The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1888-01-28
BEGGING EPlSTLeS.7
Some OF the Queer Letters Translated for
the Presidemt's Nenet.t.

letters to the President are those in for
eign languages. The President never
sees these in the original They are
sent il patches OF nine or ton 30 Henry
L. Thomas, the official translator for
the State Departments Mr.. Cleveland
rarely sees the whole OF any of these
letters, and seldom any part of them.
Translator Thomas runs his learned eye
over them, finds out what tho request
and who the beggar is, and makes a
brief note in abstract OF each one Of the
misSives. These then go over to the
White House to be looked over by the
correspondence clerk, and, as the re-
quests are usually even more absurd
than those which come written in tho
English tongue, they are never shown
to Mr.. Cleveland, except perhaps,
when a particularly funny one drops in
and the clerk or Colonel Lamont thinks
it would be enjoyed all round. Tho
languages average about one day the
| year through, but oftener run up to
! forty a month, then fall to twenty-five.
They come both from Europe and
| America, and are most commonly writ
ten in German. Those which come
from abroad are the funniest, because
the writers display not only their own
cranky notions, but the most eccentric
ideas of the way in which the govern
ment of this country is managed. The
authors are frequently foreigners who
have had some residence in this coun-
try, but also come from persons who
have never been here, even on an i'm
aginary geographical trip
One came only recently from an in
ventor in France. He wrote to inform
the President that he had discovered a
new method of facilitating travel by
canal. He was sure that his method
would make the United States a great
deal of money. and he was emily wait
ing to receive the necessary funds for
his voyage over. A man in Switzer-
land wrote asking for money in an i'm
perative way. He put his plea on tho
ground that the President had once
been very kind to his mother. and that
on this ground he should take particu-
lar pains that her children did not suf-
fer. This letter Is like the majority Ia
two respects. 1t demands nancy and
in considerable sum. asking $1,000
for the purchase Of house. 1t evident
| ly came from q man who had lost his
wits. Translator Thomas does not like
the reading of the epistles when
they turn out to be in largo per cent
from crazy writers. He finds that it
has a tendency to make him melan-
choly.
OF more laughable sort are the les-
ters from writers who imagine the
President has a minute knowledge Of
the whole country and its people. like
postmaster in u country town. The
man in Spain. whose letter asked Mr..
Cleveland if he know whether his sec
ond cousin, who came to this country
nearly ten years ago, was still heie, is u
fair sample of its class. A German
woman in New York wrote in sober
earnest, saying that she understood
had the disposing of worry large sur
plus of money in the Nations Treasury,
and as she was poor and deserving she
thought that in all justice she should
| have some. The western Germans write
queer letters. A man who signed himself
Krausskopf and dated his letter Allegan
County, Michigan, has been persist
ent correspondent of the President ever
since he came into Office. In spite Of
never receiving a reply, he has written
again and again in ungrammatical
miSspelled German, demanding part
of the Presidents salary. He never
mentions any particular sum. but is
always holding out his hand for share
of it. A boy, evidently a Norwegian
from his name, wrote from Minnesota
not long ago. He said that he lived by
the shore of lake and was poor. He
needed to earn mouey and was trying
to do it by shooting ducks on Tie lake.
He had only an old gun and wished, if
it were possible, that the President
would send him rifle.
MIR. Thomas does not always get free
from the petitioning foreigner whenh
leaves his office. 1t is not long since
he was besought fervently by Greek
then staying in the city to bring it
about in the State Department that
fine estate in Greece, which he de-
clared belonged to him. should como
into his possession. There was not
any evidence of his ownership beyond
his own statement, bus he assured Mr..
! Thomas that if the State Department.
could only secure tho property Mr..
Bayard should have clear 81, 900 for
his services. After many assurances
that nothing could be done for him. he
began to write to the Senators entreat-
| ing them to interfere in his behalf.
| There WAS no satisfaction there, and he
tried the same method on the House.
asking this body in fact to compel Mr..
Bavard to act for him. RcbuiIcd again,
he turned to the Supreme Court. He
visited Chief Justice Waite. what
did he sayP' was asked of the crank IS
bC returned from this mission. He