind me
that as I was known 10 be a warm
advocate Of civil service. it would be
| difficult for me to make my public ad-
] vocacy Of civil service consistent with
my conduct II I we're to ignore Post
master Pearson, who had done so
much for civil service, and give his
office TO q Democrat On the other
hand, Mr.. Eaton went on to say. that,
If were 10 reappoint Mr. Pearson
Postmaster, Republican though he
was. I would thereby show how con-
sistent and sincere my attitude upon
civil service was.
THAT was line Of reasoning that
II was hard to escape from. and so
decided to nominate Mr.. Pearson for
postmaster, and I did ] had some of
the party leading barking at me, one IN
particular criticising me severely for
giving one Of the best offices at the
disposal Of the president TO a Repub-
lican. But I never regretted making
that appointment; and ! am certain
that the making Of il did much 10
persuade the public of the sincerity Of
my advocacy Of the civil service"
Copyright, 1911, by e. J. Edwards. All
rights reserved.)
Tomorrow Mr.. Edwards will tell "a
Story Of The Scarlet Letter.,