Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1889-05-17
WASHINGTON LETTER
Written and Compiled for the HERALD
WASHINGTON, May Is, 1889.

down easter but, this, few people
who know his peculiar faculty for
always "getting there" would be-
lieve, so we'll has he imbibed the
shrewdness which seems to come
natural to most citizens OF his
adopted State. am reminded OF
this by the manner In which Sena.
tor Hawley stole a march on all
his Republican colleagues by get
ting invited TO accompany the
President during a three days
pleasure trip on the United States
Steamship Despatch. When the
fact IL remem bered that great
trouble is constantly being under
gone by Senators, Members and
other influential Republicans in
order to get the Presidents ear for
a few minutes It can be fully under
stood what a very fortunate man
Senator Hawley Is in being able to
speak to the President at any time
he may desire for three whole
DAYS. The other members of the
Presidential party which left here
Saturday morning bound for Cbes'
apeake Bay and is scheduled to re-
turn some time tonight were Mrs.
Harrison, the two Mckee children
and Secretaries w indom and Rusk.
There are q number of men in
Washington who would have paid
a big price to have taken Senator
Hawley's place.
To-day the count of the cash in
the United States Treasury begins.
1t is expected that it Will take
nearly or quite three months to
complete it. The count is made
necessary by the change In the
office of Treasurer. The count will
be made under the personal super
vision of committee OF three, two
representing the Treasury depart
ment and the third MIR. Huston,
the new Ire asurer. The money
which 10 to be counted is $1O,935,-
157 in United States notes, 49,
53S.522 in National bank notes,
aI4S, 1879, 5l1 standard silver dollars,
s2,O92,64S in fractional silver, $50,
544, FOG in gold, $7O2,24O in gold
certificates and S77S,412 in silver
certificates.
First ASS lstant Postmaster Gen.
eral Olarkson has gained the good
will of all the lady clerks in his
Office by issuing an order prohibit
ing smoking by employees located
in rooms where lady clerks are en-
ployed. To most people it would
seem that such an order should
have been unnecessary. But 1t
wasn't. Hence Mr.. Clarkson's or
der.
Mr.. Theodore Roosevelt, Of New
Yorw, the newly appointed civil
service Commissioner arrived here
to day and at once assumed his
duties. The new Democratic Com
missioner, Ex-Governor Thompson,
OF South Carolina qualified the day
after his appointment, which he
had been anx iously awaiting ever
since the 4th of March. The Com
mission is now full tor the first
time in many months, and 1t IS
said that one of the first things 1t
will do Will be to endeavor to get
the President to reverse the de-
cision Of the Interior department
putting the appointments in the
Census bureau outside OF the civil
service rules. But in this matter
the Commissioners are almost GER
tain to be disappointed, as the de-
cision was made strictly in accord
ance with the act of Congress that
created the census bureau.
The Presidents departure on his
little three days holiday was an
entire surprise to the Office seekers,
some of them being selfish enough
to "kIck" about it IN a wild manner
among their personal friends.
The honor of being the first col
ored appolntee of the President
has fallen to Rev. James NJ. Town-
send OF Richmond, Ind, who has
been appointed Recorder OF the
General Land Office. Mr. Town
Rend was a member of the fifty
fourth Massachusetts regiment
during the rebellion. Since the
war he has been a member of the
Indiana legislature, and Is at pres
ent the Missionary Secretary of the
A. NJ. Z. Church. He has been a
warm personal friend OF the Presi'
dent Tor many years.
Postmaster General Wanamaker
does not believe th at the time has
quite come for one cent letter post
aCe, 30 he has adopted AZ his
motto, "DOn't reduce the rate, but
improve the service" That is just
the right sort OF idea to have OF
our postal service give us four or
five years of improvements at the
present rate, and then let's talk
about penny postage. OF course
everybody knows that it has got to
come in a few years.
Secretary Tracy in his gener al
order has carried JOY to great
majority Of the officers in the Navy
by making it plain that no favor
itlsm is 10 future to be shown in
OBTAINING officers for special duties.
II is said to be about settled that
Ell. Senator Saunders OF Nebraska