The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1881-04-16
WASHINGTON.
WHERE THE GREESBACKs GO.


What becomes of all tbs grsenbacks
and bank notes after they have served
their few years of usefulness" is a
| frequent query. 4 bank note has its
life just the same as all other things use
full. What an interesting story the
travels Of a greenback. from the moment
it leaves the press until it returns to the
macerating machine, would make! The
average life of a bank note is about three
years; perhaps a little longer. After
serving its purpose rs currency it is
metamorphosed into rabbits. birds and
other figures. The process of the de-
struction of the notes is an interesting
one. The reader will often see in the
daily papers paragraph something like
this: National bank notes received for
redemption to-day, $500. 0OO." The next
day these notes arc carried to the Bureau
of Engraving and Printing and placed in
Il machine containing immense knives.
which chop the notes into small frag-
ments. This operation is conducted ull-
der the supervision of three officers OF
the Treasury Department especially de-
tailed for this purpose. No one is allow
ed to be present at this daily maceration
of the notes except the officers and the
men who run the machine. They are
| compelled to remain in the room until
| each separate note is destroyed. They
must account in detail afterward to the
Redemption Bureau for each note; and
should one become lost or mislaid, and
atterward find its way into circulation.
tine result would be the immediate dis
charge of the three gentlemen who daily
have in their custody from half million
to three or four millions of notes and
bonds. The shreds are reduced to pulp,
and then by a patented process this mass
is moulded into figures of birds and ami
mails and sold as mementos to visitors
Oltentmes it will happen that one little
object will be composed of what once
was 800 600 worth of money.
GOOD STORY on MACvEAGH.
l heard good story the other day
,bout Wayne MacVeagh. Some time a.r
he gavea most ilattering letter to q yonns
man named Knox. recommending him
fora position. Mr. Knox who is u Phiadel-
phia lawyer. was successful. but retained
MacNeagh's letter after he secured a pos
Al,
ure of office in that place is uncertain he
determined to seek position under the
Attorney General. In looking over his
list of influence Knox came across
MacNeagh's letter. 1t occurred to him
that this would be about as strong card
As he could play. He hardly knew how
the Attorney General could discard his
own Endorsement. When the applicant
filed his papers Mr.. MacVeagh was ex-
tremeiy surprised at the neat little game
which had been played upon him. ''IIow.
ever" he said. this is the strongest
batch of recommendations that has been
presented by any one, and | can hardly
See HOW L eau ~ Wv N VII SILL "l'
Knox will be transferred from the Census
Bureau to the Attorney Generals Office.
This story about Knox calls to mind Il
similar one in which President Tyler was
captured. A neighbor o! Tyler's came
here and asked for letter to his prede-
cessor. Harrison. Before the neighbor
H,r,ispp AiaA
and Tyler one day was confronted by his
friend and his own letter of recommends.
ton Like MacVeagh, he was compelled
to give his friend an appointment. He
made him the ,jailer at the Old Capitol
Prison.
THE VICE PRESIDENT.
ItS apparent to all that only exper-
fence is necessary to make Vice President
Arthur a model presiding officer. En-
cept a little perplexity there is the east
and grace of man instead of the noise
less machinery which constitutes we'll
preserved fossil. What the yellow, juicy.
osy-cheeked peach, with the fur rubbed
of jolting to market, is to the vegetable
world, Vice President Arthur sustains
the same relation to the fruit of human
ity. There is something about his pres
ence suggestive of strawberries and cream
and yet this fact seems to be completely
ignored by the Senate, for the turbulence
goes on just the same. He sits in all at
ttude of grace worthy the painters
brush or the pen of the poet. Fully six
feet in height, broad-shouldered, but
rounded and smoothed into curved lines
which not only rival but excel those o.
Cupid. A cold, naughty face is often
seen, but warm, proud features are rare
" found: but here we have the exception.
A high forehead towers above the brown
velvety eyes; nose little too short fol
classic perfection; but a firm, manly
mouth. with plenty of decision stamped
on it, with width of jaw that means
business in any work it undertakes.
Never since the days of Breckenridge
has so handsome a man welded the Vice
Presidents gavel. and whilst this fact
may have no significance in = political
sense, in social way there is no estimat-
ing the heights to which it may aspire Oh
depths where it may be cast down.
THE DEMOCRATIC LEADERS.
The debates of the extra session of the
Senate have brought to the front on the
Democratic side of the Chamber \ vastly
different class of men from those who di-
rected its affairs in the last Congress.
There are nine Democratic Senators from
distinctly Northern States and twenty
eight from the Southern, and what were
known as border" States. OF the
Democrats who have led the party on the
floor of the Senate for years past Messrs.
Thurman, Mcdonald, Eaton. Herman and
Wallace have departed. Mr.. Bayard is
the only really prominent Northern lead
CT in the Chamber. The Senator from
Delaware has hardly open his mouth this
session. Mr.. Peudleton has done some
talking, but he has invariably spoken as
the mouthpiece of the caucus. The
leadership has passed into Southern
hands. | was forcibly reminded of this
fact last "Wednesday when Senator Hill,
Of Georgia INDUCED in his criticism of
the methods of the Republican party.
Brown and Hill have seats side by side
on the front row. In the midst of the
debate hetWeen Hill and unar NJ C