The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1885-07-17
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From our Regular Correspondent

WASHINGTON. d. c., July IA, 1885.
The President, Secretaries Manning, La
mar, and p. NJ. General Villas. left the city
on Saturday afternoon to spend Sunday at
| the Club House of the Woodmont Rod and
Gun Club. The distinguished party spent
the Sabbath very quietly in wild sylvan
retreat of 5000 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 his attention. He is not exhausted
but he is very tired. Last week he saw
visitors only on three days, Monday, Wed.
nesday and Friday, and experienced con.
siderable relief from the pressure that had
been upon him.
| Tho appointment of Mr.. Stevenson, OF
| Illinois, First Assistant Postmaster General,
is one of the most fortunate selections that
| 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 appoint
mcnts have been made. To dispatch such
bulk of details with such general ap.
proval, and absence of ground for cavil in
dicates executive ability of high order.
The position of First Assistant Postmaster
General has become, owing to the immense
growth of the service, one of the most i'm.
portant under the Government, and it is a
pleasure to know that it is not filed by a
Hatton or Tyner, but in a way to reflect
credit on the country and the Democratic
party.
Postmaster general Villas met Mr.. Ste
venson 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 Fourty-fourth and Forty
sixth Congresses. He has since been
practicing law in Bloomington, Ill. He is
fort .. eight years of age, vigorous and able.
Many public men have been made his
friends by his genial and attractive dispo'
sitlon as well as by his solid worth.
The Ex.First Assistant Postmaster Gen
eral, Mr.. Malcom Hay, has gone to Colo
RADIO, in the hope that his feeble form 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
these two months of absence from his desk
was covered into the Treasury.
Secretary Whitney's idea of reform is to
reform. He does not rest content with
one good deed well done. He recently
brought from New York an expert account.
ant who has devised new method of
bookkeeping for the bureaux of the Navy
Department. Hereafter each item of the
naval appropriation will have its separate
account and by this means the balance re-
maining to each specific appropriation can
be seen at glance. The displaced system
Is no system at all, but an unwieldly ac-
cdmulation OF different methods to which
each change of regime has added its quota
of confusion.
Secretary Whitney Is giving the enemies
OF good government great deal of annoy
ance' He refuses to accept, without ques-
ton, the worthless ship contracts of his
Republican predecessors. When he wishes
to go to sea on the raging Potomac he hires
boat and does not use a Government