Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1885-06-27
oUR WASHINGTON LEfTEls.


(from Our Regular Correspondence
An eminent French Statesman
when asked how he accomplished
such prodigious amount Of work
each day, replied 4by doing one thing
after another" President Cleveland
seems 10 understand this art as well as
il he were its inventor. He examines
all the papers In each and every case
that comes before HIM. He will net
on all the cases only as he reaches
them in the course of his personal
examination. IL seems as il he had
am almost endless job before him, but
il is his way. and he seems determined
20 go as he has begun. The candidate
who depends largely or entirely on
verbal recommendations or influence
OF outside parties viii certainly get
left. The cases largely depend upon
the kind of papers that are filed, and
the President holds responsible parties
who recommended man to strict
account"
It is to be feared that in the discuss
ion of appointments to Office, the great
and silent reform work which the new
administration is carrying ON may be
overlooked. Though less than four
months in Office, and laborIng under
great disadvantages, the public plum
derers are being attacked and routed
at every point Stealing Of the public
domain has been to a considerable
extent stopped, though much remains
to be done. Secretary Lamar has
proved the worst enemy the railway
and-grabbers have ever met, and he
has had the earnest support of Gen.
Sparks, the new Land Commissioner.
1t is safe to say that no more unearned
grants will be patented TO the railroad
monopolists, and that M much as pos
sible of the land already stolen in one
thrown open for settlement. The
great Maxwell grant is only one of
series of enormous frauds which have
been perpetrated through collision
between the claimants, the territorial
land officers, and the rings of depart
ment officials There is every reason
to expect that this whole system of
plundering viii now be broken up.
Hon. Geo. Jelks who has just been
appointed assistant Secretary of the
Interior and given special charge of
all cases for the forfeiture of land
grants, shows that this work is to be
undertaken in no half-hearted way.
While on the Judiciary Committee of
the House Mr.. Jelks showed himself
to be a thorough lawyer and his argu-
ment before the ELECTORAL commission
was not inferior to the efforts of the
great lawyers of National reputation
Carpenter, Black and Merrick who
vainly tried to meet conspiracy with
logic in that deplo rable crisis.
Mr., Whitney, the new Secretary of
the Navy is steadily growing in popu-
larity with good men Of all parties
Both the Navy and the country hail
him as the deliverer from the regime
of rings and corruption that has
preyed upon the country since the war
and left our coasts in defenseless
condition The exposure of the Dol
phin fraud will be to she Naval estab-
lishment of as great Importance as
were the Star Route exposures to the
Post Office Department.
The action of the Post Master Gen.
eraI regarding the Paci6c Mail steam
ship subsidy is very significant 1t |
will be remembered that the Republic |
can majority in the Senate forced the |
passage of bill giving 100000 to the |
Pacific steamship company for carry
ing the mails. Mr.. Villas finds that |
there is no need of paying more for
carrying ocean mails than is now paid |
Since the act of Congress is not man.
datory but merely gives permission to
spend the money. The Postmaster
will, with the approval of the Presi-
dent, take no action in the matter,
but remit the subjec; to Congress for
more explicit legislation. 1t is not
probable that the Republican agents
of the lobby in the Senate will be able
to again pass the bill and the sum of
100000 will be saved to the tax payer
Washington, June %, 1885.