The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1893-04-14
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
WASHINGTON, APRIL II, 1898.

President Cleveland has a remarkable ca
pacity for standing hours of hard work. and II
has been put to severe test since his inangll-
ration, as it has been the exception rather than
the rule when he has been able to retire be
fore o'clock in the morning, and he is always
at his desk again before s O'Clock. Feeling
the need of little undisturbed rest, he, in
company with Secretary Gresham, left wash
ington Saturday afternoon and they returned
Wednesday. His destination was not made
public for fear that he might be followed by
SEINE of the imporunate otfce-seekers, anx-
ious to personally present their claims. They
went to see Ambassador b tyard at his home
in Wilmington, Delaware.
The investigation of the Weather Bureau,
now being publicly conducted after office
hours at the Depart tnnnt of Agriculture, IS
very nasty ness as far as it has gone, and it
promises to grow even nas'ier. The proper
ty of the bureau has, according to the testl-
mony, been stolen and sold to junk dealers
whenever certain of the minor otfl'ials need
ed little extra whiskey money. and the
stealing was done in broad daylight, the en-
ployees of the bureau being used to load it up
on wagons. About everything seems to have
been included i'll the thetts, upon one occa-
sion stone step being taken from the build
ing itself. The principal men implicated
the Captain Of the watch, but others higher up
are said to have received portion of the mon
ey, and it is expected that The evidence will
prove it. Secretary Morton IS determined to
get to the bottom of the filth and to see that
every guilty man is punished, regardless OF
who he may be or who may be his friends.
Mai. Gen. Schofied and Major Gen. miles
have had squabble at long range over the
trouble in ln.iian Territory. The quarrel is
understood to have occurred over the carrying
out of an order for the detail of an army Off
Ger to investigate the trouble No u. : troops
will be sent there unless the Sec. of the In
terror requests it.
President Cleveland said he intended to
get the very best man in the country, who was
available, to be Commissioner of Pensions,
and the general appreciation Of the nonina-
ton of Judge VIM. Lochren, of Minnesota to
the position indicates that he succeeded.
Judge Lochren was not an applicant for the
position, indeed, he at first declined to accept
it, but withdrew his objections when his party
duty and loyalty were appealed TO by the Pres
ident. His war record is of the bravest, and
although he is not member of the G. A. r.,
no member of that organization has so far as
known had word to say against his special
mont, but has resided in Minnesota since 1857,
with the exception OF the time he served in
the army. He will take charge of the PEN
sion Bureau, about May first.
Sec. Morton found not only individuals en-
ployed by the Agricultural department who
were not rendering services in anything like
fair proportion TO the salaries they receive,
but whole division of employees who have
been practically paid for doing nothing for
more than year. This was the q larantine
division of the Bureau of Animal Industry,
which Sec. Morton has just abolished. Quite
howl has been raised by the republicans be-
cause the Chief of the abolished division hap
pened to be the late Nj. Blaine's brother,
although it is difficult to understand why that
should have made the slightest difference.
Surely they did not expect that democratic
adminstrat ton would feel called upon to take
care of the poor members OF the Blaine fami-
ly.
Sec. Lamont hasn't been doing much talk
ing-he never does--but that he has been do
ing some investigating and thinking is shown
by his statement that no more army officers
will be detailed for ornamental purposes.
This may be little rough ON the army OH
Gers who have been calculating to spend the
summer at the Worlds Fair and the various
summer resorts, but no one can deny that it
is just to the people who pay these men their
salaries, and doubly just 10 the officers with
out "pull'' who have to perform, In addition
to their own, the duties of the butterflies of
the profession.
Postmaster General Bissell has decided that
no fourth class postmaslers shall be removed,
except for cause, until they shall have served
all OF nearly all of four year Term. This is
new rule, as these officials have never been
considered to have fixed term, but were re-
movable at the plea-ure of the department.
The change is understood to have been made
by the direction of the President, and after all
it will make no difference in The end, because
there are SO many who have served four years
or more that by the time they are removed
nearly all of the rest will have become remOv-
able under the new rule.