| Show THE VAX ALEX APPOINTMENT I The dust kicked up over the Van j 1 i Alen appointment has not yet subsided i sub-sided Even the positive declination j i of the gentleman in the face of the I Presidents urging that he accept does not seem to pacify the disturbers j 1 i They started in to defame the adinin j istration at it the and they keep as i hackneyed saying has it with a zeal j worthy of a better cause I There was an appearance about the i I appointment of J J Van Alen as j Ambassador to Italy which gave a fine opportunity to arouse popular prejudice prej-udice He had been a liberal contributor con-tributor to the Democratic campaign fund He had not been prominent in public affairs He was not an active politician He was outside the coterie of office seekers and of the class put forward by the patronage dispensers The Republicans saw in his appointment appoint-ment an inviting opportunity to retort on the Democratic administration for the jibes thrown out at the previous Republican administration for its Wan amaker and similar appointments in reward for services rendered the party in the campaign of 1888 New York Democrats joined in the noise because they did not want little Rhode Island to take so valuable a plum The country coun-try caught up the clamor as sheep bleat when the bell wethers commence and there was a tremendous cry with a very small quantity of wool It was represented that the gentleman gentle-man was not American in his tastes views or manners That he affected foregn ways That he was a nobody and a know nothing and that his payment I pay-ment of 50000 to the campaign fund the exact amount however was never verIfiedwas his only qualification for the important post In vain it was declared that these stories were incorrect in-correct that the gentleman was well fitted for the place and that the President Presi-dent had assured his Rhode Island friends that he had made the selection solely on its merits The charge that this was purchase and sale was reiterated reiter-ated and Mr Van Allen determined to decline the appointment The criticism which has been directed di-rected against the President falls with almost equal directness upon the Senate of the United States which does not seem to be mentioned in the discussion That august body confirmed con-firmed the appointment after investigating investi-gating the charges as to his lack of qualifications and his socalled pur I chase of the place Why should the Senate have endorsed the Presidents nomination if Mr Van Alen was an unfit candidate The text of his declination has not appeared in full in this part of the country so we here Insert it that our readers may decide on this subject for themselves The Hon Walter Q Gresham Secretary Secre-tary of State Sir1 have the honor to acknowledge receipt of your letter of October 23 in which you officially notify me that the President by and with the advice and consent of the Senate has appointed ap-pointed me Ambassador to Italy Since the receipt of your letter have given the matter my most serious and careful attention and as the result of my reflections have concluded to ask you to express to the President my decision not to accept the office tendered me I must beg that you will not infer from this action any lack of appreciation apprecia-tion on my part of the honor conferred On the contrary I fully comprehend the dignity importance and responsibility responsi-bility of the position and having this realization I may frankly add that the nomination was extremely gratifying to menot in a personal sense merely but more particularly because of the opportunity afforded me of represent ing my country in such a manner as I hoped might be satisfactory to the American people and creditable to the administration Among the comments upon my nomination nomi-nation which appeared in the public press one charge only merits attention atten-tion not because it was true but because be-cause it was and I suppose still is believed by many persons unfamiliar with the individuals concerned and the facts essential to the formation of an accurate judgment The charge was that I received the appointment in re turn for a contribution of 50000 to the Democratic national campaign fund While my nomination was pending In the Senate ft did not seem fitting and proper for me to offer more than an explicit denial I was aware that as an interested party my statement would have little effect beyond the limits of my personal acquaintance Now however when my action cannot be fairly attributed to purely selfish motives it seems to me that a repetition repe-tition of that denial which I make without qualification should be suf ficient for any honorable man I have never denied and do not n6w deny that I have contributed to the campaign fundnot 50000 but yet a considerable sum of money Sincerely believing as I did that a continuation of Republican supremacy would be not only a hindrance to national progress but in time a positive menace to the success x > f popular government and having large interests at stake I was impelled by both patriotic and selfish reasons to Aid the Democratic cause I did not do RQ until I had made my j t ti L I I self familiar with the methods of the campaign as conducted by the National Na-tional Democratic committee I visited the Democratic headquarters and was astonished at the great work being done An expenditure vast in proportions propor-tions was being made to bring home to the Americarf people the truths upon which I believed the welfare of the country depended Hundreds of speakers too poor to pay their own expenses were being helped to do a patriotic duty by the national committee commit-tee and a vast amount of literature was being distributed free to awaken the public mind on the questions pending pend-ing in the campaign The Democratic party had no favored interests to assess as-sess and was obliged to rely upon individuals in-dividuals for necessary financial assistance as-sistance Hence my contribution It was by no means the first time I had assisted the party since Mr Cleve lands aggressive leadership aroused my admiration and I do not hesitate to say that if it shall again seem to be my duty as a citizen desirous of the best government it will not be the lastSo far as attaching undue importance Import-ance to it I was fully awafe that the c tributlon meant far less to me than tile time and effort devoted by thousands thous-ands of unselfish citizens to the same campaign Nor did I believe that it Should entitle me to any more consideration consid-eration On the contrary I have not only admitted but have positively insisted in-sisted at all times that it created no obligation to me whatever and I feel confident that the president vho in fact was kind enough to say to the Democrats of Rhode Island that his personal acquaintance with me enabled en-abled him to consider my candidacy solely upon its merits will bear me out in this assertion On the other hand I frankly admit that until after the appointment had been made it never once occurred to my mind that my contribution could be used to my injury I may add that although I have endeavored to study without bias the arguments which have been advanced I cannot even now perceive that it is any less creditable or patriotic for one to aid with his voice or pen But whatever may be the correct conclusion regarding the ethics of the case the fact remains that a large number of my fellow citizens have been led either by coincidence of circumstances cir-cumstances or by false report to look upon my appointment as in some way inconsistent with the professions of the Democratic party and the presi dents high ideals of public service By these critics trenerallv my fitness for the position has been generously conceded but the fact of my contribu I tion to the campaign fund has been considered as making it Improper for me to receive this appointment I do not think I could now remove this impression I im-pression from the minds of many right minded and thoughtful people whose judgment I frankly admit may possibly pos-sibly be correct I It is clear at all events I find myself in a false position with reference to this office and appointment Acceptance I Accept-ance of the office would make me appear pear willing for the sake of personal t gratification to discredit in the eyes of many the political party to which I I am attached and to bring undeserved rebuke upon the administration which has honored me and whose success I earnestly desire It therefore seems to me sufficient to add that selfrespect compels me to adopt the only other alternative and to decline the high office to which I havebeen appointed I have the honor to be sir your obedient servant J J VAN ALEN The President is not made of that kind of stuff that cowers or falters before be-fore unjust public opinion Some may call this obstinacy At any rate it is that sort of firmness that has gained for him the respect of the country after it has had time to reflect He strongly urged Mr Van Alen to reconsider re-consider his declination repeating that he did not make the selection without satisfying himself that the gentleman was entirely fitted for the place Anti lie added 1 1 n You know and I know that all the malignant criticism that has been indulged in-dulged in regarding this appointment has no justification and that the decent de-cent people who have doubted its propriety pro-priety have been misled or have missed the actual considerations upon which it rests We should not yield to the noise and clamor which have arisen from those conditions < Mr Van Alen remained firm and declared de-clared his decision was final In this he has gained some approbation from the press but has exhibited in our opinion a little weakness in view of all i the facts He should have stood above the crowd that hooted and indifferent to the dust they made The President 0 will have to make another selection It will be seen whether it will prove more pleasing to the politicians than the first We agree with those patriotic people who despise the purchase of office The idea that money or any other Improper means can be used to obtain I positions of trust under the United States is repugnant to every well balanced bal-anced mind The suspicion of it is certainly enough to cast a doubt upon the propriety ofan appointment But on the other hand is it to be an J established rule that no man who has contributed liberally to the support of his party shall be qualified to hold a public office or does it depend on the amount donated < Is it to be understood under-stood that a man who contributes a hundred or a thousand i dollars may receive an appointment but that he who gives ten or twenty or fifty thousand must of necessity be barred out no matter what may be his qualifications quali-fications f That appears absurd on Its face While we endorse the idea that no man shall be clothed with official authority because he has furnished money to his party we do not agree with the extreme notion that his liberality shall be a sufficient disquali fication of any office under the government gov-ernment Many of the papers that have caught up the cry of condemnation condemna-tion of the President know nothing of Van Alen but the burlesque rumors of his opponents And they have set down as political doctrine something that could not stand the test of reason While campaigns are fought in the present manner they will be costly affairs A good partisan will aid the cause by his money as well as his mouth If he is free with his funds u he should not thereby be shut out of office If tye is fit for a public position his liberality ought not to stand in his way There are two extremes in this matter and we think some folks have gone to as ludicrous an extent one way as the defenders of venality have gone In the other There is < no proof that the President Presi-dent In making this appointment had any other motive than to send to Italy a man fit by his education breeding quaintance with the lan jguage l and financial ability to support r 1 < u L r > > + t1t < g n h Ov5 the embassy with becoming dignity r and equality with the representatives of other powers and we think there has been a great budget of nonsense I published on this subject unworthy in I many instances of the sources from which they have come |
