New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-12-08
GOSSIP Al THE CAPITAL.
WEEPING AND MAILING AMONG EXAMINERS

WEEPING AND wAILING AMONG EXAMINERS
rfeoM REGULAR CORRESPONDENT or THE TRIBUNE
WASHINGTON, Dec. THE of reform that Is hans
ing the Treasury with falling temperature ana
phenomenal barometc pressure the pockets Of the
Government employees Is extending its limits Last pay
day there weeping and wsilihg among the eA
amners In the Patent Office. whose salaries were aoche
various amounts corresponding to the vouchers ''o
out for irregulary by the First Controller This Is rather
hard the men. who especially pressed no" py INC
effort to get work OF the Office mp TO date ana doo'
hard when you take into consideration that the f"
Office returns the Government net profit oil neaiS
100 per cent every year.
Second Controller Maynard. not 10 outdone by MS cor
league Durham the First Controller has been spreans
dsmay among the discussing quartermasters Oh "o
various Army posts by arreaching decison tnal ui'
ruin To many of them unless Congress comes 10 tne
lief The law passed in 1884 regulating the award OF
army contracts says they must be advertised Tor ''N
days except when of small amounts or IN cases OF ene
cencv when ten days advertising will do. Nothing y
said about what constitutes small amount or case Vi
emergency nor who is 10 decide the knoy queS'n
Heretofore those matters have been left TO the onee
placing the contracts. At New-York and many OF the
posts in large cities days advertising effective as
years Insertion and at those posts handling millions Of
dollars year $4,000 Is a small matter.
The other dav the eaeleeyed Second Controller In cr
timing some vouchers called up the clerk who had
passed them and asked him the contracts had peen
properly advertised The clerd said he didn't know DC
didn't have OF all the wspaPers in the country.
The vouchers up through the regular channel anu
had been passed by the proper officers and were
supposed to be all right That wouldh
DO at all. however. Ont went tho Noucn
es along with many Others and the shadow OF great
grief fell on all the Army posts In the land The as
bursting officer az Jacksonville. No. whose accounts run
over million every year. had S75 900 thrown out at one
A. and ear
get back by cheerful expedent which Mr. EVans
has adopted with the employees Of the Patent ONCE
Thngsar badly snarled up at the Qiartermaser-u
erals Office in consequence Nobody seems to know "ha'
TO do or what L. wanted The Treasury clerk who are"
I'D the Controllers decision in the matter. himself ac
knowledges his inability solve the difficulty Ana SUI
the good work goes on.
Another morn a1nusing though less serious than
that OF the crarfermaster who has whistled for MS
$4,000 is that OF cavalry officer whose voucher was
returned with thanks from the Treasury the other day
He wore his horses shoes chasing that esiVe savage
Geronimo across alka deserts and stopped WINE III
hot pursuit 10 have them replaced OF course he didn
advertise thirty days day for BIDS on the contract
As the whole thing was done in hours Consequently
his voucher was thrown AMI there is madder man
west of the Mississippi than that officer who PAID the
cowboy blacksmith $500 for shooting the Government
horses when they hot the trail OF the fleeing saw
age.
4
day By Assistant Secretary Fairchd to large delega
tons OF importers OF iron domestic producers OF iron
ore and representatives OF var ous organizations OF co
nestle iron and steel manufactures The question con
sdeed was the claim OF the importers that in assessing
the duty OF 70 cents a imported an allowance
should be made the moisture contained in IT. I'M
claim was resisted by other interests represented al
the hearing.
Among those present were s. p. ScbessnGer and l. d.
smith OF New York Alfred Earnshaw and George l.
Barnes OF Phiiadep hia The iron producers present
were George H. Ely and Mark A. Hanna. OF Cleveland
and j. J. curry Of Ishpeming Michigan. representing
the Western Iron ore Association; Smith NJ Weed Oh
Plattsbnrg " Y and f. :. Wtherbee, OF Port Henry
n Y. representing the Eastern Iron ore Association
General ! D. Imboden. OF Richmond. ". II. Boiling, OF
Nvtheville and W II. Patterson OF Lycrhhrug. repre-
sentng the Virginia interest The manufacturers
and their representatives present were jones' OF
Pittsbnrg aud James NJ Swank. Of Philadelphia, repre-
senting the American lion and steel Association Joseph
d. Weeks OF Ptisburg. representing the Western Iron
Association and the Western Pig Iron Assocla-
ton; Powell stackhouse, OF ihIaue4lnia
vice president OF the cambria iron
Company and John III. Ricketson and General Fftzhugh
presented bv Mr. Phillips and Mr. Earnshaw. and In or
position to their claim arguments were made 10y MeSsrs
Eiy Hanna Curry eed Mitherbee. lmboden, bollliig
Pattersou Jones. swauk. Weeks and Stackholse -Four
hours were consumed in the hearing. slgninrant
feature of the the and participation
of two Nirgni lnen-General lmDcneh anu Juuee Dol
ing-who spoke in terms OF the progress that is
now being made in South IN the Development OF us
resources Mr. Fairchd did not intimate how soon de
ofa may he 81