The Washington critic., 1886-06-08
WASHINGTON CRITIC
WASHINGTON, JUNE 8, 1886.
TOPICS OF THE DAY.

TO any business intrusted to him. and
has never varied from that resolution
In fact. his Office here has never been |
closed since he was first elected to the
House of Representatives eight years |
ago. a large portion of the General |
work is in the matter Of pensions for |
private soldiers. This is done in the |
most methodical manner. lie keeps |
complete set of books, in which each |
case and its history are carefully noted, |
together with the action OF the depart |
ment. The claims forwarded to him |
for attention run up into the thousands, |
and through his energy hundreds OF
soldiers have secured their just pen
sions. One hundred cases are frequently
referred to the department from his
office, and three hundred letters mailed
in single day. The General gives
special attention to the postal routes OF
his district, and each year new map
is made showing all the postal lines.
He boasts of the fact that he has had
established every line aud every post
Office petitoned for by his constituency
A more industrious man than Ben LIE.
Fevre never served the people
-
A correspondent of the Utica o.
sercer writes from Washington: "1
don't think women are justly treated
in the departments. Men who do the
same class of work often receive higher
salaries than the women, and a 8 400
clerk and 81 600 clerk are employed
on the same work at times, and the
$1,000 woman perhaps docs the most.
1t was in 1862 that women entered the
service as copyists and counters at
salary of $120 per year. They were
not eligible to clerkships. At the same
time the men appointed to clerkships
received 81 200 year, and later, when
the salary of such women was raised to
5000, men doing the same work were
paid as high as 81 200 and 3 900 per
annum. In 1870 women were mn le
eligible to clerkships, and since then
they have been promoted until now
to receive $1,000 q year. But the
high priced women clerks are very few,
and men who do as good work receive
as a rule better pay, and are more GER
tain of holding their positions. Some of
the old lady clerks are very fine
looking, and some of them had noted
careers in society before going into the
Departments. One ! know who had
Jefferson for an ancestor, and another,
perhaps the most beautiful of the
white. haired ladies of the Treasury,
was the wife of an Ohio Governor who
was great friend Of President Lin
coin. Another Ohio Governor has u
daughter In the Departments, and one
Of the fine old ladies of the Pension
Office, now great at.grandmother, is q
Kansas woman, who was the first wo-
man clerk ever elected by legislative
body in this country. These old lady
clerks dress well, and among them are
some of the most agreeable takers in
Washington Their hearts are young,
though their hair is white, and they
are almost as fascinating now as when
the bloom was on their cheeks and they
were the bellies Of their native States. "
~
II may not be remembered, says the
New York Star, that Immediately after
John Kelly's campaign against the
Tweed ring his health, already i'm
paired by over work, suffered most
cruel blow by the death of his wife and
three daughters, who died within q
few weeks from diphtheria. He had
previously experienced trying atllic
lion in the loss Of his son who died in
1865. Mr.. Kelly, always devout
Catholic, then threw over all earthly
ambition and left the country, with the
avowed intention of joining the Trap
pist Order of Monks, the most austert
of all religious orders in the church
AT Rome he came under the influence
of Cardinal Antonelli, who, like al
men, was attracted by Kelly's rugged
and dominating personality. The Car
dinal persuaded the heartsick politician
that, as faithful son of the church
he could better serve her interests by
remaining in the world and devotin!
his talents to his fellow men.
-
The queerest case recently presented
to the Attorney General. says "Macf.,
Of the Philadelphia Record was that o
two young men Of Texas who, beinl
penniless and far from homo through
the failure of a man who had employee
them and not through any fault of thei
own, stopped coach on a remote stag
line and took the watches and til
money of the passengers and disap
peared. They were caught, convicted
and sent to the penitentiary. Th
Texas Senators called on the Attorney
General the other day with delegO
tion Of Texans to ask that these high
waymen might be pardoned. The.
were young they were well connected
II was their first olfense the Attorney
General should be merciful Th
Attorney General did not seem In
clncd TO be emcrciful. II seemed likel.
that they would have to go to the Pres
ident with the Attorney General agains
them. The Attorney-General could no
see apparently single redeeming fea,
ure in the case A last one Of the Texan
could stand it no longer, and he brok
OUT; Don't you think it's something
sir, that those two young fellows shoul
have held up that coach with nothin
but their two rifles There were min
or ten men in that coach, yet those tw
young men held 1t up for two hours
That's no common bravery" Thi
made the Attorney General laugh, an
so helped their case. But evidently
was quite serious argument wit
them, weighing probably more ina
any of the others they had heard I'll
Senators present so learnedly.
~.
The two Senators who represeI
Wisconsin are both good fellows, say
"Carp" of the Cleveland Louder, bl
they are queer looking pair. The
are very fond of each other, and al
often together, both outside of IL
Senate and on the floor. They sit t.
gether, and many good story, l doul