Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-09-08
A WALKING DICTIONARY.
LIBRARIAN SMITHS INDISPEN.
Stability IN WASHINGTON.

Colonel Thornton After the Atlanta
Postmastership-Sev Others Who
Have an Eye on the Same Berth
Plans for Census Taking-The PugiIist
in Politics.
Correspondence ofthe Morning Eeaos
WASHINGTON, Sept. THE employees
OF the House have not been going away to
any great extent this summer. This ap-
plies, of course, to the large number of
them who live in the city. Those who
1--we away have gone of course, end very
few of them will ever return. Those who
live here have not haunted the summer
resorts because they know that with the
organization of the next House their Oc-
cupation will be gone. Therefore they
have been visited with an economical turn.
Of all the employees Ofthe House not more
than seven will hold over under the new
order of things. These will be one-armed
and one-legged Union soldiers and
c0lOred man. The latter is named W. II.
Smith. He is Librarian of the House. He
has no fear of being removed and need
have none. He has made himself indis-
pensable to members of the House. He is
walking dictionary of reference. He
does everything that any member of
Congress would want to know. He
can find more precedents for legis-
latiOn and more Congressional literature
bearing upon any topic in half an hour
than the best informed member could in
two weeks search through bOOGs and
documents. He has held his position for
years. In matters of the merest routine
his memory is something wonderful.
Judge Lawrence, now First Comptroller
of the Treasury, was to-day very forcibly
impressed with Smith. He was in the
Thirty-ninth Congress. Said Judge Law
renee to me to-day: ''Of course, like
most other congressman, | made a good
many speeches. | made a speech in
fact, every time got chance. Yesterday
evening l was talking with party of gen
tlemen, and several topics which were be-
fore the Thirty-ninth Congress were men,
toned. thought that l had made speeches
in the House about them, but was not GER
tain. l had also forgotten exactly what
side | had taken. Mr.. Cox, of New York,
was present. He told me to apply to
Smith if | wanted to know what had
done while in Congress. This morning |
wrote a note of inquiry to Smith. Here's
the reply" picking up a num-
Der of old Congress iOndI Re
cords; .'my speeches and Votes on
all the matters about which asked are
marked, and on the outside of them is
marked the pages where what l want can
be found. Taking it all in consideration
| think it is very remarkable evidence
of aptitude and ability" Hundreds of
other men in Congress and who have been
there will testify readily to the wonderful
research of knowledge and memory pos
sessed' by Smith, the cOlored Librarian.
COL. MARCELLUS L. THORNTON,
of Atlanta, who, to say the least of it, has
within the past few years capered gro
tesquely on the public stage, is not salts
fed yet. Not satisfied with holding a
government clerkship here, trying to run
two administrations, and build up an
Independent Republican party in Georgia,
starting newspapers and selling out to
different parties some three or four times
in twenty-tOur hours. lie wants something
else. Nobody could accuse the Colonel of
not being mercurial nor of lacking any
of the varied accomplishments of Colonel
Mulberry Sellers. What he is after now
is the Atlanta post office. He wants it
bad. He seems to need it in his business.
He is reported to be going for it like the
boy who was after the wOOdchual. He
does not stand any chance, however He
will not come within a mile of the plum.
1t is said that Smyth, the author of the
celebrated Bancroft letter, would also like
to get the place. LOngstreet would not
let him get it. Bryant, of Skowhegan,
Maine, is Of course an applicant. Who
ever knew of any office of any importance
in Georgia whatever for which Bryant was
not an applicant? He, with other CARPET
baggers from Georgia, are expected to
put in an appearance soon after the Presi-
dent returns. DIR. FELTON,, the agile and
reverend eX-member Of the House, wants
the place, too. He is said, however, to
hoist himself upon very elevated plane,
and to have stated that he won't have the
office II there is to be any controversy
about it. He probably wants it handed
fn m q
linen napkin, having his monogram
beautifully worked in one corner Gen.
Lewis, of Atlanta, the One-legged
eX-soldier, will also be after the loaf.
From all of this you may Judge that the
fight over the Atlanta post office promises
to be as lively as the contests for other Of
fees in Georgia have always been. To saw
this is to promise no end of diversion.
Probably there may, as there have been
several times in the past, some personal
conflicts between the parties in the scrim-
mage. Altogether the outlook cannot be
said to be desert-lke in dreariness.
THE WORK OF COMPLETING THE LAST
CENSUS,
in all of its details, is much farther adj
vanced than the public generally thinks.
Because there has been delay-unneces-
sary in a great part-it has become the
custom of certain newspapers to say that
unJll
long after the time for the commence.
ment of the census of 1890. This is not
the fact though. The work will very
likely be wound up by the middle of De
cember or the first ofJanuary. The work
will not be of a character to startle any
one with its full accuracy. Gen. Walker !
admits this. But he says that in point of
accuracy there will be no comparison be- |
tween the census of 1880 and that of 1870, |
In this connection it is of interest to know |
that very well organized movement is
afOOt to ask Congress to establish perma- |
nently under the Interior Department a |
Census Bureau, and not allow the COM
mencement of every census-taking neces- !
state complete new organization of |
force. An attempt similar to this was |
made before the last Congress, but failed. |
1t was not pushed at all vigorously. This |
time those interested expect to be sue |
cessful.
SAID AN OLD ARMY OFFICER
tonight, who served under General Burn |
side; 81 remember one day when we
were making forced march. The troops |
were in first-class condition, although |
there was nothing but mud to march |
through. Each soldier of my regiment
seemed to take personal pride in his ap=
pearance. | was riding with one of the /
staff officers. We came across a good. !
natured Irishman who was trudging along
the road. Each particular button on his
uniform shone like a mirror. He was
evidently proud of his looks. His mus
ket was bright as a new dollar. As we
were passing him he looked around, and
fell head first into mud hole. He was a
sorry spectacle when he picked himself
up. He was a nocturne in red clay. Re-
covering himself, he looked up at me and
with merry winkle in his eye, said:
"Sure, Colonel, | wOud lOike ter kick Gin
eral Burnside jist Wanst."
QUEER STORY
comes from aesthetic Boston. Of course
coming from that home of culchaw and
other things highly up in art, it concerns /
that eminent statesman, the HOnorabIe
John L. Sullivan. 1t is that the peopIe Of !
the Twelfth ward of that beautiful and
too utterly too citY are talking seriously
OF rpnnlhs the honorable for the Legisla-
lure. Boston is great city.