Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-03-08
TWO CENTS.

NtCrctatN hlttFuOou anu hrkt num-
Der of prominent people called.
Ex-Secretsry ElkIns absence from the War
Department yesterday is explained bv the fact
that he hastily summoned to Elkins West
Va, by the illness of his venerable father.
The Post once Department.
There was not much opportunity for Mr..
Bissell. the Postmaster General. TO learn many
of the details of the postal system today. lie
was on hand promptly enough. aud when the
hands of the clock had reached the hour OF g.
Mr.. Bissell was fitting back in his
Office chair, ready for DEVELOPMENTS. There
was no delay in this latter respect. as the men
who have business with the head Of the postal
service, or think thev have, began to Cow in
to the private Office of the Postmaster
General soon after that hour There was
no pause or check in the stream of
visitors during the business hours of the day.
Mr.. Bissell however. managed 10 have a warm
hand grasp and pleasant smile for everybody,
and he calmly watched the progress OF time
without any apparent uneasiness. He had
not, however, anything TO say in a comforting
way to the people who called. Generally
he told them to come again. ard so they
departed. leaving suudrv papers and documents
with him, which were duly filed away for future
reference. Mr.. Bissell expects to got through
with the social functions of his office IN the
as the people and their representatives
will allow him, and then he is going to try to
become somewhat familiar with the business of
the department. He has closed up his law busi-
ness In Buffalo and therefore. he has nothing
on hand. excepting the administration of the
postal service He Is going TO try to give his
attention to these matters. and il in the course
OF his Investigations he feels that the interests
of the service will be benefited bv making
changes here and there he will proceed to make
them.
PRESIDENTIAL POST OFFICES.
There are a class Of appointments which must
come to his attention very soon. These are the
presidential post Offices. From designations.
the expiration of the four years term aud other
causes, there are now some 175 vacancies
In the offices of the first class These
will have to be attended to in some way
During the month of April there will be
very few offices the terms of which will expire.
as the appointments made four years ago at
this time were not confirmed until the Senate
met IN the following fall. There is some ques-
ton as TO whether the four years term begins
with the date of the appointment or the date of
the confirmation and probably Mr.. Bissell will
decide this question.
DEPARTMENT CHANGES
He is in no hurry to make changes in the
places in the department, as he tells every one
There are, Of course, great many applications,
especially for the places of assistant post
masters general There are four Of these
places. Formerly the first assistants Office
was regarded the most important
for the appointments of all the fourth-class
postmasters were assigned to that Office but
under the distribution of duties as at present
the Office OF first assistant is now purely an ad
ministrative one, and the incumbent acts
in the absence of the Postmaster GEN.
eral. All fourth-cass appointments are made
by the fourth assistant. 1t is expected that Mr..
Robert Maxwell of Buffalo. NY, will be made
fourth assistant. Mr.. Machen. who was for
merly deputy postmaster at Toledo, is urged
for one of these places.
Mr.. Roy of Wisconsin who was chief clerk un-
der the former administration, is said TO be in
the field again for the same place.
For the position of assistant attorney general
for the Post Office Department ex-Representa-
tive Crosby of Massachusetts Is mentioned.
The applications for the various post offices
throughout the country are legion, bdt no
serious consideration will be given to these APP
pointments for some time to come.
The Interior Department..
Early hours will characterize the new order
of things in the Interior Department, if the ex-
ample of Mr.. Hoke Smith, the new Secretary.
is to be generally folio we'd and # the Secretary
himself keeps it up. He has made
no promises for the future, but tins
morning, bright and early. the exact
time being $40. he was in his Office. He found
very few ahead of him. and even his private
secretary, Mr.. Bennett, who, as a newspaper
man, is accustomed to be in the front Of the
procession, found that the Secretary had
distanced him upon the first morning of
his official career by at least ten
minutes. In the opinion Of Mr. Bennett the
Secretary established a dangerous precedent,
but if he intends to maintain this pace Mr..
Bennett has no idea of being left be-
hind. The Secretary was none too early
to meet large number OF people
who were anxious to zee him. The
day was spent in shaking hands and
exchanging greetings with friends who had come
to welcome him, and some of them at the same
time incidentally to introduce persons in
whom they hoped the Secretary will take some
official interest.
WILL MAKE CHANGES SLOWLY.
The Secretary states, in reply to all inquiries
relative to the changes in the Offices, that he
has not yet taken that matter up and that he in
tends to move slowly. in order to make no mis-
takes. huge bundle of applications
for positions in the department was
received and handed over to the ap-
pointment office, where they were properly
briefed and filed. The mail today was un-
usually heavy and the bulk of the letters had
reference to the services and qualifications
of patriots in various parts Of the country
who. in the opinion Of their friends and in
their own opinion, qualified to fill positions
under the present administration.
GOSSIP AS TO SOME POSITIONS.
There is. of course, good deal of gossip in
regard to the important positions which be-
long to this department, and the names Of q
number of individuals Of more or less prom
inence have been mentioned. There are
two assistant secretaries, and il is stated
that Col. Henry l.. Muldrow of Mississippi,
who was the assistant secretary under Mr.
Lamar. is again being pushed for appoint
ment to his old place. There seems to be no one
specially mentioned for the position of first as
sistant secretary, now held by Gen. Bussey.
Mr.. Lamar, the son OF the late Secretary
Lamar, and who under the former admin-
istration the chief of the stationery
division, is said to be slated for a good place in
the department Exactly what place is not
known, but Mr.. Lamar's hosts Of friends think
that he would adorn the chair of chief clerk or
acceptably manage the important affairs of the
appointment division. There are quite q string
of entries for the position Of commissioner Of
Indian affairs.
Among those mentioned is Mr.. Atkins OF
Tennessee. who formerly held the place. His
predecessor in the same place. Mr.. John II.
Oberly, is also said to be in the field Then
comes Representative Peele of Arkansas, the
chairman of the committee on Indian affairs in
the last House; Mr.. Herbert Walsh of the In
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