Evening Star Newspaper, November 25, 1893, Page 17

THE EVENING STAR PUBLISHED DAILY EXCEPT SUNDAY. AT THE STAR BUILDINGS, 1101 Pennsylvania Avenue, corner 11th St, by The Evening Star Newspa Company, SH. KAUFFMANN, Pre’e New York Oice, 88 Potter Building, gemini ‘Tur EVENING STAR is served to subscribers in city by carriers, on their own account, at 10 cents per week. or tic. per month. Copies ‘at the coun- ter 2 cents each. By mail—anywhere in the United States or postage prepald—sv cents per month. SATURDAY OUINTUPL® SHEFT Stan $1.00 per year: Ith foreign postage added. $3.00. = (Entered at the Post Office at Washington, D.C., as second-class mail matter.) Subseriptious must be paid in ad- at _adve-tiaing made knewn on annitention ects. Che Lpening Slav. WASHINGTON, D. ©, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 1893—TWENTY PAGES. TO ADVERTISERS. ‘Avertisers are urgently re- quested to hand in advertisements the day prior to publication, in order that insertion may be as- sured. Want advertisements will be received up to noon of the day of publication, precedence being given to those first received, FARMER STATESMEN. Pen Pictures of the Populists in Con- gress. THEIR HEROIC LABORS IN VIRGINIA. Lafe Pence and the Man From Medicine Lodge. REGULAR IN ATTENDANCE. Written for The Evening Star. HE RECENT PO- litical revulsion has made many sore hearts. While the democrats in the West, in the middie states and in New England wear long faces, the hearts of - Virginia loco focos are leaping with joy. With New York state republican by over 30,000 majority, Vir- ginia goes democratic by nearly 50,000. The republicans made no efort whatever to carry New York, and were successful. The populists strained every nerve to upset Virginia and their party was buried so deep in its political Waters as to be beyond the reach of men in submarine armor. There are ten of these gentlemen in the House of Representatives. The campaign had hardly opened in Vir- Ginia before they began to spurt over the State like comets, expatiating in the large cities and the country towns. They whirled through the Shenandoah valley and along the valley of the James like dervishes, and distributed their eloquence on the banks of the Rappahannock and along the Roanoke. One after the other they shot from Wash- ington into the mountains and over the wilderness awaking the echoes with their cries, First it was Jerry Simpson arousing the farmers; then there were glowing di: patcaes on the magniticent work Lafe Pence was doing among the mechanics and labor- ohn Davis was waving a magi- he B of the Tolo- Each of these populist orators was ‘inced that the old dominion was to ex- Perien 4 earthquake shock on election Indeed, some said that only the most disgraceful frauds at the ballot boxes could keep the old state in line for the democracy. The populist members of Congress spent their force in Virginia. They will not be apt to spurt through the southern states ‘all, as their own political fences will - Kansas emitted no uncer- in the late election. Nebraska ‘s into the republican pool; so Sim; . Thomas J. Hudson, and William Baker will be sore- needed in Kansas next year, and Messrs. em and MecKeighan will be wanted in ebrask: As for Mr. Boen of Minnesot: he does not claim to be a popul: He sa: he is a fa here may be 2 shade oe but Boen has not shown it since he was a member of the House. Jerry Simpson. In view of the cavalry ralds in Vir- ginia a sketch of the populist members may prove of interest. Jerry Simpson was their peaker and is undoubtedly the floor of the House. There antial substratum les seem to be demo- i ral, for without dem aid in Kansas he might not have been elected and about five feet nine well knit. He has hair id as straight as the hair of an + Strongly lined, He is a little rs gold-bowed id is dressed neatly and eco- He is an inveterate reader and speaks calmly and di: laying the foundation f it deliberatic ly and strongly. saws the air in passion; nor does his voice crack the tympanum of his hear- e iven to asking questions of others in debate. he never refuses to answer ques- ti propounded to him. There is no ra ainins for effect, bush. His speeches or beating about the ve evidence of care- are annealed by the in- Jerry was a He had com- larse Is on the great » was a soldier in the civil war, though born in the province of New Bruns- wick. M i to_ the bic: rnity of Washin: He handles land as well as on sea. While is not so showy as that of Tom. Ohio, it makes better time ropelled by the legs of the gentle- man from Medicine Lodge. Pence. t of the populists in the nee of Colorado. He is as the wind tain House i in the beginning ody ist by n the 6 ‘At tt ato poetical qrotat ions, but they are in Jerry's} -elected a member of | colic rather than heroic. John Davis is a plain, matter of fact, straight, every day exponent of populist principles. Come weal or woe, he has cast his lot with the popu- lists, and he shows no other political pre- dilections. William Baker is a fit mate for John Davis. There is a similarity between the two men. They work together with the Steadiness and strength of well-mated oxen. Nor do they need a yoke to keep them to- gether. They are browsing in the populist field, and they need no post and rail fence a iam J. Bryan. to keep them there. Rarely do you find them absent from the House. They watch legislation with intense interest, always offering amendments to bills in the interest of the farmers they claim to represent. Both are practical farmers. Baker has studied law and was graduated from Waynesboro College in_1856. He has also been a school teacher. Davis is five years older than Baker and was a leading abolitionist years ago. He has been the editor of a paper and is widely known as a writer on economic subjects. Not far away sits another Kansas popu- list, Thomas J. Hudson. He has a magnifi- cent physique and a sonorous voice. He is a close attendant on the sessions of the House and an ardent listener. He evident- ly has the elements of statesmanship about him. This was indicated in his speech on the silver bill. Like his colleagues, he was brought up on a farm, but he has studied law and was at one time a district attor- ney. A lifeiong democrat, he entered the populist party about two years ago. Mr. Hudson is dignified and reserved in man- ner, but is a man of great intellectual Strength and one that will develop mag- nificently when the occasion offers. A contrast with the other populists is Francis G. Newlands of Nevada. He is a millionaire and a Yale alumnus. He is the trustee of the estate of the late William Sharon. Aside from this, he is a partner of Senator William M. Stewart in real es- tate deals. He is also a heavy stockholder in the Rock Creek railroad in this city. He looks out of place in company with Jerry Simpson, John Davis and other plain farmers and sailors. His partner, Senator Stewart, can mow and rake and bind, but Newlands would evidently be sadly out of place in a wheat field. He is an able finan- cier, an excellent lawyer and a fine speaker, although born in Natchez, Miss. With an abundance of money at command, he ought to be a prominent figure in social life in the capital. If Jerry Simpson, John Davis, William Baker and others ever become prominent figures in Washington society, it will undoubtedly be through the influence of Francis G. Newlands. The leading populist from Nebraska, if William Jennings Bryan remains in ‘the democratic party, is William Arthur Mc- Keighan of Red--Gloug. McKeighan is tall, angular and bony. He Wms ciean. shayen face, high cheek bones, sunken eyes and thick brown hair. He is a man of brawn and intellect. Born of Irish parents in New Jersey, he was a soldier in the late war, and afterward pre-empted a farm in Ne- | braska. It is said that he was living in a dug-out when first nominated for office. However this may be, it is certain that he has turned many a sod and reaped many an | acre of grain. With ail this hard work he} has beer an inveterate reader and is un- doubtedly as well informed on political sub- jects as any man in the House. His speeches show great research and careful arrange- ment. There is nothing brilliant about him. He never aspires to eloquence, but states his facts in clear and precise language, molding them so perfectly that the shrewd- est lawyer would hardly be able to find a | joint in his armor. McKeighan is indebted to the indorsement of a democratic conven- tion for his seat in the House. He had run for Congress as a democrat against James Laird some vears before, and was defeated. A close attendant on the sessions of the House, there is no more useful man in Congress Near McKeighan sits Homer Madison Kem of Broken Bow, Neb. He is a sharp- eyed gentleman, th auburn hair and beard. He was born in Indiana in 1855, was brought up on a farm, and received a fair education. In 1882 he entered land | under the homestead law in Nebraska and like McKeighan is said to have resided in a dug-out when sent to Congress. Kem is |a man of the strongest convictions and is |a representative populist. Although not | demonstrative in the House he is ever on) the alert, acting promptly whenever he con- | siders the interests of his party require it. | The populists have no more faithful servant. He is serving his second term. He ran as! a populist independent, beating the republi- candidate over 3,000 and the democratic | candidate over 11,000 vote: really demonstrative populist is John Cc. Bell of Colorado. Bell like Pence is a rara avis among stump speakers. He was | bern in Grundy county, Tenn., and has lived in Colorado since 1874. His speeches in the late campaign in Virginia attracted much attention. He has made one or two speeches in the House that have shaken up the dry bones. Mr. Bell is six yea-s| older than his colleague, Mr. Fence. If the| populi: are to hold their own in Congress and increase their membership, it will re- quire the continuous service of men like Bell and Pence to do it. There are already indications that the republicans are regain- ing their foothold in Colorado. If this is so, there will be high old times in the Rock mountains next fall. Bell and Fence will probably find it easier to magnetize the miners than to bewitch the farmers of Vir- ginia. Wherever they appear they are sure | to have larse audiences and to awaken the utmost enthusiasm. Last of all among the populists is Haldor E. Boen of Minnesota. Boen was born in ‘orway and came to this country when nteen years old. He owns a farm of 332 acres which he pre-empted. He work- ed it for six years, teaching school in win- ter. He has held many rainor offic | Minnesota and was the only farmer: ance candidate elected there last fall. In- | deed, his influence in Minnesota politics is | remarkable, for, unlike Ignatius Donnelly and other populists, whose fame appears to be ide, Boen makes very few speeches. He eminently social and genial, however, telling good stories and be- it to converse upon almost any sub- en thoroughly aroused his speeches y telling. He is a man of bone and and this bone and sinew extend to llect. There is probably no one in ta who has more influence with the | sian element. Boen is a great friend | Nelson, a_ Norwegian, now gov- | r of the state. Ison was one of the | two republican members who voted for the Mills bill in the Fiftieth Congress. Boen is fas fy pendent in his political con- d is evidently marked for higher i So much for the populist members of the House. There is not an idle man among y are al in their seats, and | a are found recorded upon nearly | | every roll call. They are not obstruction- | but men who seem to have become convinced that the welfare of the nation reouires the services of a new po- litical party and that they have found and | formed a party to meet the exigency. AMOS J. CUMMINGS. se — Expressing It Delicately. | From the Chicago ord. Ned—“I hardly know how I'm situated as regards this world’s goods.” fow's that?” “When I look at my bank account I I'm poor, and when I look at my e’s clothes I think I must be rich.”* coe George—“You would marry the biggest fool in the world, if he asked you, wouldn't you? “Oh, George, this is so sudden!”— | Vogue. HEIR OF MILLIONS. How George Gould Manages His Im- mense Estate, A UNIQUE RICH MAN'S SON,! For He Seems to Inherit His Father's Genius. HIS WIFE AND HOMES. Special Correspondence of The Evening Star. NEW YORK, Nov. 23, 1893. TOUT, BROAD shouldered, full round face, black mustache, black eyes, black) hair, dresses in dark suiting, wears derby hat, weighs about 160, goes along the street at an easy gait, usually alone. Thus is epitomized @ brief description of George Gould, head of the Gould dynasty, and worthy successor of the Wizard of Wall Street. Urique among all the younger genera- tion of very rich men in New York is this same George Gould. Every now and then @ paragraph floats about through the press that this young man is the wealthiest in- dividual of the time, but this is an exag- geration. The late'Jay Gould’s wealth was always over-estimated in his life time, and that of his eldest son is over-estimated. There are half a dozen men in New York who are wealthier than the head of the Gould family. Still, it may be said that there is no man of his years who is in al- most supreme control of so vast and far- reaching a property. Even moderately as- sessed, the interests that Jay Gould in his life dominated might be said to be worth more millions than is good for any one man to have. Good judges say that the railroads, coal lands, the telegraph line of the great Western Union system, the roll- ing stock and all that owned by what was kKrown as the Gould “combine,” represent- ed at the death of Jay Gould some hun- dreds of millions of dolla: subject to fluc- tuations now and then. But there is noth- ing so hard to estimate and so easy to over- estimate as property of the kind that Jay Gould in his lifetime controlled. Then, again, Gould did not own and control his properties after the manner of the first Con- nelius Vanderbilt or his son, William H. Vanderbilt. In all the Gould properties LL a George J. Gould. there were holders of stock almost as im- portant as himself, who allowed Gould to be head and front of affairsebecause of his superb genius for manipulation, so when Gould died hts wealth was made the sub- ject of extraordinary stories, George Gould is now chief of the proper- ties that his father controlled and that are constantly increasing in value. It was the wish of his father, and his partners made no objections, that his gon should succeed him. So it came about that he is the head of the so-called Gould interests. That he is Worth $200,000,000, as some writers put it, is absurd. Col. Thomas Scott of the Pennsyl- vania railroad once said that after a man had accumulated $10,000,000 there was no! keeping track of his wealth. It is upon this principle that George Gould will tell you that he does not know what his riches are. Some good judges put it at $75,000,000 and some at $100,000,000, It is best to shoot low in striking the real point between the | figures. | The young millionaire has about him now the staid air of a man of affairs, a husband and a father. Of about medium height, he has grown stout and settled. His dark face and eyes and heavy prominent nose | are an heritage from his father. | | | | | There was a time when it was thought that rge Gould would become a “high roller” about town as other young men of wealth were. The thing did not transpire. When Mr. Gould married the beautiful Edith Kingdon, then a bright star in Au- gustin Daly's theatrical company and the despair of the genus “chappie’—whom the handsome actress had no admiration for— the young man settled down to be a home body, and he stayed settied. He seems as much in love with his wife today as when he married her; he is fondly attached to the interesting family—two boys, Kingdon and Edwin, and two girls, one Helen in honor of his sister and the other a baby. His home and his business absorb all his time. He is not a club man. He is a mem- ber of one or two clubs, but is rarely seen in_ them. Mr. Gould chose a spot for his country home in the Catskills, not a hundred miles away from the neighborhood that his father as a youth helped survey, and over which | he carried rod and chain ‘for many a day. George Gould's farm—though © strictly speaking it is not a farm—is in the heart of the Catskilis, some parts of which, and this among them, are as wild as when Rip Van Winkle witnessed the famous bowling match, before written of by one Washing- ton Irving. The name of this home in the mountai: is very aptly “Furlough Lake” and Mr. Gouid has 2,500 acres here made up of green gorge, mountain streams, miniature forests untouched by the worst of istines, the wood cutter, and mountain peaks. Within easy sight is the highest peak in the Catskill range, “Slide moun- tain,” that rises 4,000 feet high to keep watch on the blue Hudson sixty miles away as the crow flies. The house as it stands is a rectangular structure of logs, 100 feet in length by 46 forlough Lodge. feet in width. It is two stories high and surrounded on three sides by wide plazzas, from which a splendid view may be had It has a high peaked roof, out of which look the dormer windows of our_better days—when we were younger. Through the center and ends of the building rise great chimneys of field stubble that give vent to goodly fireplaces that put to shame parlor stoves. The walls are of massive white pine logs coverd with slabs cut by a saw mill not far away, the slabs still having their bark on. The columns of supports of the piazza are posts of black birch with the natural knots still upon them. Mr. Gould has spent a deal of money in trying to undo the work of pot-hunters and spoilers of game fish, who in spite of the game laws of New York state rave driven the rarest of the game from it, and are kill- ing off its fish. His game preserve is cne of the finest though not the largest. £'ks shake antlers at vou cver a twenty-foot barb-wire fence, and two score of deer have well nigh the run of the whole estate. Both deer and elk are practically wiid. Mr. Gould has his stables and cottages for most of his employes near by. His wife is a good horsewoman. He has no preten- sion that way. But the young man cannot get away from business. In the room he :nost frequents there is a telegraph instrument tnat con- nects with his private office, so that when he is 150 miles from New York he does not lose his grip upon affairs. The one dissipation of the millionaire when in the city is the theater. He ac- quired this when as a boy he had the run of the Grand Opera House in New York, then one of the features of the city, and owned by his father and James Fisk, jr. With his beautiful wife he is to be seen at most of the theaters, but more especially at Daly's, where Mrs. Gould as Edith King- don made her reputation as a conscientious actress of almost, if not quite, the first class. ‘ Probably Mr. Gould is at his best, from a practical standpoint, at his father's desk. One might think that the shadow cf the first Gould’s achievements would fall upon him. It does not. The Gould of today is a very practical young man. At 9:30 of the clock or thereabout he arrives at the Western Union Telegraph building on lower Broadway, and from that time until late in the afternoon he is hard at work. Visitors he does not want and will not see unless their business is of the first importance. He makes an exception of newspaper men. His father, who was a morbidly, sensitive man, had a fear of re- porters except when he had some scheme in which he thought they would be of as- sistance to him. As a club man and man about town prior to his marriage, George Gould formed many friendships among the | newspaper men, and he has maintained | them—besides forming new ones, He never attempts to mislead one of these and they accept anything coming from him as be- ing given in good faith, It is useless for an outsider to attempt to see the millionaire when he is at work. The entrance to his office is through a small room that is locked and barred save for one small window and a door, the iat- ter guarded by a giant of a colored man, who served Jay Gould and with whom it is idle to argue. There is an immense amount of business transacted behind these closed doors in the course of a day. In that room on the second floor, looking out on Broadway, cen- ter the interests of the Western Union The City House, Telegraph Company, with its thousands upon thousands of miles of wires; of the Southern Pacific railroad, with its tribu- taries gridironing the south, southwest and west; of mines and mining interests along these routes. An army of men are commanded from that room. From it, too, are managed the affairs of the Manhattan Elevated railroad system, a corporation that in a sense has New York city at its mercy in the way of rapid transit. George seems latterly to have adopted the policy of the Vanderbilts in that he does not speculate in Wall strect, except so far as is necessary for the protection of the Gould interests. This does not call for any great coups such as the elder Gould made in his day. The Gould properties are now strong and solid and can stand alone for the most part. George Gould is even less of a sentimen- tal man than his father. Newspaper attacks upon the elder Gould used sometimes to make him writhe in mental agony. They have no such effect on George Gould. The recent attempt of New York to have its elevated railroad system extended showed a side—a not over pleasant one—of his char- acter. He was willing to have his road ex- tended, but the city must pay for it. He | would ‘then graciously accept the exten- ) sion and make as much money as possible out of it. Here he stopped—recalling Presi- dent MacMahon of France and his famous reply to his critics. “Here I am! Here I stay.” There was, or is, a difference. President MeMahon did not stay. Up to the pi it Mr. Gould has stayed and New York must arrange for a new system of rapid transit or compromise with Mr. Gould. He has been roundly denounced by the press and the public, but he stands to his guns—ad- mits that the franchises his company holds were got for a song, but points out that they were got and are held. Jay Gould would scarcely have taken so bold a stand. As has been said, however, Jay Gould was more sensitive under public condemnation than any but his friends knew. His enemies, indeed, always held that he was far from brave physically. Under any circumstances the same may not be charged against his son, He has nerve enough for a couple. Take him all in all, George Gould is more narrow in his personality than was his father. The latter loved his home and bus- iness. But he also loved flowers and music and had some literary aspirations. George Gould tolerates music in a negative sort of way, because his wife is a fine musician. Literature or art or things beautiful to the sight he is not known to have any liking for. As a money-making machine he seems so far to be a success. The future of the fortunes of the Goulds Is, of course, prob- lematical. They do not rest on the solid foundations that underlie the wealth of the Asters and Vanderbilts—yet their pillars seem firm enough. In the control of Edwin Gould almost anything might be prophesied. Under the management of his brother George, cool, calculating, conservative and gifted with any amount of nerve, they seem stable enough. Yes, George Gould is a good deal of a personage and may become even more im- portant in the future. FOSTER COATES. BISSELL’S BIG JOB. How the Postmaster General is Try- ing to Make Ends Meet. HARD TIMES AND THE MAILS. A Visit to the Post Office Depart- ment and a Chat With Its Head. POSTAL REVENUES BEHIND Written for The Evening Star. HE MOST OVER- worked men in Wash- ington today are President Cleveland's cabinet ministers. Every one of them has his hands full. Carlisle has been boil- ing his brains for months over bonds and bullion. Gresham 1s almost distracted by the situation in the Sandwich Islands, Secretary Smith is wondering how the soldiers’ yote can be gotten back to the democratic party by new pension legislation, and Wilson Shan- non Bissell is worried to know how to make the small postal appropristioas meet the immense deficit which the lack of ‘usiness and the hard times is creating in cur postal revenues. I have devoted this week to a study of our new Postmaster General. He is by no means an ordinary man. He 1s not only a hard worker himself, but he un- derstands how to get work out of others. His experience as a railroad prestdent and a railroad lawyer stands him in 3001 stead in the Post Office Department, and he seems to have grasped its work and its possibili- tles remarkably well. Bissell’s mind is an |analytic one. He ets at the nut of a ques- tion at once, and he doesn’t bother himsel? over details. He prides himself cn his Power of organization and he fs able to give |the drudgery of his oftice over ty his sub- |ordinates. He has in fact very good execu- | tive abilities, and I fnd that he is maxing some radical changes in our post off.ce methods. I called upon him this weex. He was sitting behind the lesk in the office of the Postmaster General where Joha “Waua- |maker used to sit about a year ago. The jdesk, which is a big flat-topped affair of | | black walnut, had still its plate gias: op, below which lies a map of the United S$: ates, | | but there was less litter ubout it and fewer ! j Papers upon it, and the man who vecupied the seat behind it had fewer lines of care | in his face. Postmaster Genera: Wana- | maker took life very seriously. When ie talked his blue eyes Lecame grave and yer- ceptible crow’s feet .appeared at their | corners. His hair was roughed up with much run- ning of-the fingers through it, and he bore ull the aspects of hard work. The new | Postmaster General works perhaps just as) hard, but he seems to do his work more | easily. He gets to the office at 8:30 in the | morning, and he works away here until 6:30 at night, putting in twice as many hours as any of his clerks. Still he does not look over tired. He is a well dressed, healthy looking giant, with a big head, fastened to broad fat shoulders by a strong neck. He | | stands over six feet in his stockings, and I | venture that he weighs 300 pounds. He is a j clean looking man, and he seems to be as} healthy in mind as he is in body. He is noted for his reticence concerning himself and his department, and he is one of the few public men who do not like to see their | names in the newspapers. He will talk | freely enough, provided he knows he will not be quoted, and he is not an aristocrat. , I sat sometime and watched him, as he re- | ceived his callers. A number of them were business men, and among others were some | who had questions to answer or propose | concerning contracts. I was surprised to | see how quickly he seemed to grasp each | situation as it came up, and how positively |and quickly he passed upon them. I find | | that he is making many radical changes in | the organization of the Post Office Depart- ment. He is cutting down expenses to the | lowest notch wherever they do not impair the efficiency of the mails. How the Hard Times Affect the Post | Offices. j ‘The Postmaster General finds it impera- | tive to reduce our postal expenses. The hard times have considerably lessened the | postal revenues. There is no business barom- eter more sensitive than the post office. The mail increases or decreases in propor- tion to the amount of business done, and it is safe to say that there has not for years | been such a radical falling off in postal re- ceipts. For the past thirty or forty years there has been an average increase of | about seven per cent a year in the postal | revenue over that of the year preceding. This increase has been so vegular that when Congress has made its appropriations | it has allowed for it. It did that last year. Well, the revenues went along all right up| to the Ist of June, and during the first three months of Mr. Bissell's term the pe>- centage of increase was more than eight per cent over the receipts of the correspond- ing months of last year. In July the hard times began, and the percentage of inc-ease dropped during that month from eight per cent to three per cent. At the close of August it was found that the receipts were four per cent less than they were during the August of 1892. This was a decrease of eleven per cent over what had been | anticipated, and the same story will proba- | bly be told as to the other months of this | fall. The result is that the appropriations | will not equal the expenses, and the Post-| master General is having his hands full in trying to make the ends meet. Uncle Sam's Economy. Iz is interesting to note how the Post- master General is economizing. In a big business like that of the post office it is the little things that count, and a hundred thousand dollars has just been saved by cutting off an order for a billion of the big Columbian stamps. There is little dif- ference between the ordinary red two cent stamp and the Columbian stamp in size, but the difference is big enough to make the Columbian stamp cost just about one- hundredth of a cent more than the red stamp. The Columbian stamps cost just about seventeen cents a thousand, while the red stamps cost only seven and one. half cents 1 thousand. The change means of ten cents on ev thousand . or of $100 on a million stamps, and 0) on a billion stamps. The last ad- i i stamy of $10%,! | off in Buffalo than in a Washin, ministration made a contract for three bil- lions of these stamps at seventeen cents a thousand. It was thought that there would | be a great demand for them, but they did not sell. The people did not want them, end it was to the interest of the department to be released from their contract. After considerable negotiation, the American Bank Note Company to let the Postmaster General off from the last bil- lion, he consenting to take up to the amount of two billions of the stamps. The) contractors could have held the depart-| ment, but they did not. and thus Uncle Sam | will have just $100,000 profit off of the operation. The New Postal Cards. Another economy has just been inaugu- rated in the making of the postal cards. During the past few years we have been using three different styles of cards. There was a little white card for a cent for the ladies, a yellow barn door at the same price for the big business man, and a middle sized card for general use. It has cost con- siderably more to make the three different styles than one, and the Postmaster Gen- eral has decided to use but one card, and the one fixed upon is of the size used by the International Postal Union, and postal cards will now be the same all the world over. We use such an immense quantity of these cards that the saving in the new contract amounts to $70,000 a year. The contract is made for four years, and the total saving will thus be $280,000. It one-cent business, but the saving means a fortun: ™M fons in Lost Money Orders. It will be surprising to many people that the postal service of the United States by no means pays its own expenses. Uncle Sam has for years been carrying letters and mail below cost, and it is estimated that the Post Office Department will need about $5,000,000 every year from the appro- priations of Congress. This is so notwith- standing that the mails are carried over the Pacific roads without any cash outlay on the part of the post office. These roads owe the government, and the amount of money due for carrying the mails is credit- ed to their account. If it were not so the department would have to pay out about $2,000,000 additional every year, so that it real- ly costs $7,000,000 a year more than it brings in. The most expensive part of the business is the carrying of second-class matter, which pays only a cent a pound, and which costs on an average about seven cents a pound to de- liver. All of these items are being closely looked into during these hard times and every bit of postal revenue is being scruti- nized. The Postmaster General, in fact, has been materially helped through the money order fund. We have had a money order system since 1864, and during ail this time orders have been issued and naid for, but the money has not been called for at the other end. Either the orders have been lost or stolen, or the parties receiving them have failed to collect them. These sums have accumulated until they have now be- tween two and three million dollars of such money in the Treasury Department. From this fund there was recently credited to the Post Office Department $1,250,000, and this is now being applied to the deficiency of the current year. I made some inquiries at the department as to whether any improvements were contemplated in the postal service, and I find that it is the Postmaster General's idea ——=—=—=——— Present position. His head is always clear as to great questions. He makes up his mind after considering all sides of a ques- tion, and he is generally correct. His ju- dicial ability was recognized in the courts of Buffalo. It used to be that the judges there in deciding 4 point of law ‘would ask the opinions of some of the la’ present upon it before making their judg- ment, and I have often noticed that if Grover Cleveland was in the court room he was the man whose advice was sought. This was so when he was quite a young lawyer, and he made himself noted at the bar = @ safe and conservative counselor.” How Grover Cleveland Works. “Was he much of a student?” I asked. “Yes,” replied the Postmaster General, “President Cleveland has always been a hard worker. He likes work better thafi anything else, and he was as industrious as a lawyer as he is as President of the United States. I first knew him in the lw firm of Lanning, Cleveland & Folsom, way back in 1869. I had just graduated from Yale and I acted as one of six clerks for this firm for a time. They had a big busi- néss. They were attorneys for the New York Central and other railroads and their outside practice was large. Cleveland was the hardest worker of the firm. I have never known a man who worked harder to master all the details of his cases. It didn’t seem to make much difference Whether the amount involved was big or little, and he often put as much time on smail cases as he did on large ones. He “ag _ ~~ and ne it as a science. le received many large fees, could not say that he was what in called money-making lawyer. He practiced the law because he loved it and he seemed to get his greatest pleasure out of work.” FRANK G. CARP! ER, sination he has defied, though it has often been tried against him. He has resisted Russian aggression, says the Melbourne Argus; he has beaten Servia in the field and Greece in the courts; he has made his Sovereign's throne secure; he has made sages at arms with Russia occurred during the war with Servia, when the czar “show- ed his hand” in a decidedly offensive man- ner. Stambuloff has told many seems never weary of telling Slivnitza. In that battle the Bulgaria and Servia were Prince Alexander had gone Bulgarian army in person, pees sg iH : é not to attempt any experiments at the present time. He is a great advocate of thorough organization and of complete de- velopment. He believes that the postal ser- vice can be improved by investigating its needs, strengthening its weak spots, and perfecting its present system. He is not at present seriously considering any | matters connected with the postal tel- egruph, postal telephone or the pneumatic tube system for cities, evidently believing that such experiments, necessitating the expenditure of great sums of money, should be left to more prosperous times. Bissell and Civil Service. During my call I had a few words with him about the service and find that he is thoroughly in favor of civil service rules and thinks that these should be enforced as far as possible. He told me that these rules had been extended to fourth-class postmasters and that these are now al- lowed to remain in office for four years whether they are republicans or demo- crats, unless good reasons are given for their removal. The appointments of post- masters are now made almost entirely on petition from the people, and the Post- master General cited a case of a city in which there was a delegates’ convention called by the members of the democratic party of the city, where the delegates elect- ed their postmaster. The different candi- dates came before it and one of the de- feated ones moved that the nomination of the successful man should be made unan- imous. This was carried, and the name of the successful nominee received the ap- pointment from the department here. What He Thinks of Government Clerkships. While talking to the Postmaster General the other day the subject of government clerks came up, and I asked him whether he would advise young men to try to get | places under the government. | He replied that he would not, and said that the short hours and the work seemed to demoralize the employes. Said he: “It seems to me that the hours and the! work here are injurious to character. The | clerks work from 9 until 4 and there is a tendency for them to become machines. They have not the incentives to good work that you find in other branches of business, and had I a boy I would not want him in the department. Just fm this connection I have a protege in Buffalo, who wrote me the buloff in charge at home. It Mant day, with a cloudless sky ly a breath,of air stirring. cannon was plainly heard in ing, perhaps, to some peculiar the air or perhaps to echoes mountains, At any rate it nearer than it really was, and and the others thought the winning the day and were Alexander and his army in tal. In their anxiety they applied to Russian diplomatic agent for advice. That gentleman shrugged his shoulders and said it was no affair of his. “But,” urged the Bulgarian ministers, “the Servians are almost at our gates. You could stop them with a single word if you would. ua “Yes, but that word will not be spoken, not though they were actually egtering the city with your prince a prisoner, as, indeed, they soon will do. one condi- tion only will I stop them, and that is that your beggar of a prince shall abdicate as once.” “And that,” thundered Stambuloff, “he will not do—no, not for twenty Russias!” With that Mr. Stambuloff sprang into the saddle and dashed away to the battle- field, while the Russian agent sent friends to come to his house and help celebrate the defeat of the Bulgarian ies. A few hours passed a the garian foreign minister got a from Stambuloff, dated on the field of ule, telling of Prince Alexander's cent victory and of the utter rout Servians. He hurried with it to the of the Russian agent, arriving midst of the festivities. And told the — 2 — czar und tr world’ knows, Prince Alexander throne because he neglected to advice and warnings of his Prince Ferdinand is more himself fully in the hands making the latter the real garia and the arg guardian of How daring and vigorous in his great work has again and again been shown in striking incidents. There was, for example, the arrest of Maj. Pa- nitza, who was at the head of the most dangerous and powerful plots ever organ- ized against the prince. Stambuloff finally settled the matter by making the arrest himself alone. At midnight he knocked at AI Hat THR i i ne g § eeeertl § other day wanting a place in the depart- ment. He is now a letter carrier in Buffalo, | and when I first met him he was blacking | my boots in a barber shop. He attracted | my attention by his knowledge of the geog- raphy of the United States. A man who was being shaved asked whether Detroit | was the capital of Michigan, when this boy broke in and said: ‘No, it is not: it is Lansing.’ I then asked him what was the/| capital of Louisiana. He replied: ‘Baton Rouge.’ ‘And Connecticut? said I. ‘Hart- ford is the capital now,’ was the boy’s reply. ‘It used to have two capitals, Hartford and! New Haven, but they have changed that, | 25 and it has now only Hartford.’ I then asked | the boy where he went to school, and he | TS® night school | tor to prison. told me that he was going to and learning as best he could. 1 gave him| an order on one of the book stores for what books he wanted, and took an interest in him from that time on. Well, he got a fair education, and one day he surprised me by coming into my office and telling me that he had passed the civil service examination and was working for Uncle Sam. He had | received an appointment as letter carrier and he is now making $1,000 a year. He has j been saving his money and investing it, and | he is now worth a nice little property. He is a bright young man, and though I did not tell him so, I think he is far better partment.” — ad Panitza’s door. The major’s wife, with a loaded pistol in her hand, admitted him. Recognizing him and divining his errand, she raised the weapon to fire. He looked at her and her arm fell and she turned away. Then Stambuloff went up to Panit- za’s room. He found him in bed, a | revolver at his side. “Maj. Panitza,” said the minister, calm- | ly, “get up, dress yourself and come with ‘The desperado grasped his revolver. The minister folded his arms and looked at him Marius looked at the slave who came to slay him. Panitza laid down the weapon, dressed himself and followed his cap- ———_+0-—. Death of Gen. “Phil” Kearney. From Blue and Gray for November. Col. W. L. Goldsmith of Mississipp! gives the following account of the death of Gen, | Kearney, who was killed by soldiers of his giment in September, 182: “The battle of Chantilly was fought late in the afternoon amid a severe storm of wind and rain. It was a gloomy, dark, depressing afternoon, and night was fast approaching. Our brigade had not fired a gun, but was on the extreme left of our Mr. Bissell Talks of the President. | forces and behind s worm rail fence, rowan, At this point the convacention tarnel to) op Sees Se See oa ae meee President Cleveland, and the Postmaster | cellent place for ambushing. ne Agoting General chatted interestingly of his early | W2S ail to e 2 ards in advance skirmish line, some 200 yar association with him. It is now nearly! Gr our line of buttle, and in a corn field twenty years since the two began théir whicn gently sloped up toward the direc- practice in the law together at Buffalo, in connection with Mr. Lyman K. Bass, who had been a meinber of Congress. Mr. Bass left the firm in 1876, and from that time on it went under the name of Cleveland & Bissell. In speaking of it I said: “Sup- pose, Mr. Bissell, you let your mind run back fifteen years to the time when you and the President were practicing law to- gether at Buffalo. Had you any idea at that time that Grover Cleveland might be President of the United States and yourself a cabinet officer “I can answer easily for myself,” said the Postmaster General, “and almost as well as to the President. 1 never had any bition to engage in politics, nor to he fice, and at that time I was devoting myself | to the practice of the law. During the first | years of my leza sociation with Mr. it was my idea that he go on the bench, and I was at one time very anxious to have him a a place} 3 one of the judges of the jor court | and I spoke to him about it, but he did not take to the idea. He has an eminently judicial mind, and I have al- ways thought he would have made as great | a reputation as Chief. Su- e Court of the United § he | s President. It is the judicial cl { his mind that fits him so well for his! vo ot ter o! ot the federals. Presently 1 saw @ line of blue majestically moving toward us, several hundred yards away, and 1 re- thember distinctly the powerful impression it made on my mind at the time. As it came forward, slowly and grandly, amidst the thickening gloom of that dreary Sep- tember evening, it reminded me of an in- rolling blue wave of the great ocean com- ing toward us. They had no skirmish line, and I withdrew our forces back to the main line, and as far as I could I tried to get the men to hold their fire until the enemy came close up. Some of our men com~- enced firing before the enemy comme aloes enough, which spoiled the whole . The feierals were checked and driven back so easily that we knew something was the matter, and attributed their timidity to the demoralizing influence of defeat at Second Manassas only a few days before; but on ablishment of our skirmish line we discovered that the gallant Gen. Phil Kearney had been killed, and this was the cause of the federals’ weak attempt. The grief of our entire army was marked and sincere over this sad news, and Gen. Lee sent his body through the Hines next lay, to the great satisfaction and approval oes all. Gen, Kearney was killed by the forty-ninth Georgia regiment, beloved and mourned by both blue and gray.