The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-07-12
MIR. PAYNE
IS TO RETIRE
Ill.Health Cause That viii Be
Assigned for Resignation.
CLEvELAND'S CANDIDACY
Generally Believed that He Wants the
Democratic Nomination for Presl-
dency-New Timber for Rail-
road Ties-Other Notes.
The Times Dispatch Bureau,
No. 1417 @ Street, N. Wa

Washington, D. Co. July II.
| 1t appears now that the next important
| announcement from the Postofnce De-
partment will be Of tho resignation OF
Postmaster General Payne. 1t was stated
In this correspondence two weeks ago tilae
the Postmaster-Gene would propaply
resign in short time. The rumor is, now
we'll confirmed. 1t is understood that Mr..
Payne will retire from the Cabinet before
the assembling of Congress III health is
the reason assigned for the resignation OF
Mr. Payne. AS matter Of fact ne has
been In poor health for nearly a year.
The mental worry and physical labor
incident to experimenting an irrvestiga-
ton into the affairs of his department
which developed daily frauds OF the
grossest character were not calculated to
improve Mr.. Payne's health.
1t is said Mr.. Payne would have resign
ed months ago but for the fact that he
did not wish to give critics opportunity to
say he had retired under fire, Mr.. Payne
has not suffered from the investiEa.
ton into Postoff1ce Department affairs,
SO far as his personal honesty Is con-
cerned. He and his friends claim that tho
frauds discovered in the department were
legacies from preceding administra lions.
Charles Emory Smith and Perry Heath
have suffered far more injury to reputa-
ton than Mr.. Payne has dons.
That Grover Cleveland desires the Dem.
ocrat1c nomination to the presidency next
year is not doubted now by Democrats
or Republicans. since the long statement
from Buzzard's Bay to the Brooklyn
Eagle. whose editor, DR.. McKelway, Is
Mr. Clevelands warm personal friend,
and who was, perhaps the very first man
10 suggest a third term. Though the con-
didacy of Mr.. Cleveland is generally re-
cognlzed, SO far the only man in the
country who predicts his nomination Is
General c. Fl. Grosvenor. Of Ohio, the
prophet Of American politics. General
GroVenor said In an interview the other
DAY that Mr.. Cleveland would be nomi-
mated by the Democrats, and Mr.. Roose-
vet by the Republicans. The portion OF
me prophecy referring to Mr.. Cleveland
created great surprise. For eight or ten
years General Grosvenor has made some
wonderfully accurate political forecast.
IN 1886 ne predicted months before the
convention that Major William NrcKinlev
would be the Republican candidate for
the presidency. Mckinley was not then
prominent candidate, but he was the
unanimous choice of the convention. Last
year General Grosvenor came within one
member Of giving correct forecast Of
the number of Democrats and Republi-
cans, which would be returned to this
Rouse. There are many instances Of his
remarkable accuracy as a forecaster, But
there Is pretty general belief that he
hurt his reputation when he prophesied
the nomination Of Mr.. Cleveland.
An official Of the Bureau OF Forestry
talked In most interesting way to-day
OF work now being done by the bureau
In the direction of securing telephone and
telegraph polls and railroad cross-ties
from wood not hitherto considered suited
to those purposes. The bureau has sta
lions In various sections of the country,
where experiments in seasoning timber are
being conducted There is such station
at Wilmington, N. c., where the bureau
Is directing the work of seasoning cedar
poles for the American Telegraph and
Telephone Company. which used 10000
poles last year and 100000 feet OF timber |
In cross-arms.
But the railroad companies OF the United
States use 10, 100000 cross-ties every year
merely to replace those decayed or worn
out 1t Is rapidly becoming necessity
to find new species Of timber which can
be used for poles and cross-ties
The New York Central complains that !
1t finds 1t more and more difficult to Sc
cure longeaf pine ties from Georgia at
a price which it could afford to pay. and |
the bureau suggested that the road use
the beech. maple and birch Of the Adiron-
dacks These tlmbers would not last over
three years if laid green and the longleaf |
pine, put down green lasts only five years.
The railroad company has acted on the
suggestion of the bureau and Is defraylng
TIE cost OF experiments designed to learn
whether timbers cheaper than pine may
not be seasoned and treated with preser-
vatives at cost so low and be made TO
last such a long time that 1t Will pay to
substitute them for the more expensive
timbers now employed. The Great East
ern Railroad of France, has SUCCEEDED IN
making beech ties last thrty-t1ve years
by impregnating them with tar OILS.
The clerks of the War and Navy De-
,artments came near to making very
serious trouble for themselves this week,
and 1t is not yet certain that they nave