Wilmington journal., 1874-01-09
TOl INC bUSCDfI 7 OSr
,Ilc KcpubIiCan Court.

"MadameS S carriage stops th1S way.
A 81 600 landaulet, for which the De
partment of Justice holds the receipt
of a Washington coachman,, stands
directly across the royal road to the
chief -justiceship. But Mr.. Williams
is only maintaining the state of the
Republican court III the manner re-
cogniZed as proper from the President
down. There are distinctions i'll this
matter that must be kept up. If the
head of subordinate bureau has his
one-horse coupe, with driver drawing
pay as assistant stoker Of the bureau
furnace, one can readily sec that the
least IL Cabinet officer can expect is his
landaulet and matched pair, with
coachman, footmen, and grOoms en-
tered OH the Department payroll as
messengers while nothing less than
a brevet brigadier general viii answer
to maintain the dignity OF usher in the
Presidential ante-c chamber. These dis
tinctions of rank AID their accompany
ing gradations Of privilege are not s,lf-
fciently understood outside the dis
trict But we already hear of 'mid-
die class" in Washington, and can he
gin to perceive the division into plcbs
and patricians, if il is impossi si5Ie 10
know one exact schedule of precedence
which regulates the cost OF the cstal
! lishments each is entitled to draw
| from the Treasury, as we'll as the oti
| Quettc of social recognition. y tale
! indicating which lady Is authorized 10
| use landaulet and which Il cG1'1}C, 1t
public expense, and how many foot
man are allotted to each on the gov
| ernment payroll, would form 4 desira-
| bic addition to the new treatise on the
rules Of Washington society. Its cir
culation would prevent any such I'M
| pleasant surprise rs this regarding Mr..
| Williams turnout.
1t is, of course, understood that the
Acknowledgement is only following out
the usual custom in sending his car
r.age bills in to an accommodating au-
| ditor in his department and placing
his servants on the list of Government
employees. 1t is all perfectly regular,
according to the system established by
this Administration. The President,
indeed, has ideas Of indefinite expan-
sion in the same way. Washington is
city of which the Nation is to be
"proud," and naturally must expect to
pay for its pride Over Governor
Shepherds triply graded roads the
dashing equipages of Cabinet officers,
bought with the public money. roll
under the guidance of coachmen draw
ing salary as Government clerks. The
Supervising Architect of the Treasury
Department designs new stables for
the President, and they are built and
paid for out of the unexpended appro-
! priations. The erection of mansions
for members of the Cabinet is strongly
urged in the message, and next year IT
is not impossible that the acquisition
of landaulets and horses through the
| Department of Justice will require
the addition of Cabinet stables to the
Presidents plan. The stock-farm and
the paddock may follow as adjuncts of
the Executive Department., and the
establishment of mile track could
not fail to find favor with the present
investors in Washington real estate.
With this proud prospect in view, it is
gratifying to know that tie high civil
servants of the capital are not suffering
for the luxuries of life under the pro-
| posed reduction of expenditures. In
Washington the "middle class" will
give fewer parties elsewhere every
one is limiting his cost of living by
the practice of economy; but it would
be unbecoming to give voice to plebe-
ian grumbling at taxes which pay for
the landaulets and footmen, the grooms
and horses, or the prospective man.
sions enjoyed by the patrician rank at
our Republican court.