The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1885-01-24
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.

Cabinet Gossip-Habits Of tho President
Elect-President Arthur not n Pauper-
Preparations for tho Inaugural-Society
Notes, Etc.
WASHINGTON. D. c.. Jan. 10, 1855.
EDITOR CHIEF:
was fortunate last week in meeting ia
gentleman, an old friend of the President
elect, Cleveland, who comes from the same
section of New York, and now holds an
important Office under Cleveland's COM
mission. 81 have known Cleveland twen-
ty-6ve years." said this old. gentleman,
land he has not changed particle in man
ner in all that time. He is 40 years old
and weighs about 225 pounds. In religious,
faith he is Presbyterian. 1 presume that
will become the Court church in Washing
ton when he comes into the presidency"
=" AS to the Cabinet, the only thing know
which has been determined on is that the
presidential advisers will be selected from
those States that cast their electoral votes
for Cleveland. say know this, because
he has said as much to me, and l was talk
same thing. l can tell you, however, what
believe. think New York will get the
Treasury. can not say who the man is,
or if he has been selected. The South prop
er will be offered two places; they will most
probably be the Post Office Department
and Attorney General, and they will both
go to South States. ssssea. 49, $,ss'ss
'Now as to Cleveland soda0fy, he is diff
ferent from President Al thur in .Yasy many
ways. have always l6ed Arthur. l
was member of the New York Assembly
one term when he was Governor Morgan's S
Quartermaster General, and Arthur once
tore the shoulder-straps off New York
Colonel and gave him a sound whipping
besides, for some vulgar insolence. Arthur
Cleveland is like Gen Sherman or Gen.
Grant in his tastes. Neither of the three
care much what they, eat, SO it is plain and
we'll cooked. Cleveland is a fairly good
drinker, so the table menage will not be an
ice-water one. but his drinking is mainly
beer, though he relishes cocktail now and
then. He is very regular in sleeping, and
can not sit up all night, rs Gen. Arthur
used to do, and does still, believe. and
not feel it. never saw such man as Ar
thur is in this respect. He becomes bright
er after midnight, and about two in the
morning, after he has had good supper
and bottle or two of champagne, he is
positively brilliant. We used to call him
the owl at Albany, for he seemed never to
sleep, and believe he is the same still.
Clevelands capacity for hard work is won
derful, and he has not had day of illness
worth speaking of since he was boy.'
Absurd as it may appear, the story is
going the rounds that the President will
retire from Office comparatively poor
man, having been unable to save any thing
from his salary. Nothing can well be far
ther from the truth. Nearly all the ex-
penses OF running the presidential estab-
list1ment are paid by Congressional appro-
priations, III one form or another, leaving
the necessary outlay of the President to be
! only what it may cost for food and cloth
ing, and the expense of few entertain
ments. The salary is 5000 year, and a
LIBERAL estimate of expenses of all kinds
would fall far below $1,000 month, taking
the year through, thus leaving net in
come of 5000 per annum. OF course, it
is not pretended that more maY not be
spent, if the incumbent of the place be a
man of e1trayagant personal tastes or hab-
its; but there is nothing in the official or
social obligations of the position requiring
a greater outlay than the figures named
above, and there is no good reason for be-
lieving that it will ordinarily reach that
sum. In other words, the President is able
to do all that can be justly expected of him,
officially and personally. in the way of
living and entertaining while in Office, and
still leave it with a competent fortune, as
was intended to be the case when the salary
was fixed at the liberal sum now paid.
The Inauguration committee are vigor-
ously at work, ranches of the under
taking evincs rSnarkable degree of ac-
tiyity. The PHI fpinsry work at the new
Pension G1dg is being pushed forward
and everything is almost ready for stretch
ing the great steel cable which is to serve
as the ridge pole of the temporary canvas
roof. The canvas is now being sewn by
sailmakers at the navy yard. The hall in
the new Pension building in which it is
proposed to hold the Inauguration ball is 800
feet long and will form, it is expected, 6
ball room which for spaciousness and ele.
gance of appointments will be fully in
keeping with the Importance of the event
celebrated. 1t is estimated that II, 600 peo
pie can be accommodated at the ball with
out discomfort.
On dit, that the President-elect is posi-
lively engaged to be married to lady il
| Buffalo soon after the Inauguration. The
name will not be publicly announced a
present, if it can be kept secret, but it i:
| not that any one who has heretofore beer
spoken of rs a possible candidate for mis-
| tress OF the White House.
| The red parlor of the Ebbitt House agar
shines refulgent with gold lace. This is the
court room of the tribunal before which
General Swain is being court-martialed
The court-martial has reassembled afte
the adjournment for the Christmas holi
days, and the faces of the members of til,
court all beam with good humor, showing
| tbo the ir.tiy,anoa nf tho ko,
its effect even upon the proverbiat crust.
dignity of military officials. But still tn.
chances look very bad for poor Swain.
The health of the Cabinet is cause for re
| joicing in society here. and l hear that
witt, the exception of Mrs. Lincoln, who is il
mourning for her mother, the ladies will en-
tertain 2 good deal and so out in q socia