San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1889-04-24
WASHINGTON LETTER,
tFrom our Regular Correspondent
WASHINGTON, April 49,.

WASHINGTON, April 10.
Editor LIGHT
There has been some queer cases of
mistaken confidence on the part of
applicants for office displayed lately.
One occurred in the interior depart
ment, An important official of the
old regime in that department told
Secretary Noble a week ago that he
had made certain business arrange
ments, supposing that his place
would be filled early this month, and
that every day he remained in the
department was a positive loss to
him. He therefore urged the secre-
tary to accept his resignation and ap-
point his successor at the earliest
possible moment. The secretary
promised that be would do so, and
then there was some conversation
about the fitness of certain candi-
dates for the place.
Q A few hours later gentleman who
had been mentioned in the news
papers as likely to have that place
came into the office and asked for
some instructions about the duties of
the place. The old incum bent, SUD-
posing from his manner that this was
his successor and had been sent in by
the secretary to be posted, showed
him all about the workings of the
place and was properly thanked. Two
days later another man altogether was
appointed.
A similar thing happened at treas
ury department two weeks ago. A
he hi r,o Of
place went in to see the man no he
wished to succeed, and obtained in
structions as to what there was to do,
and actually went to work. A little
later another man came along and
took the position under an appoint
ment from Secretary Window. The
self-appointed man is now hunting
for another place.
Two or three weeks ago an Ala
bama man applied for pOstoffice
worth $1,000 year and sent along a
photograph of himself so that the
president could see how he looked.
That was only the first step in his
scheme. Since then a number of other
photographs have arrived. The second
one was of a fine business block and
with it came the information that it
was a picture Of the Y. NJ. G. A. build
ing in his town, that the applicant
was the secretary of that association,
and that he proposed to locate the
postoffice in that building in case he
was appointed postmaster. A photo
graph of a handsome residence fol-
lowed. On the back of it was written:
"This is the home of ----, applicant
for the postOtfice, who came to this
town a year ago with $40 in his pocket
and by industry and thrift has been
able to build this handsome residence,
costing 81 900.
The postottice department put this
picture gallery on file, and supposed
the receipts were all in, but still an
other photograph came. This was of
a rather disreputahle twO-story build
ing with several tough looking men
standing in front of it. On the back
of it was written: This is the home
of -- -, the other candidate
for the postOffice at -, the place
for which 1 have applied. He lives
upstairs and underneath is a saloon. -
This ought to have clinched the
matter, but unfortunately for the pic
ture man some enemy of his was in
Washington and looking over the files
found all these things. He.carried
the account of them home with him
and scattered the news of it so indus
triously that in twenty-fOur hours
every man, woman, and child in the
town knew all about it. The Y. NJ. G..
A. held a meeting and forced their
enterprising secretary to resign, and
he was so laughed at that he has
withdrawn his application for the
postoffice, offered his property for
sale, and is preparing to move out of
the town. The secretaryship of the
Y. NJ. G. A. paid him $40 a month
salary, and he has lost this as we'll as
the $1,000 pOstoffice. G. A. 5.