Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1872-10-08
1.-THE Faithful way in which the Civil
Service Reform is being Carried out
in Washington"

|
Service Reform is being Carried out
in Washington"
s! 10 the a71or ofthe Aicruno',ih Gnzctte
There appeared in the columns of a late issue
of your paper, what purportcd to be a scene
Which a correspondent Informed you took place
in the Chief Clerk room. Second Auditors
! office, and which is termed, The faithful way
in which the Civil Service Reform is hcing car
ried out in Washington.
Believing that you would not wilully pub
lish mlSstatcmcnt. and are willing to have a
correct account ul what truth there was III your
correspondent S version oi very snail affair,
[ take pleasure in telling you Just what did
tran,pi aud will substantlatc any Facts give
bv abundant evidence if desired:
\ member Of the Pennsylvania Republican
| Association It's sccretary--Was directed to
call on all pcrsous holding positions clerks III
the different departments AMI solicit suhscrip
tons to aid messengers, laborcrs and mechanics
whose salary did not exceed one thousand dol
lars per year, to 90 home to vote, if they could
not 20 without assistance. The party dcsgna
red by the association called at the Second Au
dtor's Office and gave u messenger list OF
clerks from Pennsylvania aud requested them
to be called, practice invariably followed by
All visitors, upon any business whatever. The
collector did not take his seat at the Chief
Clerks desk. Cr in his own room, bnt in that
of I'll. A. Whallon, Chief Of Pay and Bounty
Division, who, that day. occupied the Chief
Clerk dest, Mr.. Herring acting Second Audi
} tor. When clerk presented himself he was
not asked, what is your salary? but are
you willing to give dollar to assist those
Pennsylvanians to 60 home to vote, whose sal
nd -
| per year." Quite NUM- Der gave the dollar,
wo or three gave two dollars; but there were
lot any five, ten or fifteen dollar subscriptions
given, asked, or expected; neither was single
, clerk asked to give more than dollar, and u
few refused to give anything, and were not
, threatened with dismissal or told that they
would be reported Mr. O'Neal was not called
twice and the collector did not send him any
MESA &c in regard to bis non appearances. As
to the considerable pile of greenbacks" which
, your correspondent saw, | can assure you 1t
did not amount to twenty-five dollars, and il
!, that is pile" he must be man of very liml-
: ted DESIRES and should call on Gen. Spinner
and see "a pile what is pile. The little
n mole hill you will see, was magnlted into a
: mountain, and faithful, efficient officer was
b unjusty misrepresented, as any man who knows
. G.. +. Herring, then acting Auditor, now Chief
J Clerk, would not for a moment suppose that ne
y would allow any such fragrant violation of the
i, law, or have his clerks placed in such an un
!, pleasant position.
: If clerks were asked in regard to salary and
. voting place, it was only to ascertain who need
o ed help, and the probable amount OF assistance
d which would be required, and not with any
: view to an assessment. Very respectfully,
Z Washington, ID. Z. JOHN j. DOIY
e THE above, though postmarked Washington
September 3d. did not reach this Office unit
: last night.
PIEDMONT AND PoToMAC RAILROAD. The
. Washington Republican publishes the follow
:. ing extract from letter from gentlemen con
nectcd with this road:
eve have been employed all summer in as
: certainipg the best route across the Blue Ridge
, mountains between the counties Of tappahan
= mock and Page.
= Several routes are found to be practicable
! but you are aware that full surveys are rcquir
'. ed before commencing so important and costly
work as this will be.
= 1T may appear TO those not familiar will
= these mountains that greater progress might
;, have been made; but to those who are it secul'
= almost incredible that good line could be
!, made at this point; it Is, however, now certain
>. that We shall have better line than any rail
: road IN the country that ovcrcomcS an cqua
: elevation. To accomplish this, over eight!
miles Of preliminary lines have been rul
;, through these mountains, in many place
> where none but hunters have vcnturcd an'
:. where wildcats and rattle sna kcS still find a sc
cure retreat.
"Our line aSccnds the mountains from the
cast for distance Of twenty five miles pursur
Ing a very direct course, amidst grand and 70
| 80 md AT , oh
= = ton enters Page county near Thornton : Gap
: and descnnds by an equally grand and roman
y y tic route inro the l1awksbill valley, between
y the Blue Ridge and Massanuttcn mountains
y ave have reason to believe that but 4 short
] time longer will be required to obtain all tho
information still necessary to determine which
/ route possesses the greatest advantages; ant
:, when this is determined a large number Of IN
' ginccrs will be employed to locate the entire
: line from your city 10 Staunton.
! ''The country through which the road wi!
=. pass lar exceeds my expectation, and the Dis
y trict will reap harvest from it that will dis
= pcl all doubts as to the wisdom of the subscrp
;. tion which they have made to the stock OF tho
r company.
u 1.-The line will afford the shortest route fo
. the northern bound travel and traffic destlnct
!, to come east over the Chesapeake and Ohio
:, railroad, soon to be opened to the OHIO river
% and by its connections to the far West, and i
- will make the rational capital a point on th'
i shortest most reliable and most attractive line
= :. of travel between the Pacific coast and tn,
- Eastern States
ii A REMARKABLE CASE Joseph League ha
been tried four times in the Circuit Court o
It Baltimore county for murder and bis case i
: still pending. 10 company with four othe
It young men he went out one night to hunt al
t insane woman who had appeared in the neig
borhood of Chase's Station, on the Phiadel
n phia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad
When they came up with her she was sitting
on bank about thirty yards from the railroad
it track. After some parleying with her Ieagu
IS fired his gun and the woman fell dead, and wa
% found next morning lying on the spot wher
e she was sitting when she received the morta