Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-11-02
IS COLLECTOR NOW
MIR. BETHEL ENTERS Upon THE
DUTIES OF HIS OFFICE.
WANTS TWO JAEIToRS REMOVED
The Department Asked to Substitute
Republicans for Democr"ts-'oio-
M, pr,s, Anxious to Carry His
Office to Petersburg.

office yesterday morning as SoheStof u
Customs in this district and CUSTODIAN
OF the post-ofiice building. All the neces-
sary papers have been In Richmond for
several days, but Mr.. Bethel wisely de-
cided that he would walt until the end oil
the month, so that no complications
might arise. and he would be able 10
start with "a clean sheet"
Mr.. Charles NJ. Wallace, the outgoing
Collector, was on hand yesterday morn
ing. and turned over all keys, books, ana
papers OF the department. receiving due
acknowledgment
Collector Bethel was accompanied py
Mr.. Frank c. Murphy, and his first act
was to appoint that gentleman as MS
chief deputy in the place Of Mr.. Barney
Frischkorn The only other appointment
announced was that of Mr.. John s. De
Farges as Deputy Collector at West
Point.
Mr. Bethel was chief deputy in the
Richmond office during the Harrison ad-
ministration and Mr.. De Farges held the
same position at that time as he does
now. Mr.. De Farges succeeds DIT. W. C..
Num-.
NO MORE JUST YET.
Mr.. Bethel said to Dispatch reporter
yesterday that for the present at least
no further appointments would be MADE.
The ruling of the President on the CIVIL
service laws in his estimation, he said,
was very definite. and he had no inten-
ton of raising any issues, for he believed
no ha 40 WI
superseded all previous rulingns.
question that Mr. Bethel has not
decided is whether he Will appoint
cashier in this Office. The law makes
provision for cashier I'm every office,
but hitherto the Collector has always
discharged the duties OF that position
which is one of the excepted positions
under the new civil-service regulations.
Mr.. Bethel says while he understands
that some correspondence has taken place
between the department in Washington
and the late Collector he Is not advised
as to its contents, and he Is not yet quite
clear as TO whether the man he appoints
as cashier will supersede any one at pres
ent in the office or whether he will be an
addition to the present force.
TO REMOVE TWO JANIToRS.
AS custodian Of the post-office building
Mr.. Bethel will recommend to the depart
ment I'm Washington the removal of two
of the janitors of the building, to be re-
placed by men he will nominate. He
confidently expects that the department
will take action upon his recommends
ton, and as the appointments will come
from headquarters no point can be raised
by the men who are to be superseded
| The janitors have been intensely IN
terested in the probable action or the
new custodian, and one of them has a
| communication from the ClVll-SerVlce
| Commission, which states In emphauc
! terms that he is strictly within the ciassl'
| fed service, and can only be removed
| from cause The incoming administra'
ton believe that the department VIII
rule otherwise. and no secret is made oil
the fact that recommendations have al
ready gone forward for the removal OF
two ianitors, and il these are acted upon
others may follow.
| Colonel Brady May Move His ONCE
VIII Colonel Brady remove the office OF
| the Internal Revenue Collector 10
Petersburg? The question has been
raised again, and Colonel Brady only
answers that his mind is not yet made
up. His personal inclinations are All
for Petersburg. He is getting old, ne
says, and his health is bad. Then, too,
the strain of daily travel between MS
home and his Office and the early rising
1t necessitates are beginning to tell upon
him Official reasons, however, are all
i'm favor OF keeping the office in Rich
mond. and they are not lightly 10 De
gainsaid. Fully elght-tenths of the col
Iections of the entire district are taken
in at the Richmond Office, and, in fact
there is rot single advantage. other
| than Colonel Brady's personal convent
ence. TO be derived from the removal OF
the office The Collector AYERS that ne
will keep faith with the Chamber OF
Commerce and the Young Mems Busl-
ness Association, and will make 10 APP
plication TO the department Tor me re-
| moyal of his headquarters, until ne mas
duly notified these organizations. quite
recently the Commissioner OF Internal
Revenue preached the subject OF re-
moval to Colonel Brady, but the latter
declined TO discuss the question, because
of his promise 10 the Richmond Cham-
her. He says that with telephone com
municatlon between the Richmond and
| Petersburg offices there is really TO rea-
son whv he should not make his head
quarters in the latter city.
ACCOUNTS IN GOOD SHAPE.
Colonel Brady takes particular prioe
in the progress and welfare OF mis- OF
fee and boasts that during his admins
trations the Richmond office has always
been at the top OF the list. Even last
month Revenue-Agent Wheeler mace
critical and searching examination OF
his office, and the Collector has Just beer
notified that he is again in the lead.
! Tho colIections In the months or sep
TENDER and October were higher thar
for any two consecutive months during
the past twelve years. In September th'
collections amounted to $4,000, and IN
October to $4,000
Colonel Brady says he will make nc
chonges In his office force at present.