Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1881-11-24
THE NATIONAL CAPITAL.
LIGHTNING PLAYING ABOUT
THE TREASURY.
Companions for PItney-"LayIng
foro FOlger-Guiteau Fighting for
Time-A stencil IN the state De-
partmenK-JOIly Junkets Paid for
with Public Funds.

WASHINGTON, November 23.-There are
again reports that things are to be shaken
up IN the Treasury Department. The same
people who were in the ring which made
Piney their scapegoat are being put down
on the list Of shaving to go." The people
who are regarded as certain to 60 are As
sistant Secretary Upton. Assistant Secretary
French and Mr.. Lamphere, the appointment
clerk. These constitute the principals OF
the Treasury ring who ran riot with the
Treasury contingent fund. James, the chief
OF the customs division of the department,
and one Babcock. who has long been steno-
grapher to the Secretary of the Treasury,
are two Of the minor members of the ring.
who are also booked, report goes, for dis
misssL The new Secretary, Judge Folger,
is Of judicial mind. He moves slowly. He
is sixty years OF age, and does not grasp
upon situations as readily as younger men
would; but still he is a clear-headed man,
and after some Of the judicial methods upon
which he has grown for years as Chief Justice
OF the Court of Appeals of New York have
been rubbed off, he will probably be more
prompt In the administration Of the affairs of
the Treasury Department. As yet Judge
Folger has not shown that he is equal
TO emergencies. But man must be given
time in which to accustom himself to the
business of such an immense machine as the
Treasury Department before he can be ex-
pected to undertake any reforms.
The Treasury ring are meantime irving to
spread their nets around the new Secretary
of the Treasury, and with the assistance of
John Sherman, an interested party, tie his
nands.
The chances are growing stronger every
day that the final conclusion of Guiteau's
trial is far way off. Only a bullet from
| some man anxious for nOtoriety can bring
about speedy termination of the trial;
and Guiteau is now SO guarded that there
seems to be no possibility of his being shot.
The trial will drag out to such an extent
| that verybodY will tire of it. In fact, shat
seems to be part Of the plan of the
| defense. They want to tire the public and
deaden the hos ility towards the assassin,
| which time has even now greatly ameliorated
| In the public mind. The end of the trial is
not near IN sight, and already the public is
| showing tiresOme signs and the papers are
devoting less space 80 it. II it were not for
| the antics of the assassin the interest would
| be very meagre indeed.
The friends of Mrs. Hugh Waddell (,lee
Dickerson), OF Savannah, will be pleased 10
| learn that she is now out OF danger and Is
steadily improving after her recent severe
| illness.
There are ugly rumors of an impending
| scandsl in connection with the State Depart
| ment's management of the Yorktown Cen
tennial celebration. It is said that, taking
advantage of Secretary Blaine's being almost
wholly engrossed in matters of graver i'm
| port, and OF both the assistant secreta-
res being comparatively inexperi-
enced, a little ring of subordinate
officials in the State Department undertook
| to run the thing to suit themselves. By dint
of careful introspection and long and ad-
miring contemplation of their own greatness
aud importance, they finally persuaded
Themselves that Congress in appropriating
| S20, COO to celebrate the centennial of the
| surrender of Yorktown really intended 10
| give them, the State Department subordi-
mates aforesaid, good time generally, aud
| that the visit of the French aud German
| guests was merely side incident thrown in
/ to give eclat to the occasion.
Accordingly there are rumofs of elegant
| visiting cards engraved for the State De-
| partment clerks and charged TO the York
| town Centennial fund; of costly wines pur-
chased for the foreign visitors, taken from
on board the steamer City Of Catskill and
| divided amongst the ring OF favored pes
sent iunketing all over the country and paid
for as detectives; and, worst of all, hotel
keepers compelled to give vouchers in hcti-
tious names to cover up these and kindred
| Irregularities.
II is further said that when some i'll in
| formed persons In New York undertook TO
| give grand ball, and supposed that their
| purpose was to honor the foreign guests, in
stead of the State Department clerks, and
unaccOuntably failed even to solicit the lat
ters' presence, those high officials promptly
remed!ed the oversight by ordering them
selves to New York on government business,
attending the ball and charging their ex-
penses to the United States.
Secretary Blaine will probably think It due
to himself to inquire into the truth of these
rumors before starting on his projected trip
| South.