Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1886-02-02
SERVED HIM RIGHT.
An Amusing Instance Of q Republican
% Trying TO Retain q Federal Of

WASHINGTON, Jan. 13.-The ex.
ecutive session of the Senate this af-
ternoon was the most entertaining
that has been held this Congress, and
the friends of James q. Blaine were
particularly interested in some dis
closures there were made in sonnec-
ton with the nomination of w. A.
Beach to be collector of internal rev
enue for the Utica IN. " district.
This is the case in which the inquiry
of the Senate Committee on Finance
as to the reas sns for the suspension of
ex-Collector Armstrong was "acciden-
tally" answered. 1t is the only in.
quiry that Secretary Manning has re-
sponded to, and it is claimed at the
Treasury Department that it was done
by mistake. 1t is scarcely probable,
however, that Secretary Manning feels
any remorse about the "accident,"
and up to date the guilty man has net
been reprimanded.
When the case of Mr.. Black was
reached Senator Warner Miller, who
is member of the finance committee
and had the case in charge, sent to
the clerks desk the communication
from the Secretary of the Treasury,
which reads as follows:
TREASURY DEPARTMENT, WASHINGTON, JAM.
| To the Hon. ]. s. Morrill,, Chairman of the Com
mittee on Finance. United States senate
SIR: ln answer to your inquiry as
to the reasons for the suspension of
+. w. Armstrong, late Collector of
Internal Revenue, ETC., have the
honor to say that the President was of
the opinion that the interests of the
public s,rvice would be benefited by
change in the office referred to, and
therefore suspended the said Arm
strong, under the authority conferred
upon dim by section 1868 of the re-
vised statutes. | respectfully invite
your attention to the accompanying
papers, which will show more fully the
reasons for the suspension. have
the honor to be your obedient ser
want, DANIEL MANNING.
The accompanying papers" in
cluded an autograph letter from ex-
Collector Armstrong to Col. Daniel
Lamont, the private secretary Of the
President, which is a curious sample
OF chirography, etymology and svntax,
and the sedate Senators roared with
laughter as it was read. Even the
dignified and demule Jonathan Chace,
the Quaker statesman from Rhode
Island, smiled audibly, and the Hon.
William Maxwell Evarts was heard
to ask if there were not some more
documents of the same sort in the
package.
In this letter Collector Armstrong,
who has always had the reputation of
being stalwart Republican, asked
Col. Lamont to inform the President
fully of the service he had rendered
the Democratic party during the last
Presidential campaign, and how zeal.
ously he had labored to secure the
success of Mr.. Cleveland. He said
that Congressman Spriggs, Roswell
P. Flower, Chairman O'Brlen, and 9th.
er Democratic leaders were aware of
the service he had performed, and re-
ferred to them as witnesses that he
was conducting his Office in the in.
terests Of the Democratic party. He
> suggested to Col. Lamont that his re-
tention in Office as a nomina! Repub
: lican would enable him to perform
} valuable service for the Democratic
, party, and asked Lamont to confer
. with the President on this point.
, Mr.. Armstrong was not satisfied
, with this demonstration, bat addressed
several letters On the subject to Mr.
Spriggs, the Democratic Congressman
from the Utica district, reminding
him of the valuable aid he had con
tributed toward his (Spriggs's) cleo
ton, although nominal Republican
t and details at great length the assist
ance he had rendered toward the cleo
ton Of President Cleveland. He sale
that he had turned out his Republican
deputies, and had appointed Demo
J Gratis who were active supporters o
Spriggs, Flower, and others, and de
I sired to be retained in office so as t
i promote the interests of the Demo
: cratic party.
1t appears that Mr.. Spriggs, afte
reading these communications, fol-
i warded them to Secretary Mannin
e for his information. But Armstrong