Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1873-01-08
Our washington Letter.

Of wa,hing,oO from time :mmenOrial to
make calls on that day. aud ofisuIime
those. Who on account Of this custom be-
Ing expected to keen open houses, did Il
at great inconvenience and pccuDlary loss.
For instance many who have kept open
hOus Cor years, who 10 times gOOe by
wore favored vita high office, rank and
money ore now oficcless aud imPecuucous.
but who for the sake Of their time hOnOred
importance aud thsir families, still strug-
gle at expense Of thE stern necessities OF
life, ke.p open houses. There is doubt
less composition in it, although attend
ed with great sacrifice aud Inconvenience.
In this connection itmight be well to
say that in ,he past il vas customary in
keeping spcn house, TO furnish TO your
visitors the finest eatables and the choistest
of wines. liquors and cigars. Now it is
out, different. Through the temperance
or ,aniza,iOns of the city and good judg-
ment of our citizens it has become exceed
ingly unpopular among the elite to furnish
any beverage except coffee, tea and
"Aeam's ale,"
The Presidents reception was exceed
i sly brilliant. As usual, the judges Of
the Supreme Court, Cabinet, Senators and
Representatives and the society of the
oldest inhabitants were given the prefer
cuce in respect to time. A platform
through one of the lower windows, and
steps leading to it. was improvisod for
the occasion, and unlike receptions hero
toforc. there was free insress and cgrcss TO
tie White House.
ft is justly claimed by he friends of
the Hubbard postal telegraph bill, that
the peopla of the country are not prepar-
ed to assume the enormous expense of for
ty FIVE million of dollars to purchase all
the telegraph lines of the country, and to
that end favor that one reported by the
Post Office Committee of Congress aa'hor-
ling the Postmaster General to contract
with company land have the some con-
troll over the execution upon the terms Of
the Contract that he row has over the
postal service which will transmit all
messages at rates fixed by the bill, which
averages from one-half to onc-third of the
expense of the present cost photography
ing.
One of the advantages of this bill is
that it will extend the use of the telegraph
to every town of from 500 to 800 inhabi-
tants, and all without any expense to the
Government.
The Civil Service Examining of the In
terror Department has announced that a
competitive examination for promotions in
the Patent Office will take place on the
10 inst. None but those all ready EN-,
ploycd IN the Office will be allowed to
compete. With the exception Of the Pa
tent Office branch, the Interior Depart
ment has not thus far been very rigid in
their examinations, it having transferred
from the Census Bureau through the soic.
itations ofGencral Walker, sixty or sew
enty of his Old clerks without any cxami.
nation whatever, and without regard to
their politics or whether they had served
in the Union Army. 1t is not surprising,
therefore, that many republicans had no
particular love for Walker, and are plcsed
at his departure from his Official position
to seek livelihood in another kind of
business" in the old Bay State.
The Census Office demanded the en-
ploy of nearly three hundred and fifty
clerks, and their services were needed im-
mediately. 1t was only ecessary to get
the endorsement of Member of Congress
to insure designation for examination.
and if tho applicant designated could write
u good hand, add several columns of Fl q
ures correctly tell his age, past occupation
and was able to write a letter to the Sec
rotary sufficiently inteligable ito make out
that he has no other means of support and
desired c'erkship in the Census Bureau
to enable him to get living and keep out
OF jail and his old creditors mum, be wa.
sure to pass muster. Several among the
sixty or seventy arc Of those transferred,
favorites of Gen. Walker, who barely
passed muster. The General now, as he
always has been, strong advocate of Mr..
Wells free trade doctrines, and it is said.
he will strive tc insti into dthe minds of
his students such o doctrine as the oplv
panacca for the ills the Government pre-.
lection policy. as he contends, will ulti-
mately impose upon the people.
Were it not for the great expose attend.
ing Government control over Ra iroads of
the country, and the objects it would tend
to Capitalization, there would be more