St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1885-07-25
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From Our Regular Correspondent

Sunday at the Club House of the Wood
mont Rod aud Gun Club. The distin-
guished party spent the Sabbath very
quietly in wild sylvan retreat of 5000
acres owned by the Club, and returned
much refreshed on Monday.
The President has been working too
many hours. He has been sitting up
too late at night in order to dispose OF
the vast number of applications for
Office that await his attention. He is
not exhausted but he is very tired.
Last week he saw visitors only on three
days, Monday, Wednesday and Friday,
and experienced considerable relief
from the pressure that had been put
upon him
The appointment of Mr.. Stevenson of
Illinois, First Assistant Postmaster
A General is one of the most fortunate Sc
lections that the present administration
has made. He has attacked the large
arrears of business with such energy
that in the short space of a week over
two thousand new appointments have
been made. To dispatch such bulk of
details with such general approval, and
absence of ground for cavil indicates
executive ability Cf a high order. The
position of First Assistant Postmaster
General has become, owing to the i'm
4 mense growth of service, one of the
most important under the Government,
and it is a pleasure to know that it is
not filed by Hatton or Tyner, but
in way to reflect credit on the country,
and the Democratic party.
Postmaster General Villas met Mr..
Stevenson at the Chicago convention.
Each was strongly impressed in favor
of the other, and they have been warm
friends ever since. Mr.. Stevenson
represented his district in the Forty
fourth and Forty-sixth Congresses.
He has since been practicing law in
Bloomington, Iii. He is forty y-eight
years of age, vigorous and able. Many
public men have been made his friends
by his genial and attractive disposition
as we'll as his solid worth.
The ex-First Assistant Postmaster
General Mr.. Malcolm Hay has gone to
Colorado in hope that his feeble form
may be strengthened by the climate
1t is well known that after he was ap-
pointed four months ago, he went south
for the benefit of his health. When he
returned here to undertake his official
duties the disbursing clerk handed him
his salary for two months. Mr. Hay de-
clined to receive the money saying he
had not earned it, and by his direction
the amount of his salary for three
months of absence from his desk was
covered into the Treasury.
Secretary Whitneys idea of reform is
to reform. He does not rest content
with one good deed well done. He re-
Gently brought from New York an ex-
pert accountant who has devised a new
method of book keeping for the bureau
of the Navy Department. Hereafter
each item of the naval appropriation
will have its separate account and by
this means the balance remaining to
each specific appropriation can be seen
at a glance. The displaced system is
no system at all, but an unwieldy ac-
emulation of different methods to
which each change Of regime has added
its quota of confusion.
Secretary Whitney is giving the
enemies of good government a great
deal Of annoyance. He refuses to ac-
cent without question the worthless
ship contracts Of his Republican prede-
cessors. When he wishes to go to sea
on the raging Potomac he hires his
boat, and does not use Government
ship. He has abrogated the rule for
bidding officers to allow their wives to
follow them to distant ports. His reas-
on for abrogating this rule was, in sub
stance, that the officers we're not able to
prevent their wives doing pretty much
as they pleased.
tits expected that Democratic officers
for the District Government Will very
soon be appointed, but it is not probable
that the new appolntees Will De resi-
dents of the District OF Columbia.
Al gentleman recently ventured TO
give the President some, advice as TO
The kind of a man he should appoint 20
q certain district Office. Mr. CLEVELAND
said: ''I think know what IS needed.
Ny own experience will be guide TO |
me. AS the chief executive OF Guy
government / gained the approVal OF
men of both political parties, and ac-
quired knowledge of what. quailhca-
- Al W..