The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1885-06-26
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
From our Regular Correspondent.


WASHINGTON, June pod, 1885.
An eminent French statesman when asked how
he accomplished such q prodigious amount of
work each day, replied "by doing one thing after
stand this art as well as if he were its inventor
Tie examines all the papers in each and every case
that comes before him. He will act on all the
cases only as he reaches them in the course of
his personal examination. 1t seems as If he had
an almost endless job before him, but it is his
way. and he seems determined to go on as he has
begun. The candidate who depends largely or
entirely on verbal recommendations or influence
of outside parties will certainly get left. The
cases largely depend upon the kind of papers
that are fled and the President holds responsible
parties who recommend a man to q strict account.
1t is to be feared that in the discussion of ap-
pointment 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 disad-
vantages, the public plunderers are being attack
ed and routed at every point Stealing of the
public domain has been to u considerable extent
stopped, though much remains to be done. Sec
rotary Lamar has proved the worst enemy the
railway land-grabbers have ever met, and no 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 monoposts, and that as much as posi-
Bile OF the land already stolen in one way or
another will be recovered and thrown open for
settlement. The great Maxwell grant is only one
of series of enormous frauds which have been
perpetrated through collision between the claim
ants, the territorial land officers. and the rings of
Department officials. There is every reason to
SApcCb tudb thio WuOlc ~ VI Will
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 under
taken In no haf-hearted way. While on the Ju-
dietary Committee of the House Mr.. Jelkss showed
himself to be thorough lawyer and his argu-
ment before the electoral commission was not IN
ferior 10 the efforts of the great lawyers of Ma
tional reputation, Carpenter, Black and Mer-
rick, who vainly tried to meet conspiracy with
logic in that deplorable crisis.
Mr. Whitney, the new Secretary of the Navy, is
steadily growing in popularity with good men OF
all parties. Both the Navy and the country hail
him as a deverer 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 Dolphin fraud
will be to the Naval establishment of as great inn
portance as were the Star Route exposures to the
Post Office Department.
The action OF the Post Master General regard
ing the Pacific Mail steamship subsidy is very
significant. 1t will be remembered that the Re-
publican majority in the Senate forced the pas
sage of bill giving 81 400 0C0 to the Pacific steam
ship company for carrying 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 mandatory but merely
gives permission to spend the money. The Post
Master will, with the approval of the President
take no action in the matter but remit the sub
ject to Congress for more explicit legislation. II
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 81 600 will be saved to the
tax payer.