Omaha daily bee., 1889-05-20
GEN. DRUMS RETIREMENT.
1t Will Take Place Some Time This
Week.
APPLICANTS FOR HIS RANK.
The Contest Narrowed Down to As
sistant Adjutant Generals kcl-
ton and Whipple-Mrs, Har-
rison's Mail.
APPLICANTS FOR HIS RANK.
WAsHINGToN BUREAU, THE OMAHA BEE,
k1Q EnI-uTrr<Tu STREET.


have been pressing the claims of their favor
ties with great vigor. The contest has now
narrowed down to Assistant Adiutant- Gen
erals A. G. Kelton and W. d. Whipple BY
common consent 1T was supposed that the
office would naturally go to General Kelton,
but within the last few days the chances OF
General Whipple's securing the place have
been very much improved. All the influence
of any nature whatever that can be brought
to bear upon President Harrison and Secre-
tary Proctor will be utilized during the next
few days.
MRS. HARRIsoN's MAIL.
Mrs. Harrison's mail contains every day
appeals from Office seekers to use her infiu-
ence with her husband in favor of the
writer's. Some of the correspondents request
Mrs Harrison to remind the president that
their applications remain unanswered. They
have heard nothing about them and fear the
president has inadvertently neglected TO act
upon them. They beg Mrs. Harrison to look
around the office for the letters or petitions
and put them where General Harrison will
be sure to see them. Some OF the letters are
from women. One of them recently wrote
that she was widow, with three girl
children" Her husband was killed in the
war, fighting on the southern side There
was an unconscious pathos In the details OF
poor widows struggles to MAINTAIN and
bring up "in the fear of the Lord" those
three girl children, She wanted a postotfice
paying only $500 a year, and yet "it would
be God-send to me-"
One man wrote recently eight big letter
pages to Mrs. Harrison because he feared
that three previous epistles of the same
length addressed to your respected husband.
had failed to meet his eye." The letter
breathed devoted piety, true republi-
canism, and the most pronounced prohibition
sentiments, and ended up with a request for
an office of some kind that would make life
little easier for a man with only one leg.
DELAY IN FILLING OFFICES.
To gentleman who called upon him in
relation to an Office yesterday, President
Harrison explained in a measure the reason
for the delay in filling the offices against
which so many of the officeseekers complain
The substance of General HarrlsonS re-
marks was this:
"It frequently happens that a man is pre-
sented as a fitting candidate for an Office,
and it is decided that he shall have the place
which he asks. Then men learning of the
probabilities will vigorously protest against
the selection. In many instances these men
who are protesting are entitled TO considera
tion. and their protests are given the weight
to which they seem to be entitled. In
stead of fastening the appointment there
fore, am compelled to look into the objec-
tions made and thus cause delay"
The president is determined, as far as pos
sible, to prevent the appointment of men
whose character is not absolutely above re-
proach. He is perhaps over-cautious in this
regard, but owing to the many bad appoint
ments which President Cleveland made
through the carelessness of indorsers, Pres-
dent Harrisons policy is perhaps absolutely
necessary. Men who come here with strong
endorsements and who expect immediate at
tention to their claims are naturally cha
grined on account of the delay in reaching
their respective cases, but the presidents
explanation, while perhaps not absolutely
satisfactory to the applicants, will certainly
prove eminently so to the people whom these
applicants desire to serve in official capacity.
CIVIL SERVICE QUESTION.
There is probability that the civil service
commission will, this week, consider the
question of whether or not the civil service
rules shall be extended to the clerical force
of the census bureau. Attorney-General
Miller has decided that under the law the
secretary of the interior has the right to
make appointments in this bureau without
requesting certified list of eligibles from the
commission but there is a disposition on the
part of the civil service reformers to demand
that this bureau shall be placed on al par with
the other departments. 1t is argued on the
other hand that there are hundreds of excel
lent clerks who have had experience in COM
pillng the returns from previous censuses,
who would be invaluable at the present time
and that their chances for securing places
through the civil service commission would
be exceedingly slim because of the great
number of young men anxious to get into the
federal service who are fresher from college
and more able to answer the questions pro-
pounded.
BUREAU OF ENGRAVING.
The delay in the appointment of new
chief for the bureau of engraving and print
ing is likely to ove'Jroublesome to the new
administration On the 2lst or 22d inst. bids
will he opened and awards made for supply
hn hiIrn hn Nnr Snl t,pit,
ing the legal tender, and unless very prompt
action is taken the democrats now in control
will have an opportunity to reward party
workers A board designated by the secre-
tary of the treasury has supervision of this
work. Crane, of Massachusetts, has fur
nished the paper for some time, and is said
to have given satisfaction.
AN ACCIDENT
happened to the vault in which the plates are
locked over night on last Friday, which not
only caused delay but necessitated the de-
structiOn of a portion of the safe. Three
locks are on the door, and each has its at
tendant, The secretary of the treasury, the
comptroller of the currency and tie chief of
the bureau each have representative who
has absolute control of one lock, and every
afternoon when all the plates are carried
into the vault the locks are operated and the
great door is closed, not to be opened again
till early the next morning. On the morning
in question, when the guardians of the
discovered that one of the LOCKS had been set
TO open in thirty-siX instead of twelve hours.
A side Of the safe was torn out and the plate
reached six hours after the proper time,
MEREDITu's PROSPECTS.
Captain Meredith remains the favorite at
the white house, at least among the force of
clerks. A gentleman, whose name when
pronounced sounds very much like Mere
dith, called at the executive mansion the
other day with friend. The latter asked
one of the clerks high in the councils of the
ruler OF our nation, who would be giyen the
bureau of engraving ana printing.
"What is the name OF this gentleman ~
said the clerk, pointing to Mr. Merritt
When told, he continued, that sounds q
great deal like it,"
ARMY MATTERS.
The system of pay accounts in the army has
| received considerable attention for the past
two months from Paymaster General Roch
! ester, who, with other officers of the corps
| has been considering several plans whereby
| the duplication of these accounts may be pre-
| vented. One of the best reforms presented
| so far is that of having one pay officer, u
| whom officers of the army Will render theil
| accounts, and under no circumstances wll
| they be allowed 10 present them 20 anyone
| else unless transferred. Under the old sys
| tenn army officers presented their ac
counts TO the first paymaster they
! camo across. 1t was not unfrequently
the case, and especially with officers OF
leave, 10 have their accounts paid more than
| once, and no fault attached 10 the officer
l a cd ns iR.l