Evening journal., 1914-04-22
New News Of Yesterday
APolitical Renaissance Of
an Ex-POStmaSter General
By Holland.

When narrating TO me recently his
own experience in the difficult work
Of Cabinet construction. General
Thomas L. James. who was Postmas-
ter General in the Cabinets Of Presi-
dents Garfield and Arthur. said:
81 think after all, the most impress
sive of all the incidents associated
with the selection Of me by General
Garfield as Postmaster General was
a half hours chat which ! had with
Janes G. Blaine. just before / called
upon General Garfield, in response
TO his invitation. at his apartments in
Washington two days before his in
auguration.
II had been summoned to Washing
ton by a telegram from Whitelaw
Reid, who was upon the most inti-
mate relations with General Gar
field. especially in the few weeks pre-
ceding Garfields inauguration as
President.
81 arrived in Washington early in
the morning of March 2, and went at
once 70 Mr.. Reids rooms in the old
Arlington Hotel. He was i'm bed
when he received me- He said to
me, General Garfield wants to see
you at 10 o'clock this morning 1
presume you understand what he
wants TO see you for But. before you
90 to his hotel it is thought best that
you call upon Mr.. Blaine at his house.
He viii be expecting you. You have
just about time enough to wash up.
put on fresh linen, get a quick break
rIl -.
house at the hour when he will be
looking for you
Mr. Blaine, who. everybody knew,
was to be President Garfields Secre-
tary of State-for that was the only
Cabinet selection of which there had
been public announcement-gr
me with the utmost cordiality. /
knew him slightly. almost casually.
His greeting, however, of me was like
that of an old friend | had heard
much of the personal charm which
Blaine was able to reveal whenever
he cared to do it, and / realized what
that charm was before I had been
with him five minutes.
He said to be pleasantly, almost
informally, that ne presumed I knew
that General Garfield had made up
his mind to ask me to become Post
master General.
In the reply / said that I presum-
cd that 1t was for that reason that
General Garfield had summoned me
to Washington. and then l added that
| had received positive intimat on
that ! would be called TO the Cabinet
as Postmaster General.
Mr.. Blaine said some very pleas
ant things. He intimated that Gen.
eral Garfield had always been espe-
cially interested in the management
Of the New York .ppstoffice, and haC
admired the civil service program
which l had adopted there before II
was compulsory by law He further,
more told me that there probably
would be some embarrassing and diff
ficult responsibilities for the new
Postmaster General to meet.
"At last he said, in substantial,
these words: OF your qualification
for this office General Garfield ha
not the slightest doubt. and from th'
point Of view of politics he is certain
that the selection Of you as Postmas
ter General Will be a good thing. Blu
there. is just one thing which it II
necessary to be sure about
81 looked at Mr.. Blaine I'm some as
tonishment, for l realized that he haC
been holding something back HI
smiled pleasantly and then said.
In the event that Senator Conk
ling should ALLEVIATE himself from
General Garfield and should attemp
factional disturbance, where woul'