Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1877-07-11
WASHINGTON.

Of his here reports him as saying that
he does not consider it either expedi.
ent or practicable. Mr.. Wheeler,
with the exception of one brief visit,
has not been in Washington since the
. adjournment of the senate, and has
: had nothing at all to do with the
shaping of the policy of the admins.
tration in any respect. In fact he has
just been the same nonentity that q
vice president has always been. This
is somewhat curious after the authori-
tive announcement made Immediate
ly on the accession of President Hayes
to office that radical change was to
; be inaugurated in this particular and
that the vice president was to be ad-
mitted to the counsels of. the admins
tration on the same footing as cabi-
net officer.
The number Of discharges from the
Treasury department on the ground
OF blood-relationship is something
less than hundred. 1t may be prop
er to state that in this hundred there
are no members Of the Sherman fam
lily. The relations of Secretary Sher-
man, who are holding government
offices, are all excellent and efficient
officers, hut the efficient clerks who
have been made to suffer on account
of their relationship, feel aggrieved
that the first enforcement of the See-
retary's rule has not been made on
the Secrctary's own family. The
same is true of the family of Assist
ant Secretary French. Judge French
has a brother, and, it is said, son
under the Treasury Department.
These facts
| CANNOT ESCAPE NOTICE
when the announcement is made that
the rule is to be rigidly enforced.
Col. Wilkins, Collector of Balti-
more, received no official notification
of his suspension from office, al
though dispatches from Washington
state that the commission of Thomas
as Collector was signed by the Presi-
dent to-day. The following is the
letter of the Secretary of the Treasu-
ry requesting the resignation Of Col.
wilkins:
TREASURY DEP'T. WAsHINGToN,)
June %. 1877.
To Col. Edward Wilkins, Collector
of Customs, Baltimore.
DEAR SIR Il am directed by the
President to say that under all cir
cumstances, after the fullest consider
alton of the matter Of the Collector of
Customs 1T Baltimore, he has made
up his mind that it is his duty to re-
store John L. Thomas to that place
and know he does this with sincere
respect for your character and posi-
tion. l have therefore to ask you
that You will at any time before the
first Of July tender your resignation.
Very respectly. JOHN SHERMAN, Sec.
To this request of the Secretary,
Col. Wilkins, June 30, replied, declin-
ing to resign. In his reply he says
"Since | have held the office have
endeavored to discharge its duties
faithfully and to the best of my abil-
ity. The President, in his inaugural
address, in calling attention to civil
service reform, says "a public officer
should be secure in his tenure as long.
as his personal character remained
untarnished and the performance of
his duties satisfactory. Your letter
gives me gratifying assurance of the
Presidents sincere respect for my
character, and appeal to the records
of your department for evidence of
my satisfactory performance of Off
cial duties.
| WASHINGTON, July 2.-Thc COM
mission of John L. Thomas, Collector
of the port Of Baltimore, in place of
Mr.. Wilkins, suspended, was signed
l hy tho prossla,xk 70 do
WAsHINGToN, July 5.-Tbe widow
of the late Francis P. Blair died sud
denly at the family residence at
Savor Spring, Md, to-day.
| CONCERNING PosTMAsTERs.
The postmaster General received
letter from Z. w. Keyes, postmaster
at Madison, Wisconsin, stating that
four out of five members of the Re-
publican State Executive Committee
are postmasters, and inquiring wheth-
er their signatures to a call for a
state convention will violate the spirit
of the Presidents order. As the con-
vention cannot be called by any other
means, they hope the performance of
the formal duty above indicated will
not be considered as a violation of
the Presidents directions. The Post
master General replied that although
he would prefer that each official
should interpret the Presidents Or
der for himself, vet he is Of the opin-
ion that to meiely provide for the
meeting. Of the convention, and to
call the convention to order, without
attempting to control its organization
or future action, would not be incon-
sistent with the spirit or purpose of
the Presidents instructions.
THE PRESIDENT SPEAKS.
During conversation to-day be.
tween the President and a Western
Senator, an incidental allusion was
made by the latter to the speeches
delivered yesterday by Messrs. Cham
berlain and Blaine, when the Presi-
dent said that he had not yet read,
but only heard something of their
remarks, especially in condemnation
of his Southern policy. lie had high
respect for these gentlemen, and as
far as he knew, the personal relations
between them and himself are of q
friendly character, at all events he
entertained for them the most kindly
sentiments, and while he claimed for
himself free utterance of political
opinion, he certainly could not OBJ
ject to such course on their part.
Their ideas of his public duty were
different from his own, but of that he
did not complain. He, however, had
acted from sense of duty, in order
to accomplish complete reconciliation
in the South, and had done SO from
the best lights that were afforded and
the best judgment he could command.
After full view of the situation and
with an earnest desire to produce
satisfactory results. he would not
quarrel with those who questioned
the soundness Of his Judgment or the
honesty of his motives. He was will
ling to leave to time the vindication
of his course.
important Arrest.
| New ORLEANS, July 5.-District
ATTORNEY Finney has filed infOrm8.