The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1893-06-27
WASHINGTON LETTER.
(From Our Regular Correspondent
washington, June 10, 1893

lutely secure in the positions they hold
no matter how often or how radical th'
change in the administration and heads
of departments, surely the Union vet
Grams should be that class, particularly
the crippled ones This is not matter
into which politics should enter at all
Long ago congress enacted law stat
ing in the most explicit language thai
these men should be given preference
in all branches of the civil service, bu
| am sorry to say that this administra
ton has violated that law right along
whenever some position, outside Of the
veteran was wanted for a democrat
and not satisfied with that Assistant
Secretary Simms, took advantage OF
the lack of appropriations by the last
congress, which made the dismissal of
sixty-eight clerks from the General
Land Office necessary to dismiss a
number of crippled veterans among
them. 1t was q needless act of cruelty,
and 1t doubtless seemed all the harder
to the Union veteran who had left a
| leg or arm on some battle field to know
that he has been discharged from the
service Of the United States, for which
he fought, by an eX-confederate, who
at the same time was fighting against
It,
Two of these crippled veterans, with
only two legs between them, who
were dismissed called upon Assistant
Secretary Simms, who himself lost a
| leg on the confederate side, and who
was once governor Of Mississippi, to
ask for reinstatement, and If the con-
versation which was reported to me as
having taken place between them re-
ally did occur, and l believe it did, the
veterans certainly had insult added to
the injury that had previously been
done them. When they pleaded for re-
instatement because of their crippled
condition preventing them earning
livings for their families outside Of the
government service, Mr.. Simms told
them that there were many crippled
eX-confederates who had to earn their
living without employment from the
government and without being helped
out by pensions form the United States.
Your correspondent does not believe
in reviving or keeping alive the preju-
Hfoau Of h1It hn dnaC fhink
that the treatment meted out to these
Union veterans Is an everlasting dis
grace to this administration. The son
of confederate officer said of the dis
charges of Union veterans; "These men
gave four Of the best of their lives to
the preservation of this government,
and If had my way it should be high
treason to dismiss one of them"
1t is rumored that Mr.. Cleveland has
concluded to call the extra session of
earlier than September, but
members of the cabinet deny that any
change has been made in the program
or is likely to be made. The pressure
from New York city Is particularly
strong for an immediate extra session
but no one here expects 1t to meet be-
fore September.
The verdict Of the coroner's jury
which is trying to locate the blame for
Ford's theatre disaster, is expected
early this week.
Although the officials at the state
department still maintain a silly air of
mystery about the resignation of Min
ister-P Paramount Blount, the man who
achieved more notoriety in one minute,
by lowering the American flag in Ha-
wall than he had been able to get in
all his previous life, there is little
doubt that he has resigned and that his
successor has been selected. He never
would have been made Minister at all
except to attempt to legalize the illegal
acts he performed while acting as my
personal representative" Il position
unknown to the constitution or laws of
the United States. There are reasons
for believing that his resignation was
not voluntary, but was requested by
the administration for several reasons,
chief of which Is its anxiety to crawl
out of the awkward position in which
Blounts acts, while acting under its
carefully prepared instructions, have
placed It.
The democratic congressman have
forced Postmaster-General Bissell to
get down from the high horse upon
which he climbed in the early days of
the administration, and it no longer re-
quires charges against republican
fourth class postmasters to get their
places for democrats. The edict has
gone forth that all republican post
masters must so. and 1t is now only
a question of how soon Maxwell can
make the preparations for the decapl-
tation act. 1t no longer requires any
other endorsement than that of the
democratic congressman from the dis
trict to get democrat appointed
fourth class postmaster. This pleases
the democratic congressman immensely
and republicans raise no objection; ii
Is only the mugwumps who are I'M
happy because of the melting of the p.
nj. G's. mugwump backbone.
THE FORCED MORTGAGE SALE.
OF Herman Wise's stock is now in full
blast. Everything sacrificed.
NJ. WISE. Mortgagee.
+. S. All persons indebted to Her.
man Wise will please settle at once.