The daily gazette., 1874-11-09
|" TNenTocustS of E0ypt. " :

Il :
Among the many abuses which the
Democratic party will now be expected
to reform is that OF the system OF mani
tanning useless horde of ofkce-holders,
great and small, nearly all of them draw;
ing large salaries for very little real
work. and half dozen being assigned 70
the duties which one man could do with
ease. The crowd Of on-producers must
be put at better business. They must pc
made self-supporting by being obliged to |
do some honest work. A great number
of them could be dispensed with without s,to,
loss to anybody but themselves. They
are lifelong leeches, who only live to
eat. and who never think of producing
ANYTHING in return. 1t is estimated that
the number of persons actually dependent
upon the pleasure of the administrator
| nj Washington for the Offices they hold
| in all parts of the country, is fully eighty
thousand, when half, perhaps one-fourth,
| Of that number, would be sufficient TO
| attend to all the necessary duties OF
| their respective Offices. So numerous
i and SO greedy have these persons become,
| that they have been compared to the
"locusts Of Egypt" devouring all and pro-
dncing nothing. For instance, to begin
at the top, there is President Grant, with
his half dozen heads of departments, all
drawing large salaries, with enormous
perauisites, for what2 They are only oc-
casionly ..at the seat OF government
. Nearly all their time is spent In RIDING
, about the country free OF charge, or plot
ting how to elect Grant for third term,
and as many more terms as possible, SO
| that they may continue to draw high pay
, for doing nothing. 1t is a remarkable
fact however, that the government runs
3 lust as well, perhsps better, when they
e are absent, as it does when they are pres
n ent. They claim to have chief clerks to
whom their duties are delegated, VINO
Il thoroughly understand what Is necessa,
i nv, and Mho will attend to all important
c business. Allowing this to be the case,
is it right for the Secretary at the head
Of a departMent to draw the salary while
n the clerk performs the labors of the Of
C flee? Certainly not. 1t is only pure Jus,
flee that he who does the work should
receive the pay for it. If the chief clerk
: willingly performs the actual duties OF
!, the Office for &, 600 or $500 a year, then
IL that is all the office should be worth
Plenty of honest men could be found &c
- fill it at that price; and it Is downright
!" robbery of the people to pay SecrcIiir9
5000 to SS 1000 to run about after den
Grant, and visit Washington only once
or twice in a month, except during th'
ray season when he wishes to ENJOY th'
)l pleasures of fashionable dissipation ant
n luxurious living Let the chief clerk
be dispensed with and let the Secretarie
, themselves manage their departments ol
lie the same salaries that the governmen
A. now pays to their substitutes,
And this reduction must be carried ou
through all branches of the public, ser
al vice. This extravagance has lasted to
" long. Th lrc are thousands OF would-l
to aristocrats in Office to-day who scorn tn
Ill working classes, but who owe the tal
en payers for the very meat on their bone
II and for the fnery they display so lavisl
Eat ly on their putfcd-up bodies. There
too much semblance of q monarchy abol
ne the maintenance Of such a horde. III
-, character of most Of them may be Jud
rs ed by the reputation of those whose to
ice dies they are. Nearly every one OF the
n | purse-proud masters is connected WI
some robbery of the people OF the wor
ings of some thieving ring. Even Il
en- chief of the Secret Service, with sever
. of his principal assistants-all men wl
" are paid high salaries to prevent al
cal punish crime-are on trial at Washingt
tv for serious offences against the laws.
:. the fountain is so corrupt, is it any wo
81 der that the stream is SO oulthrougho
csc its entire lengthI" There must b,
~ thorough reform in this matter. Next
importance to u complete change in
rulers of the nation comes the reduct
TO of the vast army of otiice-holders and
CORE spending decrease Of their eas
ICY earned pay The Democratic party ne
My possesses the power to perform this dut
Al, q and the people expect them to act accOi
ingly.-ReadinJ Edgte