Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1885-11-02
WASHINGTON NEWS.
OF Assistant Secretary Chas.
Z. Coon-Report of the Mississippi
River Commission.

ReslgnatiOn of Assistant Secretary Ch,s.
+. CoOn-Report of the Mississippi
River Commission.
~, WASHINGTON, Nov. /.
Inc Following correspondence explains
itself:
WAsHINGToN, Oct. %
non. DANIEL manning, Secretary of the Treas
ury.
S'r-In response to your request. I hereby
tender to the President, through Won. NV
Resignation of the office of assistant secre.
tary OF the treasury, to take effect upon the
qualincation OF my successor In doing so l
peg to express my acknowledgment for the
kindly assurance Of your entire satisfaction
with my performance of the duties of NV Of
nee and for your expression of regret that
you must part with me. You further sav that
ior reasons not necessary to explain YOU are
uhaer the necessity of asking tor my resig-
nation can only inter from this that these
reasons are political, in other words that |
am to retire from office, to which / was an
pointed some 10 months ago, because I am
not IN political accord with my superiors.
l beg to remind you that early in March last,
on the suppositiOn that there might be feel
ing OF this kind, frankly informed the Pres
ident and yourself that while had been pro-
NOTED to the office of assistant secretary,
after service of nearly 20 years in the treas
ury, without the Intervention or solicitation
OF single politician. l always had been and
stlll was republican; that while did not
deem 1t consistent with either the crcum-
stances OF my appointment or the spirit of
reform In civil service, to which the admin
istration was pledged, to abandon nv Office
because of DOlitiraI nrafaropco yat .r.o
ready to do so at any momont ii desired by
you. To this you replied that you desired
me to remain and assist you, 'for the pres
ent, at least" But while solely intent upon
giving you loyal support in all matters ap-
pertaining to public business. have not
failed to observe that my continuance in Office
has not been acceptable to a considerable
portion OF the party, press and very many
poNtclans. The frequent criticisms shower
ed upou you in this connection have made
plain to me that public sentiment, as con-
Germs one party at least, is not vet sufficiently
advanced to encourage or approve of the re-
tention of subordinate officers for reasons
other than political. infer this also at the
conclusion reached by you. With the pleas
antest recollections of your courtesy, and the
best wishes for you personally, l have the
honor to be,
very h-spectIully,
Your Ob't Serv't,
CHAs. E. Coon.
The following is Secretary Manning's
reply:
WASHINGTON. Nov. l.
Hon. Cas-. E. Coon:
BY direction of the President, have the
honor to inform you that your resignation of
office of assistant secretary of the treasury is
accepted. to take effect upon the qualification
of your successor.
Very Respectfully Yours,
DANIEL MANNING,
Secretary.
Assistant Secretary Coon was asked today
about the current report that he has recently
purchased seat in the New York Stock Ex-
change. Coon said emphatically that he had
not made any such purchase and that none of
his friends have a purchase in his behalf.
The report of the Mississippi River Com
mission, covering Its operations from Oct. l.,
1884, to the end of the fiscal year. June 80,
is made public. The total cost of bank re
vetment between Cairo and Vicksburg up to
June 80. 1885, has been 50, ,24O. 900, and of
the works for constructing channels $2 ,50O,-
900. considerable portion of the sum ex-
pended for bank invetment was designed to
give protection to certain city sites and
harbors-Charleston, Memphis, Vicks-
burg and others. Some of these
required special and prompt treatment II
the Delta point had not been held by revettng
it's banks with mattresses. at considerable ex-
pense, the city of Vicksburg would long
before now have been practically an inland
town, entirely cut off from the river At
Memphis, great values were also put in
jeopardy by the rapidly caving of a bank,
which threatened to carry off a portion of the
city. The bank revetment, as Offering the
only means of arresting the danger, was sue
cessfully applied in this case. The commits
sioner says the money per centage of the
damage and loss in the works, constructed
under the direction of the commissioner from
the time of its organization to June 80, 1885,
between Cairo and New Orleans, is about "a.
The expenditures for improvements from
Oct. l, to the end of the fiscal year, were
81 .636, 1872, and there remained on hand on
July I, 1885, S3S9,978 to meet the liabilities
aud carry on the work of improvement. The
estimates for the fiscal year 1886, which were
transmitted to the secretary of war in July,
1884, are repeated. The estimates for 1887
aggregate SO 254,6