Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1885-04-30

She is daughter of Gen. B. j. Sweet, a gal
liant officer during the war. His daughters
appointment 10 her high position was an
accident, apparently. and yet il came about
exactly in consequence of her splendid ability
to fill the post. During her fathers admins
/ tration Of the Office this girl did not spend
+ her time eating candy and doing up her hair
i i'm curl papers. Not She. While other girls
I lay abed mornings and read novels, and
made crazy quilts, Miss Sweet was Sp
/ bright and early and worked all day in her
I fathers office. She kept regular hours, like
/ a man who meant business. She never once
said that she wanted To work when | feel
/ like it, She never stayed away from her
I desk because she had headache, or cried
/ when she got a scolding. Ia regularity,
I clear-headedness and busneSs-ike behavior
she was a little bit better than the best man
of them all Consequently the force of male
clerks about her neve- said they didn't like
To work in the same office with a pesky
woman. because she made so much bother
! Miss Sweet was not that kind of a working
woman.
There was large family OF children. her
brothers and sisters. Her father taught her
all the routine of his business She was at
/ length promoted 10 be his chief clerk. He
was afterwards appointed deputy pension
I commissioner at Washington. While holding
I that posit he died suddenly. He was one
of those y % had not grown rich in office,
and his large family was left unproyided for.
What was 10 become of theml At this POINT
Gen. Grant, then president, appointed the
old soldiers daughter To the Chicago agency
This was April 10, 1874. She was then p
years old. The brave girl pension agent has
held her office ever since, through the admin
istrations of Hayes and Arthur. Gen. John
A. Logan has been her firm friend through
out. Her mother, an invalid. was struck by
passing railway train in Chicago some years
ago, and killed. Miss Sweet has therefore
been ia her and mother both TO her young
brothers and sisters. She has supported and
educated them with the money she received
a. pension agent
The correspondence in which she was asked
to resign and refuses is rather racy reading
This is the
REQUEST FOR RESIGNATION.
WASHINGTON, April 4.-Will you send to
this office YOUR resignation to take effect on
June 80. You will readily appreciate the
fact, which | gladly state, that there is no
reason personal to yourself or to your man
agement of your Office which induces this re-
quest. am, very respectfully yours,
Mss Sweet at once telegraphed back a dis
patch, not To Commissioner Black, but
TO THE PRESIDENT
THE commissioner Of pensions telegraphs
to-day asking me TO send him my resignation
as United States pension agent, to take effect
June so, 1885. At the same time he declares
that no reason personal to myself, or to my
management of nv office. induces the request.
Nv iSsion frafu ba t.rasidaut r1,pe for
iour years, INV present term not ending until
April 10, 1886. have performed all the du-
ties of my Office with an eye single to the in
terests confided 20 my charge. Conscious of
this, do not wish To resign, and | know of
no reason why should take action that might
seem TO be voluntary. when in reality il
would be taken under protest. Very respect
fully, your obedient servant.
"ADA c. SWEET
United States Pension Agent
A newspaper wit sums up the spirit of the
matter in some docgere that is not bad:
Ny dearest Miss Sweet,
think il but meet
You should forward me your resignation;
So please don't delay,
Let il come right away,
And relieve me, for my situation
Is indeed very sad,
With friends swearing mad.
Nv dear Mr.. Black,
/ fear there's a crack
In the thing called head on your shoulder;
So strange you appeal,
! cannot but feel
You've been bGtting the same 'gainst o
boulder.
/ really don't see
How we can agree,
So diverse are your interests and mine;
But this / viii say,
Twill he a long day
Before I'll be coaxed TO resign.