The Placer herald., 1874-01-10
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
WASHINGTON, d. c., Dec. 27, 1873.
A NEW GAMBLING DEN.

some Of them poor devils who have not u
dollar in the world and want TO get rich
without working, some few rich men who
ant to get richer, 'theis pecuniarily inter-
ested n the success of the Board of Public
Works, and anxious, therefore. that its GER
tifcates of Indebtedness, Of which they are
mrge holders. rha'f te made to appear valu-
able, at home and abroad, by ficiicious sales
these, with a sprinkl'ng Of respectable in
nocents and really good but vain men who
seize every opportunity to get their names
| into pr mt, have organized an association
which they call
THE WASHINGTON STOCK EXCHANGE.
A great effort is being made at this Eek
change" to give character throughout the
country to some of these stocks which have
their origin in the immense debt created b,
| The Board OF Public Works will, the sane
tion Of the President, but in fragrant, will
| ful, insolent and criminal violation of the
Jaw of Congress, by making it appear that
said stocks have a value here based upon
The certainty that Congress will again appro-
pirate the money of the people of the United
States to pay The Illegally incurred debt Of
| the District.
Of course, no prudent man will ne guild
ed by the published quotations of the Gales
OF stock at this Exchange" in making
permanent investment of the few hundreds
or thousands re may have saved. But
there are tine imprudent men; and these
will be bitten. That's what the game is
played for. These sales, so-called, are mere
bets, aud often "put up jobs" They afford
no clue to the intrinsic value of the property
pretended to he sold. Better for profess
Sional or business man, or a mechanic to
play faro once a week than to dabLle in
stocks.
TOM MAST,
the caricaturist Of Harpers Weekly. was
brought on here. list week. by a political
organization started a few years ago hy the
management of the deceased Freedmen's
Bureau and composed chiefly of oflice-hold-
ers, fellows who are after an Office, and 9th
er keen chaps who keep their weather eye
open, look out for Number One, and are in
for chances, generally. Under the auspices
Of this organization, known here as the
Young Mems Christian Association, Mast
appeared ut Lincoln Hall. Mast is failure
rs lecturer He IS coarse and conceiied-
,alks 100 much of himself. He told the
"young christians" substantially, that he
did more in the last Presidential campaign,
than all of them put togetl er, "or airy 9th
er man" to elect their candidate-that his
C rioons did the bus'ness, especially among
the negroes and The citizens of foreign birth.
and tie lit,rae element of our native white
population; because, although many OF
them nn,t read English, they can all read
pictures. There's good deal in that. But,
On the whole, Mast was u failure; and SO
thought the audience. The "young chris
tians" won't bring him on again.
CUTTING DOWN ESTIMATES.
The several Executive Departments are
busy preparing for Congress revised esti-
males, setting forth in detail what expenses
for the current year. and for the next fsca
year. cal, be reduced without serious detri-
ment to tie public service. Each Bureau
Chief is perfectly willing that the running
expenses of every office except bis own
shal. be cut down; but he thinks the gov
| -rnment will come TO stal d-stlll it the
number of his clerks is reduced or their ga
lares are lowered, or it his estimates fer
| hooks, sta,ionery, postage, etc, are cut
down. The Committee on Appropriations,
however, insists that there can he n consid-
cradle reduction effected in the clerical force
o. the government. Ard 40 there can. in
most of the Bureaus Of the Treasury, for
Example, there are as many clerks now en-
ployed as in 1866 End 1866, when the
H. Al. .,e
in process of settlement. In one Bureau
the number of employees is now one hund-
red greater tl,an in 1866, although the work
has fallen Of at least one-half. 1t is useless
| % expect that the heads of bureaus will call
attention, themselves, 10 the surplus force
IN Their offices They naturally wish II"
magnify their positions, and have numer-
Gus retnue OF subordimtes about them
Besides, from long association with their
employees. they feel that it W. uld I've an I'M
friendly act to recommend the discharge OF
any of them; 20, as the law au horizes
certain number Of deputies. clerks and ines.
-engers to I've employed, Chiefs of Bureaus
20 on, year after year, making estimates fo'
he pay Of these persons, without regard t"
whether there is anything for them to do or
OF. A thorough rnqriry ~ committee OF
Congrers IL the only ID ng that will discover
hat relation the work done in the several
Departments bears to the number Of per-
sons paid for doing it. o Al
But it is proper to remark, in this con-
nection, that federal oficellolders in Wash.
'ngton are nearly unanimous in the opinion
that all estimates for works Of utility, ever
those Of paramount necessity. b'yond the
limus of The District Of Columbia, should
he cut down 10 the lowest possible 6enrer;
md there is reason to believe that the
Washington ''ring" has already induced
-cme members of the Committee on Appro-
MI. ,;o,s N f.vorcntt;no down the $40 .OOO.-