The Press., 1885-05-14
WASHINGTON LETTER.


 Monday last was the first day that Pres ident Cleveland has spent away from the white house. It was the occasion of a trip to the Gettysburg battlefield, and the re- suit of this holiday making was to increase his labors on the days following. Crowds of office seekers were in wait for him when he left the city and on Tuesday they thronged the white house in greater num- bers. 1t is thought, than on any previous day of the administration. From the time MT. Cleveland finished his breakfast and made his appearance in the office until two o'clock, the hour for the cabinet meet ing. there was a stream of visitors, twenty five or thirty people constantly waiting to be heard.
 Although MT. Cleveland took the oath of office little more than two months ago, the time no doubt seems like a purgatory of two years to many spoilsmen who have hung around Washington ever since the 4th of March, The hungry cannot all be filled because there are not offices enough to go around, but there is steady, con- tinnous change in the departments here.
 President Cleveland has made no sensa- tional, wholesale removals from office, but the same end is being accomplished by steady gradual process. Some chiefs of divisions and chief clerks, who have risen from low grade clerkships, and are men of years and experience, have been discharg- ed for political reasons and purposes. 1t would be impossible for clerk without ex- perience to fill these positions, and the new political appointees cannot successful ly perform the duties. Chiefs of divisions have never been political appointees under republican administrations and the new president declared himself to be opposed to changes of this kind. These were the first dismissals of officials of this grade without cause, and the new departure has caused much uneasiness among. treasury chiefs and chief clerks of bureaus, who had supposed they were free from political removals.
 Mr. Blaine leads rather retired life in Washington, spending so many hours daily on the ancompleted volumes of his history He is frequently seen, however, strolllne on Connecticut avenue and at dramatic en tertainments, in company with his family
 He intends giving up his Washington res' ilence on the first of July, and will gc north for thi remainder of the summer. The house he will vacate is on Scott's cir Icle opposite that of Senator Don Gamer Ion. and is the property of ex-Secretary EWindom. It has been leased for two
 years by wealthy retired manufactures of Springfield, Ohio. A story has been II tcirculation, that the Windom mansion
 which was made the ground of complaint Eagainst Mir. Windom's reelection to the senate by the Minnesota grangers, andwa' ultimately the means of his defeat, IS fo sale. MT. Windom is authority for thu statement that his house is not for sale
 and that he expects to resume his resl dence in Washington at an earl day. H' realizes handsome revenue on the invest lment, and he thinks the capital is de lightful place to live for person ln pri I vate life.
 I Since social entertainments have been I for the most part, abandoned for the sea
 son, society has been looking around 10 1 ways to amuse itself. It gets up partie ! to visit beautiful spots lying about tn 5 outskirts of the city or within easy dis .tance. It is quite fashionable for mornlnn'
 parties to get on the canal steam yaeh ' and go up the Potomac to Great Falls where the time flies quickly by in ishin and scrambling over the rocks, or to talk the steamer down the river and spend tn day at Mt Vernon. In the afternoon { horseback rides are en regle.