The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1893-04-19
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER
THE ovERwoRKED PRESIDENT TAKES
A FEW DAYS RECREATION.
Democratic Department officials Will Make
1t Hot for Boodlers-The Weather Bu-
reau Rottenness will be Exposed.
Ornamental Offices Must Go.

Tor standing long nOurs Oh naru WOfK,
and it has been put to severe test
since his Inauguration, as it has been
the exception rather than the rule
when he has been able to retire before
. O'Clock in the morning, and he is
always at his desk again before 8
o'clock. Feeling the need of a little
undistul bed, rest he in company with
Secretary Gresham, left Washington
Saturday afternoon and they will not
return until tomorrow. His destina-
ton was not made public for fear that
he might be followed by some of the
importunate office-seekers, anxious to
personally present their Gains. They
went to see Ambassador Bayard at
his home in Wilmington, Del.
The investigation of the weather
bureau, now being publicly conducted
after office hours at the department of
agriculture. is very nasty mess as
far as it he's gone, and it promises to
grow even nastier. The property OF
the bureau has, according to the ties.
timony, been stolen and sold to junk
dealers Whenever certain of the
minor officials needed a little extra
whisky money, and the stealing was
done in broad daylight, the employees
of The bureau being used to load 1t
upon wagons. About every thing
seems to lave been included in the
thefts, upon one occasion stone step
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The principal men implicated thus
far are the foreman OF the room and
the captain of the watch, but others
higher up are said to have received a
portion of the money, and it la eX-
pected that the evidence will prove it.
Secretary Morton is determined to
get to the bottom of the filth and to
see that every guilty manis punished,
regardless of who he may be or who
may be his friends.
Major General Schofield and Major
General Miles have had a squabble at
long range over the trouble in the In
dian Territory. The quarrel is under
stood to have occurred over the carry.
ing out of an order for the detail of an
army officer to investigate the trouble,
No United States troops will be sent
there unless the secretary of the int.
rior requests it.
President Cleveland said he intend.
ed to get the very best man in the
country, who was available, to be
commissioner of pensions, and the
general appreciation of the nomination
of Judge VIM. Lochren of Minnesota,
to the position indicates that he sue.
ceeded. Judge Lochren was not an
applicant for the position; indeed he
at first declined to accept it, but with.
drew his objections when his party
duty'and loyalty were appealed to by
the President. His war record is Of
the bravest, and although he is not d
member of the g. A. r. no member Of
sthat organization has, so far as known
had a word to say against his specia
fitness for the position. He was born
in Vermont but has resided in Mime
sofa since 1857, with the exception Of
the time he served in the army. He
will take charge of the pension bureau
about May 1st.
Secretary Morton found not only in.
dividuals employed by the agricult
ural department who were not render
ing services in anything like fail
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 quarantine division of the
bure auof ANIMAL industry, which Sec
rotary Morton has just abolished
Quite a howl has been raised by the
Republicans because the chief of the
abolished division happened to be the
late Mr.. Blaine's brother, although
it is difficult to understand why that
should have made the slightest differ
ence. Surely they did not expect that
q Democratic administration would
feel called upon to take care of the
poor mem bers of the Blaine family.
Secretary Lamont has not been
doing much talking-he never does
but that he has been doing some in
vestigating and thinking is shown by
his statement that no more army
officers will be detailed for orpa'
mental purposes. This may be a
little rough Oh the army officers who
have been calculating to spend
the summer at the Worlds
fair and at the various
summer resorts, but no nne can deny
that it is just to the people who pay
these men their salaries. and doubly
lust to the officers without "pull, u
who have to perform, in addition tc
their own, the duties of the butter
flies of the profession.
Postmaster General Bisssll has de-
cided that no fourth class postmasters
shall be removed, except for cause
until they shall have served all OF
nearly all Of foar year term. This is
new rule, as these ot'cials have
never been considered to have fixed
term, but were removable at the pleas
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 ir
the end, because there are so many
who have served fovr years or more
that by the time they are removed
nearly all of the rest will have
become reno yable rule under the new
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