Rensselaer Republican, Volume 28, Number 17, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 31 December 1896 — THEIR TIME'S SHORT [ARTICLE]

THEIR TIME'S SHORT

DEMOCRATIC “PUSH” PREPARING TO ' LEAVE THE STATEHOIt'SE. Indiana’s Vote Will lie Cast For McKinley on Jan. 11—County Officers Speculating: on Wliat the legislature Will Do With the Fee and Salary Law —Silverites ilave Declared Only Those Who Supported Bryan Shall Participate In Jackson Day Festivities. Special Correspondence. Indianapolis, Dec. 30.— This is the homestretch in the senatorial race, and there is considerably more life in it than there seemed to be a week ago. Hiram Brownlee has personally announced liis intention of going before the caucus, and the Orawfordsville friends of General Lew Wallace have organized a little committee to pnsh his interests, _ headed by John Wingate, who is about the handiest farmer you over saw in a political mix. He managed Mount’s campaign for the nomination when he won out in a field of 15, and he is making it interesting here. Montgomery county, since the nomination and election of Governor Mount, has developed enough statesmen to fill all the offices, both federal and state, and they are taking an active hand in Wallace’s behalf. There is a disposition to make short work of the fight by holding the caucus early. If the managers of the two leading candidates, who have been in the struggle for over a year, have their desire, will be held Thursday night, . Jan. 7. The house and senate will hold sepiirare caucuseUbh Wednesday night to determine upon the speaker and other officers of the two houses, who will be elected on Thursday at the opening of thg session. The legislature will probably adjourn Friday noon until- the following Monday, as is usually done, and if the senatorial caucus is to be held the first week it will have .to be on Thursday night. h-< —st at ** ; The vote of Indiana has not yet been | cast for McKinley, though there is little doubt or danger that it will be. This interesting ceremony will occur on Monday, Jan. 11, the same day that Governor Mount is >There are 15 electors, aud all but two of them are candidates, honorary. position of snessenger to carry the vote to the viefj president at Washington. The cere-, mony of casting the vote will occur in the house of representatives' S, 10 o’clock a. m., and the inauguration does not come off until noon, so that those coming to town for the latter event will have the opportunity of witnessing both* •functions. « \ '* « ’* The other day Myron King, the governor's, private secretary, was engaged in the rather mournful task of ’cleaning but his desk preparatory to taking leave of ap office he has found very pleasant daring the four years. Hon. Romus F. Stuart, sometime senator from Marion eonntv and later a sort of subleader of the “push,” watched the operation with real sadness, while Hon, “Jim”' >

wi j , TT-n-r-cvin tcpreseulanvc fsrMarion , county in the house, stood, by with a 1 rather wan smile. He can afford to smile,- for President Cleveland took his berth in the postoffice in out of the wet a couple of years-ago and the shelter of the civil service law protects him from the devastating effects of political storms. Myron found some queer things in that capacious desk set aside for the use of the private secretary, and as he has a good-natured sense of humor in his make-up he found more to laugh over than to cry about. One of the first things he turned up was a letter in a plain, -square envelope of very light blue. It was addressed to “Myron D. King, Esq., Secretary of State’s Office, Indianapolis, Ind.,” and marked “Personal.” The chirography was a small, flat and flowing “stub-pen hand,” and ran downward, instead of straight, with the edges of the envelope. “Well, well!” exclaimed Myron, “if here ain’t an old letter from Grover Cleveland!” And he exhibited the postmark of Buzzard’s Bay. There was sbme sulphurous growling from Romus Stuart, while Deery grinned in a noncommittal way. Myron didn’fknow just whether, under the changed conditions of American politics, to be proud of the souvenir or not, but he opened the letter and read it again, to discover that it was a reminder of the proud day when he was part proprietor, with Chris Stein, of the '‘Hendrick Club Guide,” which quietlv breathed its last some years ago afier failing to attain its purpose of setting the world on fire. The letter read as follows: * Gray Gables; Buzzard's Bay, Mass. Aug.. 1(5, 1891. -MyronJ)-<K i ng. Eaq.: _1 Dear Sir— l have received the sample copy of “The Hendricks Club Guide,” which you kindly sent me, and I desire'to return my thanks for the same. I think if the character displayed in the copy I have ryad is maintained, the publication cannot fail to be very useful in the defense i and dissemination of Democratic principles and conduct. I am sorry that I am obliged to say I see no prospect of my being able to con- ’ tribute an article tojhfi columns of the paper, but I hope that It will not lack any element of editorship and contribution 1 which can add to its usefulness and prosperity, Yours very truly, Grover Cleveland. I The letter, as well as the address, wu ! in Cleveland’s owtt hand. It was writ- ! ten at a time when ‘he" had nothing in particular to do but draw a salary from the big New York law firm with Which name was connected and, inasmuch : as he aspired to another nomination, he could afford to be gracions. Myron always regretted that Cleveland did not avail himself of this opportunity to gain fame as a writer, so that he could have • something to fall back upon when he gets out of a job at Washington. Stuart let go a few hard boiled words about the lone fisherman, but Myron and *Deery were inclined to think that possibly he was not altogether had. 1 Myron next turned up a copy of this same "Hendricks Club Guide” and pointed proudly to the line on the editorial page where his name was printed iu black type as one of the editors. He could not help sighing a bit as he recalled the fact that this was all he ever > got out of a vasu-’s wocrrisg and hard

“PPgfMpji.— : •- * h „ Then came au envelope bearing the legend, “Myron D. King, secretary of state,” and it was tenderly preserved as a souvenir of that brief but blessed period when he served as secretary of state by appointment during the nine days’ period after Matthews went out of the office before Myers l came in. It was still under the fee system and Myron enjoyed the emoluments. They were- not particularly largo, though Myron had be cm skirmishing around two months in the effort to get sohie big corporation to file its articles during that period. ' it ‘it 'Jt —"Here's what wo have to show for tho thing Mount isn’t going to- have,” chuckled the private secretary, as he pulled out the insignificant programme of Governor Matthews’ inaugural ball. At that time the Popocracy had not arisen, free silver was onlv a misty theory and the hatred of gold was a thing unknown! The programme was printed in gold and had on "Hie outside a beautiful picture of Claude Matthews, heroically surrounded with flags and things. The glittering gold on this programme filled the souls of the remnants of the “push” standing by with a vast amount of disgust, which was redoubled when it was opened and they discovered in tho reception committee such pames as John P. Frenzel, John R. Wilson, S. O. Pickens, M. B. Wilson, Austin H. Brown, Allen W. Conduitt and Evans Woollen. Even Stuart, who is usually a very uninteresting sort of person, grew picturesque in his denunciation of those dreadful goldbugs. Myron smiled sadly and gazed out at the yellow sunshine glinting in the windows of the Gray club across the street. “Things aren’t what they were four sears ago,” he murmured, quietly as lie closed the desk. •. "A *4 The fee and salary decision has caused considerable speculation as to whether or not the county officers will seek to accomplish in the coming legislature what they failed to get in the courts. There is little if any doubt that the legislature will amend the law by eliminating the clause requiring the auditors and treasurers to make up the salaries allowed them from the fees of their offices and that it will afford them relief by legalizing the acts <Jf county commissioners who have alloKved these offi- ■ cers the salaries fixed in the law, regardless of whether, the fees have 'eqnallod these amounts or not. ■ It will pot. require the presence of a lobbyMo accomplish this, and, further than this the JpgisistrimHs not apt to go. Th estate officers, who were hurt a great deal worse than anybody else, long ago realized \he fafet that the law was a popular measure and have made no fight upon it. n a* * During the past week there have been a couple of exhibitions of the spirit of bitterness which the silver radicals harbor toward the sbnnd-money Democrats. The first of these was when the members of the Cleveland club tore the picture of their one-time idol and prophet from the wall and destroyed it and the, second was the gathering of the “push’' to arrange for the mass convention with, which Jackson day, Jan. 8. is to be celebrated. About the first thing done was the adoption of a resolution to the effect. that oply .foemocrata who but*.

ported rrryair anu rno isms or the Chicago platform should be permitted to participate in the con veiition. * «* '* "A Not only the gold Democrats, but a -great many Republicans as well, are very anxious to know what Governor Mount’s policy is going to be in regard to appointments on the boards where he must make selections from an opposing party. There is no possibility whatever of the gold Democrats and silverites getting together again, and the sound money irien are naturally anxious that their organization should get the official recognition as the Democratic party that would be implied by these appointments. Republicans- are also near unanimous in the desire that this should be done if possible. The first ap-, pointment of this character to be made by Governor Mount is that of a member of the state board of tax commissioners to succeed Captain D. F. Allen of Frankfort, whose term expires May 1 next. By the language of the statute the governor is given considerable freedom in his choice, and the numb er of, votes cast by the party at the last election need not cut any figure so far as the law is concerned. The section of the law creating the board of tax commissioners reads thus: "Immediately upon taking effect of this act. the governor shall appoint two skilled and competent porsons, not more than one of whom shall be of the same political party, who, together with the secretary of state, auditor of state and governor, the last three of whom shall be ex-otfieio members, and the governor chairman thereof, shall constitute and be a board to be denominated the state board of tax commissioners, who shall perform the duties and have the powers hereinafter specified.” This does iipt necessitate the choice of Allen’S successor from the largest minority party. Governor Mount has not yet announced what his intention in the matter is, and it Is tTfiTlriiprespujif ffiat he will not cross the bridge until he comes to it. ■ . | 3s is §nOn Monday the o iMishers of the middlo-of-i he-ro:ut Populist papers of the state held a m • ■.ting hero, which was preliminary to the session of the state committee to be held later iu the week. Mr. Montsinger, who edits the Shoals Referemlunv and runs for congress as a pastime, was active iu the meeting. He declares Yinoquivocally in favor of » Populist party from principle, and never ceases to kick on the , sacrifice made of the party’s candidate to the silver democracy in the last oum- . paigu.' Russel M. Seeds. Hollingsworth and Hoj kins have established financial connections in he East whereby they are enabled to “ffilkA'MFlfrtff'ins on terms. No tedious delays. Call for particular. Abstracts of title a specialty.