Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1886-09-07
WASHINGTON LETTER.
WASHINGTON, D. c., Aug. 80, 1886.
To THE SOUTH KENTUcKIAN:

10 THE SOUTH kENTUCKIAN:
Official life in Washington is very
quiet these warm dayl, except in
purely local matters in the Depart
ments. The acting heads of the va
rious bureaus, whose pro vince it is to
exercise the power ofremoval and APP
pointment, are making the best of
the situation while the chiefs are
away by issuing invitations that res
ignations would be accepted if ten
dered. The consequence is that there
will be a number of vacancies to be
filled when the chiefs return which
they will not be long in supplying,
however averse they might have been
10 making removals. Many promo
tons are being made in most of the
various Departments, and the vacan-
cies thus being made in the lower
grades together with the additional
clerks allowed under the appropria-
ton bill in several of the Departments,
enable the present Administration to
select men of its own party from the
outside to fill the offices.
The White House is not besieged
at all now since the Presidents de-
parture,, and Col. Wilson is taking adj
vantage of the quiet which surrounds
the Mansion to have fresh coat of
white paint put on the exterior of the
building. 1t will stand forth in all
the purity of its whiteness by the
time the President and his wife re-
turn from their iaunt TO the Adiron-
dacks, and will present cool and at
tractive appearance. The interior al
so by that time will have undergone
a thorough renovating and assumed
an artistic arrangement of new pieces
of furniture and upholstery.
The Presidents piscatorial feats are
attracting considerable notice and
causing much small talk at the Capt.
tai just now. The city was visibly
affected when the news flashed over
the wire that the President caught a
fish. Then next came the electrifying
news that he had landed a five pound
or, and the party had caught in all
four dozen. On the following day
the whole catch was stated to be over
100, and the weight fthe Presidents
biggest fish IL pounds. These dis
patches worked up the people of
Washington into delirium of excite
ment. The climax was reached when
it was told that the Presidents wife
had landed a beauty, weighing a
pound and half. The members of
the U. S. Fish Commission view with
alarm the havoc being wrought by
the White House couple among the
"speckled Beauties" as the official re-
porter calls them. If the destruction
continues during the Presidents
month off at the same rate of increase
there will not be any fish left. Let us
hope that the President will have
some consideration for us as a nation,
and not force Secretary Bayard to
precipitate the fisheries upon us at
this time.
AT the Departments of State and
War everything is serene, and there
is nothing outwardly to indicate war
with our Mexican neighbors to be
imminent. The officials of the two
Departments, who are in a position
to know whereof they speak, say that
there has at no time been anything in
the official correspondence between
the two governments to indicate that
the little unpleasantness would be
otherwise than amicably settled.
Some few Members and Senators
are still in the city looking after af-
fairs Of government, but they stop
only for few days at a time, and
then take run into the mountains of
the adjoining States of Maryland and
Virginia, where so many delightful
summer resorts are to be found.
The first step has been taken to es-
tablish at the Washington Navy Yard
the biggest equipment and ordnance
shop in the country. The Secretary
of the Navy has issued an order clos
ing all the bureaus of the Yard, ex-
cept those TO which equipment and
ordnance will be confined, for which
there will be provided an immense
plant. The appropriation now made
for plant and works is only 81, 10000
but the amount of work and appro-
priation will increase as the various
new vessels contemplated become
ready for armor. l was told by an
officer of the Yard that it will be some |
time before any number ofnew hands |
will be taken on in the shops. Every
thing will first have to eputi in read
mess for the new plant, and it will be
some time before the new machinery
and tools can be assembled here.
When work is started, which will be
in the fall, it is probable that 1900
hands will be required. Then look
out for "big guns"
The demand for one, five and ten
cent pieces being made upon the Treas
ury Department perplexes the officials
considerably, and it was found neces-
sary few days ago to request the
Philadelphia mint to increase the
coinage, as the supply of these coins
on hand is entirely inadequate to
meet the calls for them. Superinten- {
dent Fox of the mint says that he can i
supply all demands inside of 30 days. ,