Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-08-02
WHITE HOUSE MAIL BAGS
HUNDREDS OF PREPOSTEROUS
EPISTLES TO OTHEPRESIDENT

OF the writers Dtseloseu-HOuse KIM
pIOyes Taking tho Defeat of the Extra
Months Pay Resolution with Very
Bad Grace.
WASHINGTON, July 3l.-In most pri-
vate houses the receipt of a single letter
is looked upon almost as an event of mo-
mentous Importance. II day should
pass at the White House marked by the
receipt of only one letter it would be con-
sidered most remarkable. In truth, the
White House mail is usually counted by
the bagful. The average is four full bags
daily. A more Heterogeneous collection of
epistles than they contain would be hard
to imagine, The letters are from all sorts
OF persons upon all sorts of subjects.
The number Of sure cures for cholera
that their owners want the government
to adopt cannot be counted inside OF an
hour. With yellow fever 1t is the same.
Plans for building vessels of war and for
protecting every inch OF our seacoast at
very little cost come in at rate too nu-
merous to mention, and nearly all are ac-
cOmpanied with explanatory diagrams.
Flying machine schemes come every daY,
and lengthy dissertations on every sub
ject under the sun, from the best time to
plant oucumbers to solutions of the cur
rency and free tariff questions, keep pace
with each other. There is no question
IN which the public is interested
that the President does not receive ad-
vice as to how to deal with 1t from every
quarter of the country. And such advice
is not confined to this country alone 1t
comes as we'll from abroad, Frequently
an important looking foreign document ia
received only to find when translated
that it contains nothing but advice on
some subject or other. And yet the great
majority of the people who thus write to
the President are not crazy. They do not
even come within the category
OF cranks. They are in earn
est and really think they
are doing the President a great favor.
That this is true was proved the other day
by Mr.. Pruder, the Assistant Secretary,
taking 100 OF the most prepOsterOus letters
he had on hand, and writing to the post
masters OF the places from which they
were mailed and inquiring as to the
character OF the writer's. In every case
but seven the replies received stated that
the mental balance OF the parties InQuIr-
ed about were never thought to be the
least bit out of adjustment. The
| subject Of matrimony has not been
neglected by the Presidents cor
| respondents. Before the fact that
he was going to marry was announced he
received many letters from elderly ladies'
advising him 70 get married. He also re-
| ceived hundreds Of letters from females,
old and young, Offering to become that
: wife. These interesting creatures would
| describe themselves nearly always in
that Kind OF English which is peculiar to
matrimonial advertisements. Since his
marriage the President has received
numerous letters OF condolences from
bachelors and no end of advice from
mothers how to make wife happy.
employees WHO WANT THE EARTH,
The defeat of the resolution giving the
employees OF the House an extra MONTH 8
pay has been taken with very bad grace
by the parties affected by it. The en-
ployes In reality get two years. pay for
doing ten months work, ana TO most NOR
| tails in the ordinary walks of life this
would seem enough without capping il
| with still another extra months pay. The
! House employees, however, would not be
satisfied with obtaining the earth, but
would want 1t inclosed with a fence In
addition. 1t has been the custom to do
nate this extra pay to the employees for
| many years, and they have come to look
upon 1t as a right instead of a concession.
! Now that it has been denied them, they
! have instituted n secret boycott against
the members who were instrumental in
taking away their little financial plum.
! The employees have prepared a paper
head 'ETbs Black List" upon wbioh the
names OF the offending members
appear. Pages are dilatOry in waiting
upon them, doorkeepers frown on visi-
| tors calling on them and delay their
cards. and any petty annoyances that can
be cOntrived the offending members are
made to suffer. This mas been done 80
openly that it can be taken for granted
that it Will be many years before the un-
grateful House employees are again voted
extra pay.
GEN. LEE TO GO TO CONGRESS.
Gen. William Henry Fitzhugh Lee,
Robert Il. Lees youngest son, ia likely to
represent the Alexandria district, includ-
ing Mount Vernon and Arlington, in the
next House of Representatives. John s.
Barbour, who has represented this dis
trict in the House for years, and VINO
made fortune railroading in Virginia,
thinks he is entitled to a rest, and has
gone TO Europe. After wrestling the State
from Malone, largely by his own efforts
and contributions, Barbour felt that he
had some claim 20 the United States Sem
atorship when it was in the power OF the
Democrats to give 1t to him, but
the Democratic Legislature chose TO
Senu JOuO W. Dduitl W lub iIOUL
instead, and Barbour retired from public
life. There will be a lively contest for
the Democratic nomination in this dis
trict. Frank Hume, grocer, doing busi-
ness In Washington but living In Alex
andria, has already captured the Alex
andria delegation TO the convention, but
it is believed that the country delegations
will be solid for Lee, and 50 he will be
nominated. Gen. Lee nicknamed himself
'Runy," when he was a baby, and this
name has stuck 10 him ever since. 1t does
not look much like him. He is y great
big fellow. weighing over 300 pounds, and
as good natured as he il big. He IL nearly
80 years OF age, and his hair and mus
tache are turning gray. lie lives on a
large farm in Fairfax county, in an old
fashioned Virginia mansion and In regular
oId-fashioned style. He mas Inherited con-
siderable money from the CLstises aud
FitZnughs, and Is considered rich man
in virginia. He is, OF course, like all
good Virgnians, hospitable and courte-
Gus and very popular. His political dis
abilities have just been removed by Con-
gress, in order that he might DO eligible
TO election in the House.
ALETTER or Recommendation.
Seger, the Franco-German cook at the
White House is in high glee. The cause
OF his exhilaration Is an autograph letter
OF praise and recommendation from Presl-
dent Cleveland. Tue writing Of the letter
is incident TO the coming outing of the
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