The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1893-03-24
WASHINGTON LETTER
WASHINGTON, March ao, 1898.

President Cleveland was forty.six |
years old Saturday, and his numerous
callers did not forget to tender con
gratulations and wish him "many
happy returns" The day was not
celebrated in any way at The White
House unless the unusually hard work
put in by the President and his assistants
can be called a celebration. That the
rule against the appointment of ex.
officials is not an iron n.clad affair was
demonstrated when Representative
Springer, of Illinois, at the head of a
delegation presented the name of Mr..
l.. w. Chambers, who was post
master at Jacksonville, H., under Mr..
Clevelands last administration, as
candidate for a re appointment. The
President at once reminded Mr..
Springer of the one term rule. "But
Mr.. President replied Mr.. Springer,
''this is an exceptional case" Mr..
Chambers was the best postmaster the
town ever had and the citizens gener-
ally wish him re-appointed Besides,
he was not allowed to serve out his
term" "Ah'' replied Mr.. Cleveland,
"that maks quite difference. Please
put the facts in writing andlsubmit to
me-"
His thoroughness with everything
that comes before him is what sur
prises those who come in contact with
President Cleveland more than any
other one trait in his character. A
case in point came under my personal
observation several days ago. The
President made an appointment set
ting time early the next morning to
hear an appeal for executive clemency
for a condemned murderer, whose
crime-the deliberate murder of his
young wife and her brother-was one
Of the most brutal ever committed in
Washington. At the time the
President knew little more about the
case than that last appeal to the
Supreme Court of the United States
in behalf Of the prisoner had failed a
day or two before, but he sent for a
complete record of the case and when
met by those who came to make the ap.
peal he was as familiar with the case as
they were, although he had been COM
PEELED 10 remain up nearly all night to
acquire the knowledge. Of course
they were surprised to find all the ar.
guments so we'll met by the President,
but after seeing how thoroughly post
ed he was on the case they were not
surprised at his refusal to interfere
,, with the carrying out of the sentence.
This is only one case, but it furnishes
a fair sample of the methods of the
President. 1t was because he did not
possess the knowledge about Hawaii
that he deemed necessary to In
tellisent action that the treaty was
: Withdrawn from the Senate and ex.
Congressman Blount sent to Hawaii
in search of the desired information.
He is never precipitate in anything;
hence his reputation for making few
,, mistakes, and for being safe man.
1 So many sensational stories have
l been told and printed during the last
week about the President being dis
appointed at the committee assign.
S men,s of the senate, and about those
assignments having been made by a
e majority of the democratic caucus in
e defiance of Mr. Cleveland's wishes,
that have taken special care to OBJ
tain the sentiments of the democratic
= Senators regarding those stories. As
t the result, it can be positively stated
a that the President made no attempt
a to interfere IN the slightest manner
0 with the committee assignm ents
which are made in the usual wav, in
accordance with the wishes Of ma
e jority OF the democratic Senator's
;. caucus; Therefore he could no
i have been disappointed. There car
e be no doubt that the President re
grets that the financial views Of ma
ljority Of the democratic Senators dc
y" not entirely accord with his own, bu
i neither he or they anticipate any clasf
}. on that account, as all good democrats
n have precisely the same end in view
: the prosperity of the country; ant
!, that legislative programme can bs
arranged upon which all can unite i:
not doubted in either the White
= House or the Senate.
!, Representative Enloe, Of Tennessee
d who has for a long time Oeen fighting
0 the many abuses for which the
v Pension Commissioner Raum was re
e sponsible, has the satisfaction o
S knowing that he was directly the
cause of Raum's resignation being
asked for and received by Sec. Smith
6 Mr.. Enloe was no candidate for the
: Office; all he wished was to see Raun
e ehred out" of the Office which he ha.
Il in various ways disgraced and he die
" not rest until that was an accomplish