Weekly graphic., 1883-04-20
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From Our Regular Correspondent.

WASHINGTON. D. c., April 9Th 1883.
The new Postmaster-G General is man
calculated to impress his individuality
upon any position he holds, and his
friends say that he will be Postmaster
General in fact, as well as in name.
Excepting the unusal opportunity in
herited by Mr.. James, the offices is
not one in which its occupants can
readily make his mark, or achieve es-
pecial distinction. But it Is expected
that for all that Judge Gresham's abil-
ity and positive character will manifest
itself. The usual status of the Post
master General IN the cabinet may be
inferred from his place at the cabinet
table; he sits below the salt and is the
very farthest person from the President
at the head of the table. The friends
of the First Assistant Postmaster .gener-
al Frank Hatton now say that he never
really wanted the higher Office. for the
obvious reason that. being a practical
politician, he prefers the making of
40, 900 appointments, which he has in
his present position, while the Post
master-general has only about 1000 of
the higher class. The Postmaster
general usually lies on his oars and
lets the First Assistant do all the work;
not that he IS not tremendously busy
all the time-a cabinet officer who had
a minute to spare would expect to be
impeached for incompetence-but
they are lpost of fthen principally busted
about doing nothing.
General Butler or Governor Butler
as he probably prefers to be called,
won his big case in the Supreme court,
by which the Washington Market Com
pany escapes paying over $1oo, 900
claimed to be due the city. But the
governor did not win his political case
over in Rhode Island. By many he is
thought to be the greatest lawyer in
the country. He has been a great
general in great war and he was for
many years a great power in Congress.
One would naturally think that Gener-
al Butler would be willing and anxious
to settle down into dignifed retirement
and enjoy the honors of governor of the
great commonwealth. He does not
need money, he does not need fame,
and cer,alnly no work of his now can
add to the latter. Why, then, does he
take every big law case tnat is offered |
him! You give it up 2 1t is because
he has been such great worker all his
life that he cannot now in his old age
live without the excitement of work.
We see him in Washinton every week
or two IN law case. He does not
care for money in mlserly sense, but
the excitement of trial is what he
Graves. 1t is the same passion that
animates an old race horse, though
beg you will not understand me
Is comparing General Butler to
a retired race horse. He is a great
worker and as systematic a man as
Charles Reade, who describes himself
n his "Terrible Temptation" Gen.
.ral Butler always keeps at his elbow a
horthand writer and clerk or two.
Every letter or document he receives
,ets his personal attention, and every
one contains its own case. The lette
:ontains in shorthand notes its answer
N its back, and is filed away. The q
eneral never destroys a letter. and he
; always prepared to answer for everv Q
ay in the year that has passed. You !
ill never hear of his complaining and t
himself for the loss of docu'
tents or for bad memory. He is sem.
v ta,akus. He is good deal more
Ian a millionaire is nearly sixty-sev. I
n-years old 1; has 4 residence here, 1