Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1896-09-01
FROM WASHINGTON.
correspondence CT the Alexandria Gazette

Ao6NG1ON, sept -
Secretary Hoke Smith to-day took
formal leave of the heads OF bureaus
and other employees OF the Interior
Department. Upon his arrival at the
Department this morning ne found the
corridor leading to his Office crowded.
The doors were thrown open and the
clerks were presented by their chiefs.
The Secretary gave each cordial hand
shake and pleasant smile. He will re-
main in Washington until tomorrow
when his successor, ex-Gov. Francis,
will reach Washington.
Ten thousand employees under the
War Department were classified in the
civil service day ia accordance with
the order OF the President OF May 9th
last, which extended the operations OF
the law to practically all government
employees except those laborers whose
work did not require any great amount
of technical skill or intelligence above
an ordinary degree. That the sweeping
effects of the order are broadly inter,
preted by Secretary Lamont to include
even laborers who perform duties re-
curing mparatively mediocre intel
llgeuce, is shown by the fact that 10 his
own Office but two persons, the conf
dental clerks of himself and Assistant
Secretary Doe, remain outside the CLASH
fed lists, these being specifically exempt
from examination by law. Even the
chief clerk of the Department and all
the heads of divisions are placed under
protection Of the civil service stature.
The following changes in the fourth
class postoffices in Virginia were made
to-day Marionville, Northampton
county, A. T. Bell appointed postmas-
ter, vice n. B. Bell, resigned; Water
View, Middlesex county, A. 3. Ev. rs,
vice N. E Evans, resigned.
Railroad men here say that while the
B. d O. and the c. & o. railroads have
gone into politics and are doing all they
can 70 intimidate their employees into
supporting the piutocratic ticket. the
Southern and the Pennsylvania rail
roads have been wise enough to coufioe
their attention TO business and to lei
politics alone.
Mr.. Bryan is expected here on the
18th instant. He will spenk at Con-
vention Hall Arrangements will be
made by which Alexandrians who may
desire to hear him can obtain seats
The proprietor OF one of the oldest
business houses in this city while talk
ing about the money question to-day,
as everybody is now doing, said the
banks and railroads, in his opinion,
would elect Bryan, as their course in
this campaign had set the people, who
hadn't much love for them before,
against them, and would induce them
to oppose tie ticket they are trying to
elect.
A society man here says that many
ladies of this city have been riding BIZ
cycles, but that since all the fly, and
m any of the negro women, have got to
riding them, they have abandoned
them and sent theirs to the "bike"
shops.
Mr.. Button, Secretary OF the State
democratic committee of Virginia, Was
at democratic headquarters here to-day,
seeking documents and speakers for
the campaign in Virginia He
says the recent boilers convention
in Richmond is looked upon there
as o fzzle, and that nearly all the cleo
tors it appointed were either bank men
or railroad attorneys. Senator Black.
burn was also there. He says Ken
lucky is the most doubtful Of all the
States of the South, but that he is con-
fdent she will not separate herself
from the Southern sisterhood. The
democrats there, he says, will have
hard fight, as the mugwumps and all
the government officials there are ma
lignant in their hatred of the party
they have deserted.
At democratic headquarters here to
day it is said that intelligence from all
the cities on the Atlantic coast is to the
effect that the workingmen of those
cities have determined almost to a man
to support the silver ticket, and vote
with their fellow toilers in the country,
for the reason that as the rich men OF
both parties have banded together to
defeat the Chicago ticket, they think
the success Of that ticket will be con-
ducive to their interests.
Acting Comptroller Bowers has de-
cided that man transferred from the
volunteer service to the regular army
is not entitled to veteran bounty.
The governments receipts for Au-
gust were ten and half million less
than its expenditures.
The oddities say silver dollar is as
good as gold dollar now. But Sec
tary Carlisle says the government will
not redeem silver dollars with gold
dollars.
A horse dealer who has Just return
ed here from purchasing trip through
Virginia and Tennessee says in all his
trip he doesn't think he met half
dozen gold men.
Four CHILDREN AT A BIRTH.-Mrs.
o. n. Stickels, who lives on Old Mill
Hill, Stratford. Conn.,, is doing all she
can to countersct the impression gained
from County Health Officer Hills re-
port, that there are fewer births in
ta tho ynorlo-