Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1872-11-30
CORRESPONDENCE.
FROM WASHINGTON.

WASHINGTON, ID. c., Nov. 2G, 1872.
Friend IPilCet One week from to-day
Congress will again bc in session. and those
Of the members who left the city at the
time of adjournment last June to be absent
until the meeting in December, will very
likely be somewhat surprised ut the vas.
amount ogwork that has been performed,
and the gtvat Improvement that has been
made IN tic appearance of the Capital. 1t
is the same old city, but it is getting new
suit of wood and concrete and when the
improvements are completed, which will
cost millions of dollars more, -four millions
having already been expended l do not
think that the streets Of Washington will
be equal!ed by those of any city in the
Union and this is rs it should be, for the
nations capital has been disgrace to it
long enough, and it should now be made an
honor to the great American Republic
Congress will be called upon during the
coming session to make an appropriation
for the purpose Of aidinsiu pushing to com
pletiOn the work of improvement so well
begun, and there is no doubt but that Con
gress will readily respond.
Among the many important measures
that will need the action of Congress
during the coming winter will be Civil Ser
vice Reform and That ii will, and should be
changed there is no doubt. Its present
operation is great injustice to the men
who stood by the country in time of need,
and also the great bulk of the Republican
party. 1t gives the rebel who fought four
years to destroy the Union the same chance
to secure lis patronage and support as the
man who lost an arm or a LEG in its defence.
uuadreds of rebels have been given posi-
tions under the Government during the
time the civil service rules have been in
i,--e. There is one case that | know of
that needs special mention. Several months
ago there were some vacant positions to be
filled II .he Treasury Department, and
amonT the applicants there was a man who
lost an arm while lighting to perpetuate
the Union, and also blatant rebel who
had fought four years to destroy it, and
still glorics in that fact, and in the fact that
he stood guard over the Union soldiers at
Audersonyille and perhaps he is one of
the murderers that shot the prisoners from
the stOckade. The rebel passed the exam
lining board and is now provided for by
the Government he fought against for four
years, and which he would fight against
again should the opportunity present itself.
1t must be borne in mind that nine-tenths
Of the questions the applicant is expected
to answer has no relation whatever to the
work he would have to perform should he
receive the appointment, so it will readily
be understood that the person who appa-
rently passes the most creditable eXamina-
tion is not the best qualified to ill the po-
sition to which he is appointed. The re-
bel says, .he damn Yankee" passed n very
creditable examination, but the rebel pro-
badly answered some of the questions hav-
ing no relation to the duties to be perform
ed, land which the one-aImed Union SOL
dier could not auswer,) consequently he re-
ceived the appointment, but which By no
means settles the question as to who is the
better qualified to ill the position. This is
only one case out of hundreds. | do not
think that the Republican party desires
this kind Of civil service reform
: a great many reports have been scatter
ed over the country in regard to the inter-
/ view OF Senator Cameron and the delega-
| tion of Philadelphians with the President
III relation to the postmastership of that
/ city, saying that they were snu6bed by him.
| This story originated in the head Of the
correspondent of the Philadelphia Press in
| this city, (whO, by the way, is clerk TO the
| House Committee on Railways aud Canals,
of which committee Hon. j. B. Packer has
the honor of being chairman, and | sup
! pose has been copied into every democratic
paper in the State ; but those papers have
been, for the last seven months, republish-
ing all the lies that Forney's Press could
manufacture, land they were kept very bu-
sy.) SO 1t is not surprising that they should
republish this one from the same source.
Nothing would please Forney SO well as a
breach between the President and the Re.
publican party, but there is no danger OF
anything Of the kind which is rather bad
for Forney. After the delegation had in.