The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1885-05-08
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From our Regular Correspondent

WASHINGTON, April 27, 1885.
Your correspondent did not have his
usual six-hour confidential interview
with the President of the United States
this week, and is consequently not able
to give you a news report hot and
steaming from the lips Of the admins
tration. Maybe the reason why l did
not call on the President was because
my friend did. have wild Western
friend who found himself in Washing
ton last week with two whole hours at
his disposal. He decided that the time
was not sufficient for him to see and
talk to everybody in Washington
though he come as near doing 1t as
any living man or even woman) and
inasmuch as he had to draw line
somewhere, he called only on the Presi.
dent, Secretary Lamar and your cores
pondent. will not attempt to tell all
he told me, for he talked without pune
tuation. But to the President be made
the original remark that he had no
friends to reward, no enemies to pun
ish, and no favors to ask. The "no
favors to ask clause seemed to please
the President, and he replied ~ am
nearly worried to death by those who
have nothing but favors to ask My
friend then called at the Interior De.
partment upon Secretary Lamar and
told him that he wished to see his bath
tub 4! The Saturnine secretary at once
set down my wild Westerner for a
crank, but glance at his nice clothe.
and his face painted red with intelli
gence and humor convinced him that
he had struck character rare. So he
showed him the little zinc bath tub and
the two four dollar rugs, to buy which
he had sold the ten thousand dollars
worth of government carriages and
horses.
The President and members of bis
Cabinet have gone 10 Gettysburg to
celebrate the anniversary of the battle
This is the first respite that Mr.. Cleve
land has taken since the 4th of March
Miss Cleveland is away in New York
Col. Lamont and his family, consisting
Of his wife and two little daughters
have, at the urgent request of Mr.
Cleveland, moved into the White
House and they will soon accompany
the president TO his country residence
at Soldiers home. The President,
cottage at the Home is about thre,
miles from the White house and abou
a mile and half from the northern
boundary of the city aud the Potomac
river. Surrounded by trees and acres
of green sward it will have all the ad
vantages of summer resort with tn,
additional advantage of complete re
tirement from society and fashion tha
cannot be obtained at Long Branch
Saratoga or Newport.
The illness of the Presidents privat,
secretary has revived the old talk abou
the peculiar Washington malaria. Ev
cry i'll that flesh is heir to in this city i
attributed by the non-professional wri
ters for the press to malaria. A Sena
tor cannot eat or drink too much bu
that his indisposition is malaria, ant
one of them went 80 far as to attribute
the encouchment of a prominent woman
to the same prolific cause. Washing
ton, as the statistics show, is a univer
sally healthy city and its death rat
shows as small percentage from ma
laria as any city in the union.
| What will the administration d.
concerning official changes' is a ques
tion that is being very earnestly aske,
at this time. There are in round mum
bers about 100000 salaried office
holders under the Federal Government
They are the regular army of politics
for it means their bread. Their dis
cipline enabled the Republican part
10 keep itself in power tor half cent
ury. Nine tenths of these officials ar
still in position. What is the Presiden
going to do about III A gentlema
who holds very resposible and prom
inent appointment under Mr.. Clevt
lsnd, aud who comes from a powerfl