San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1885-06-25
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From Our Regular Correspondent.
WASHINGTON, June s, 1885.

over half.a-mile of green sward and
an artificial lake to the Washington
Monument, and beyond down the
broad Potomac, commanding view
seven miles in extent. For fifty sum-
mers the presidents of the United
States have stood on this portico of
Saturday afternoons, chatted with
their friends, and listened to the mu-
sic of the Marine Band from the
green sward below. President Cleve-
land honored the custom for the first
last Saturday, and hundreds Of Wash,
ingtonians got their first glimpse of
his strong, rugged face and non
Apollo.like figure. It was curious
sight to- see several hundred people
standing below, looking up at the
president on the portico above. The
gazers were mostly of the govern
ment clerk class, and their faces wore
an expression of anxiety, curiosity,
hope and fear. I looked in vain for
an expression of resignation in their
government-pap-fed faces. It may be
said with emphasis that they will not
resign. They were trying to read
their fate in the face of the president,
and with curiosity that was more
natural than polite, they stared in 81
lence by the hour.
The reader who is not an Office
seeker or Office holder will be more
interested in the appearance of the
president than of the crowd. He
looks ruddier and healthier than
when he delivered his inaugural on
the 4th of March. His manners are
unaffected and pleasing. He greets
those whom he knows with an I'M
studied grace-cordial but not effus-
i've. He wore O Prince Albert coat
and o fashionable silk hat In greet
ing those who called he would re-
move his hat, and while talking to
ladies, would stand uncovered for q
few minutes. But the rays of the
sun made it necessary for all the
gentlemen to wear their hats most of
the time. M Cleveland adheres to
his early hours and habits of hard
work, and in this respect he is imi-
tated by all the heads of departments.
Visitors have no trouble in seeing
the cabinet officers. 1t is only those
who come late who have any trouble.
Two of the best business men in the
cabinet are Manning and Whitney.
There was some criticism at the time
of their appointment, because two
members from New York were placed
in the cabinet. Tried by the test of
experience, they have proved to be
among the best selections that the
president has made. It is further
proof of his good judgment that these
two men were personally known to
him. His weakest selections have
been those which were recommended
to him by other people. The treas
ury department is now in better hands
than it has been for number of
years. Mr. Whitney is thorough
man of the world, and has his depart
ment on very good footing. He is
polite to everyone, and does not an
noy his callers with the constant dec
laration made by some of the new of
ficials, that his time is excessively oc-
cupied, and that it is only with the
greatest difficulty that he can afford
to give few seconds of his time to
any individual. Anyone, to see him
with his visitors, would think that he
was the easiest-going and most thor
oughly good-natured member of the
cabinet
Gen. Sparks, the new democratic
land commissioner, has issued an or
der FORGETTING the bulk of the fraudu-
lent Maxwell land grant. This will
throw over to public entry over 1,500,-
900 acres. Through fraudulent sur
veys and corrupt official bargaining
at Washington, this grant was
stretched SO as to include 100000
acres of land. This order of Mr.
Sparks cuts down this grant to its
original dimensions. If Mr.. Sparks
could never do anything more in his
Office beyond striking down this gi-
gantic fraud. he would be entitled to
monument at the hands of his coun-
trymen. This grant has been backed
by some of the most powerful finan-
cial and social influences ever known
in the history of Washington in
trigues. Gen. Sparks would not be
able to strike this blow, II he were not
firmly supported 10y the secretary of
Interior. or course furious appeals