Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1869-01-01
Correspondence OF the Free Pr Sc.
Our Washington Letter.

WAsmyGI0N. j.. c., Dec. 9th. ls6s
/ DEAR FREE PRFss, - In the luli Of CouTes-
sioual business and excitement, l am tempted 20
give You an assay on
OFFICIAL NEtNNFss AND CORRUPTION
The officially mean man is the melnest kind
We have here He may be "a head clerk in charge
Of certain branch Of official correspondence.
and SO be in a position TO perform in a single
day more petty, mean and vexatious aet7 tiian
would come within the opportunity of private
citizen in year.
Ifyour officially mean msu happens to he in
charge Of aboudel warehouse, he blackmails the
lessees Of the buildings by IA king ports against
them N inverse ratio 10 the extent to which they
live up to tGe scriptural suggestion made TO
Zaccheus 70 come doWa l. he is in the Pen
sion Bureau. he finds little or 30 chance t. make
money. and so turns his attention to creating
vexatious delays and making capti0us and unjust
decisions If he is in the ost Ofice Deplrt-
ment he finds a mine Of wealth in manipulating
contractors If he is on the Board to examine
a stationery contract, he pitches into the lowest
bi5dar He shows tina he is q - man of straw;
that bis bsndsmen are suspicious persons =
that the quality of tie stationery is poor, &c.
He snatches up pencil, and sn ps 1t with a jerk
and then Indignantly asks what kind Of pencil
you call that This comes TO the ears Of the
poor Lowest bidder, who at once flies to the
rescue, and after " bleeding = 900 or more,
finds mis- goods and bondsmen improved in a
miraculous manner. and the contract is awarded
him. But if he fails in thi-. or il Ina next low
est bidder out Zlccheuses him. then he goes home
and remains, officially considered, &" a man Of
straw " Or the official rascal may be stationery
clerk, who prepares the proposals for bids In
c-.a sorra favo-,I .or,t~.ac-o- l.,,ngs
that he has PIT in the list certain things in large
quantities rhae only a rery fer Of them are
lranied. For instance, the PROPOSALS. ma be for
10 reams letter paper, 10000 envelopes. 90 doz.
shears, grindstones, 100 pounds sealing wax,
&c. &c. Now the contractor who for pay has
beeu "posted - puts in his bid at good pro-
fit for riie things actually needed, but only bids
six cents pals Cor the shears, 50 cents for each
" grndstone," &c, While the innocent and
honest contractors, if any there be- put in their
bids at q fair rate on ali the articles. Or course
VIXEN the prices are averaged the sharp con-
tractor turns out TO be the lowest bidder. If he
had to furnish everything he bid for in the
quantities named, he would lose money but he
doesn't He is never called upon for q
dozen pair Of shears, and the g grind
stones ~ he Is never asked TO furnish. His
pape is bought in ten times the quantity
that was advertised t0rs ana other things III pro-
portion. upon all Of which he gets large profit.
Our official rascal Of course grows rich, till some
one exposes him. and he is removed to make
room for some one who is presumed to be an
honest man.
If one officially mean man holds place in the /
Interior Department, he marriages to have share
in some Indian contract, and gets rich as Perry
Fuller. When in the Agricultural Depart /
ment. he rooms in the Department to save ex-
pense; or if he live, ol', he makes up an esti-
mate for new furniture, and carries half Of it to
his house You will see Department So DROP
lights" mats, sofas, chairs and bookcases, in .
his rooms. His garden blooms from the seeds
Of the Department, while his parlor is resonen'
with the sounds Of a piano that stands on the
books of the Department as so much CAST
am told that twenty years ago the official
rascal held no place in the Department at Wash