Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-08-18
WASHINGTON GOSSIP.
THE CURRENCY OF THE FUTURE.
Gold Fallen into Disfavor-Kennelh
RaTnor Woke Up-Where Brew
ster is Emphatic The National
Board of Health TO be Wound Up
-Mahone Wedding Out Ihe De.
partmenIs.

WASHINGTON, August 16-There is every evil
dence that gold will in a short time begin to
disappear from the circulation of the country.
Gold appeared shortly after the resumption of
specie payment, and has since that time
been put into wide circulation. It has not
been popular as medium OF exchange. Mer-
chants and bankers have invariably preferred
the convenient and popular greenback. Al
though gold has been circulated to a great ex-
tent it has not been popular The Treasury
Department is now getting ready to issue gold
certificates for god deposited, which course is
authorized by an act of the last session of Con-
gress. and everybody who has got gold to any
amount is clamoring for these certificates The
banks whose vaults contain large or small
quantities of gold are rushing upon the Treas
ury Department applications (, the exchange
OF the coin into certificates One bank alone
IN New York has applied for forty millions of
goid certificates in exchange for a similar
amount or gold This means hut one thing and
that is the driving out Of circulation of gold
ana the substitution therefor of greenbacks,
Tor gold certificates are but form of the
greenback. The only coin which in short
'lme will be in active circulation will be the
silver dollar, half, quarter ten cent piece and
the five cent nickel-with. of course the COP
pers of the denomination of two and
one on cent cent Tt The lesson is plainly to
the greenback" proper or the national bank
note-is the currency that the country wants.
II is more convenient and at par with gold
Trade, therefore, wants the convenience of it.
as it is just good as gold. The change which
VIII be Effected by the issuance OF the gold GER
tl1cates will mark period OF great interest In
the history of the national circulation Of
money.
IT is INTERESTING.
Judge Kenneth Raynor, Solicitor of the
Treasury Department, Is one of the old line
wings who were Tesurrected by the defunct
Hayes and put in official position. Raynor is
from North Carolina and Is very old, and still
a complete Whig. He fills to repletion the
role for which ne was resurrected. His best
friends say that despite his years he is quite a
gallant They would seem to be right He
fought a So called fight with Soteldo the de-
ceased newspaper man of this city, who was
killed In brawl In the Republican Office last
winter. He certainly has got grit. Some time
ago certain people who had claims before the
Treasury which Raynor had to pass upon got a
dehghtful looking young woman to help them.
They turned this interesting specimen loose
on the Judge He treated her gallantly-how
gallantly it is not known, but certainly not as
have the public believe. In short
with the scheme which was trying to be worked
upon him. He took steps accordingly. He
would not see the woman and very gracefully
hung up the claim which she was advocating
To-day Raynor returned from trip to Berkley
Springs. The woman was at the entrance
which her intended victim generally mab es to
the Treasury Department. AS soon as the
Judge got within hearing distance, she opened
on him with bombardment of words. Ray
nor stood it for while and then called
her Decentralization she doubtIess
is-and demanded that she drive off After
a few words in a low tone, the woman drove
away, saying that she we going to a newspaper
office to ventilate the whole thing. She has
not yet ventilated. The incident is given as
phase of Washington life. and bears with it
many suggestion as to how very often very
bad claims are successful before the different
departments.
AN ANSWER.
Different officials of the government have
different ways of telling to the newspaper men
whether they have any news or not. The gen.
eral reply when the official has no news. or
having it does MT wish to give to the public,
is, There is nothing to-day, " or Il do not know
q single thing" Attorney General Brewster,
despite his ruffies and close hedging around
him of dignity, has more graphic wav of put
ting it. must confess that when he has any
news he imparts it willingly, but when he has
not, which is generally the case, he says: II
am sorry, but have not got id item to-
day"
A REvERsIoN OF AUTHORITY
Before Congress, scared by the epidemic of
three years ago, created the National Board of
Health, the United States revenue marine ser
vice executed all steps taken by the govern
ment in regard TO the suppression of yellow
fever or any other epidemic. When the Ma
tional Board was created, however, the work
mentioned was transferred to that organization
The board was given full power-too much
power it was thought by maryland an appro-
priation of $95OOOO annually. Such a failure
did the concern prove that this year it only gets
for itself about S15, ,O00 which is by far too small
a sum to suit the large ideas of its members.
But that was not all The board as SELECTED by
Mr.. Hayes had one or two good men on it>but
majority in
profession They spent most OF their
time in decrying the work which
had been previously and better done by the
Marine Hospital service, and that at no extra
cost to the government for officers and quar-
antine. 1t was to their ineficiency and ieal-
ousy that they owe the failure of Congress to
give them more than $4,000, which, by the
way, he regarded as kind Of present to allow
them to wind up their affairs. But there be-
ing left over 81 O,O00 to be applied to the sup
preston of epidemics, the National Board of
Health, of course, wanted to spend it. The Sec
retary of the Treasury did a wise thing, how
ever. and placed the money in the hands of
the Marine Hospital service, where it belongs
The experime Mt has simply failed, and the re-
turn has been made to the original
authorities for dealing with epidemics,
and it now, as it formerly did, is manage
with one half the cost that was incurred for
similar work under the National Board of
Health. The costly experiment has proved
failure, and the work is now whore 1t should
time that the National Board of Health was
legislated into power by a clique OF Congress-
men with not overgood regulations none of
whom are fortunately now in public life.
MAHoNE's METHODS.
Malone is indeed great boss as far as the
administration is concerned. Even to the
smallest Federal officeholder in the State of
Virginia has he had all Republicans who were
not Malone men, put out, and Republicans
often the prefix may be put 80
called"-who are Malone men put In.
But the Boss Malone does not
stop there He wants ir ALL He has been rum
maging around the various departments, and
finds therein a lot of white and coIored folks
who hail from Virginia, but who do not sup
port the boss, and yet who actually hold places
as watchmen. messengers and laborers. Just
think of it Long since, Malone got all the
clerks who are opposed to him out Of place.
He overlooked, for the time being, the mes
sengers and those in the very inferior places.
Not so now, however. He is having even the
anti-Mahone messengers, laborers and watch
men who hail from Virginia turned out, and
Malone men put in their stead. He works to
this end-and successfully-with as great vim
as If he were at work conquering Kingdoms
When truly great man enters upon q truly
great work the splinters OF his progress will
fly. PoToMAc
BRIEF NEWS SUMMARY.