Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1893-03-21
FROM WASHINGTON.
Correspondence of the Alexandria Gazette
WASHINGTON. March q. 1898.


on nepotism to-day in manner so fore,
ible that he left no donbt in the mind
of his nearer that he was irrovocably
opposed to the practice. The gentle
man to whom Mr. Cleveland outlined
his views on the question is western
Congressman who came TO secure the
appointment of constituent to office.
He told Mr.. Cleveland that the appli-
cant was good democrat, good Eel
low, and, furthermore, relative OF the
President himself. THAT settles 1t,
Mr.. Cleveland is reported as saying:
''His name cannot be considered" And
then the President is said to have read
the Congressman q lecture on the dan
ger of appointing relatives to office, III
which he placed himself or record as
against nepotism in all its shades of
meaning and application. Congress
man Springer learned something more
about the new rules for appointment
this morning. He spoke TO Dir. Cleve-
land about the application of former
ofliceholder for reappointment to the
postmastcrship at Petersburg, H., and
after explaining the facts in the case re-
ceived an answer favorable to the APP
plicant. The explanation was this ::
The candidate in question is woman
and o democrat, who was appointed
postmaster at Petersburg by President
Arthur just prior to Mr.. Cleveland S
first term. She was reappointed by Mr..
Cleveland after Gen. Harrison's cleo
ton, but the republican Senate re-
fused to confirm the nomination
and republican of NIr. Har-
riscn's selection secured the place.
President Cleveland in his interview
with Mr.. Springer this morning, after
hearing this statement Of the case with
the additional information that the APP
plicant is almost unanimously endors-
ed, gave Mr. Springer to understand
that he would re-appoint the lady. His
reason for making an exception TO the
o-reappointment rule in this case, bar
ring the strength which general COM
! mendation gives the lady's case, is that
she failed to serve the term for which
she had been appointed by Mr.. Cleve-
land after his defeat in 1888, and is there
fore quite as much entitled to serve
now as then. Mr. Cleveland has made
several like statements in connection
with similar cases to other Congress
men, and his language on these occa-
sions and this morning indicates that
former appointees who were prevented
from serving their terms through lack
of confirmation by the Senate, will be
given preference in applications for the
offices for which they were selected
undcr Mr. Cleveland's first incumbcncy.
The President to-day granted par
don to Lee Roberts, convicted of cru
city to seamen and sentenced January
3Oth last to three months imprison-
ment in the Jail at Baltimore. Roberts
is nearly blind.
The newly-appointed Secretary of the
Navy, Mr. McAdoo, of New Jersey, as
sumed charge of that office to-day
Judge Trip of South Dakota will be
appointed Commissioner of the Land
Office, vice Stone resigned. Andrew
Johnson Patterson, grandson of the late
President Johnson, will be appointed
pension agent for the Tennessee and
Kentucky district. Mr. Bussey, AS
sistant Secretary of the Interior, will,
it is reported to-day, be removed dur
irg the next few days.
AS it was supposed that democrats
would take the places of republicans in
the Office of Railroad Commissioner,
the late democratic House agreed to
diminish by half the number Of en-
ployees in that Office and to cut down
the pay Of the reduced number.
Senator Hunton and Representative
Meredith called at the White House
this morning and in an interview with
the President urged the appointment
OF Judge Smith of Warrenton, Virginia,
as justice of the new court of appeals
for this city, of Col. Gibson of Culpeper,
county, for attorney for the eastern dis
trict of Virginia, and Of Col. l.. w. Reid
of Alexandria for chief clerk of the
Register of the Treasury. All these
gentlemen held office during Mr.. Cleve-
lands first term, and he remembered
them all and spoke well ofeach ofthem,
but did not intimate that he would re-
appoint any of them.
The Virginia congressional delega-
tion will meet here tomorrow to APP
portion the federal patronage Of their
State and to decide upon the men they
will endorse for the several positions.
In anticipation Of their meeting the
Office seekers from all parts of their
State are here in force to-day. and APP
plicants for all the federal offices in the
State are as plentiful in and about the
Metropolitan Hotel as blackbcrrics in
July. 1t is feared they will profit the
barkeepers more than themselves, for
is against human nature that the action
of the conference can be satisfactory (;
but in the improbable event of its be-
ing so, its recommendations will have
no more influence upon the President
than that of any other twelve men.
Capt Head, who was postmaster at
Leesburg during President Cleveland's
first term, does not believe the ex-office
holder order is ironbound, and is here
to-day to find out whether it is or not,
and, if the latter, has a delegation with
him to urge his reappointment upon the
Postmaster General and the President.
It is said here that Mr.. Dabney of
Virginia who has been appointed soli-
citor of the State Department was not
endorsed either by the Virginia Con-
gressional delegation or by the Virginia
democratic association of this city, and
that he requested the latter not to en-
dorse him. No body that the delega-
ton or the association has endorsed has
rs yet been appointed.
Representative Meredith of Virginia
this morning filed the application of
Mr.. John Mason Of King George counS,
ty, Virginia, for a position in the De-
narfment of Instice and that of Mr.