Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1885-07-25
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.

the Woodmont Rod and Gun Club.
The distinguished party spent the
Sabbath very quietly in Wild sylvan
retreat of 1000, 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 Ills attention. He is
not exhausted, but he is very tired.
Last week he saw visitors only three
days, Monday, Wednesday and Friday,
and experienced considerable relief
from the pressure that had been put
upon him.
The appointment of idr. Stevenson
OF Illinois, First Assistant Postmaster
General is one OF the most fortunate
selections the present administration
has made. He has attacked the large
arrears of business with such energy
that in the short space of 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, indi-
Gates executive ability of high order.
The position of First Assistant Post
master General has become, owing to
the immense growth of the service,
one of the most important under the
Government and it is a pleasure to
know that it is not filled by Hatton
or Tyner, but in way to reflect
credit on the country, and the Demo
cratic 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-eight
years of. age. vigorous and able. Many
public men have been made his
friends by his genial and attractive
disposition as well as by his solid
worth.
The ex-First Assistant Postmaster
General, Mr.. Malcolm Hay, has gone to
Colorado in the hope that his feeble
frame may be strengthened by the
climate. 1t is well known that after
he was appointed 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 declined to receive the |
money saying he had not earned it, and |
by his direction the amount of his |
salary for those two months ofabsence
from his desk was covered into the |
Treasury.
Secretery Whitneys idea OF reform
is to reform. He does not rest con-
tent with one good deed we'll done.
He recently brought from New York
an expert accountant who has devised
new method of bookkeeping for the
bureau of the Navy Department.
Hereafter each item of the naval APP
preparation will have its separate ac-
count and by this means the balance
remaining to each specific appropria-
ton will have its separate account and
can be seen at glance. The displaced
system is no system at all, but an
unwieldy accumulation of different
methods to which each change of
regime has added its quota of con-
fusion.
Secretary Whitney is giving the
enemies of good government a great
deal OF annoyance. He refuses to
accept without question the worthless
ship contracts of his Republican pred
ecessOrs. When he wishes to go to
sea on the raging Potomac he hires
HIS DOdb, anu tlOCS HUI USE SONCIIl- /
ment ship. He has abrogated the rule
officers to allow their wives
to follow them to distant ports. His
reason for abrogating this rule was,
in substance, that the officers were not
able to prevent their wives doing
pretty much as they pleased.
1t is expected that Democratic Off
GERS for the District Government will
very soon be appointed, but it is not
probable that the new appointees will
be residents of the District of Col
umbia.
A gentleman recently ventured to
give the President some advice as to
the kind OF man he should appoint
to a certain district office. Mr.. Cleve-
land said 81 think / know what is
needed. My own experience will be
4 guide to me. As the chief execu-
tive of a city government / gained the
OF men of both political
parties, and acquired a knowledge of
what qualifications are most needed
in municipal governments. l will
give every appointment careful con-
frI,o ,DaxDor of tl,a