River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1876-02-17
LerIer from Washington.

Congress is by not very rapid advances
settling down to the work Of legislation.
Ths experience Of the greater part Of the
members necessitates slow progress by
the committees, and it is well that dc.
sire to exhibit great dispatch has not
scduced the committees into presenting
badly.digestod material TO the House.
Then. too, the prerequisites for legisla.
| ton that would ensure economy In pub.
lie expenditures was a careful and neccs.
sarily protraGted investigation Of the
manner in which the funds had
been disposed Of in past times.
The committees we're called
upon TO unravel the intricate methods by
which the various departments had sue
ceeded in laying such burden Of taxa
ton upon the country. Such investiga'
tions are proceeding with fair celebrity IL
all the departments. The committees
have deemed il best TO hold their exami.
nations in private, on the political ground
that II the disclosures expected to he
/ forthcoming were permitted to dribb!e
cut little by little, they would have less
effect upon the public mind than if pre-.
sented e1I mdsse in the reports. Some.
thing may be said both for and against
the soundness Of this policy, but on the
whole it IL, perhaps, best that the dag
nosis of the disease should not be pub.
| lished until remedies are ready to be Of
fered simultaneously.
You have perhaps already heard that
the old measure for making a new terri.
tory, to be called Pembina, out Of north
ern Dakota, is again before Congress. It
is in charge OF Judge Kiddcr, delegate
from Dakota. The capital Of the pro.
posed territory would probably be Bis
marck, although as yet it is not abso'
lutely decided whether that place or Far.
90 should have the preference. The
/ friends Of the bill maintain that the cost
Of an additional territorial government
would be actually less than the present
expense Of the section TO the government.
| The vast extent Of Dakota, and the i'm.
perfect communication between the CAPT.
| tai and the northern part of the territory
render necessary an excessively heavy
outlay in order to transact the judicial
/ and other business of government. The
people OF the district in question, claimed
TO number some fifteen thousand, are said
to be greatly Inconvenience by their
practical separation from the capital, and
the interests of the region to fall far short
of the development that they would OBJ
/ tain if the inhabitants had government
near enough to make itself felt vigorous.
| ly. Judge Kidder holds that it Is decid'
eddy TO the interest Of Minnesota that the
new territory should be established. In
/ the Senate, Hitchcock, chairman Of the
committee on Territories, is heartily in
favor Of the project. have been unable
to learn who will be appointed to the
principal offices TO be created should the
/ territory be established, but doubtless
the vacancies are all filed even now be-
fore they exist. Ex-senator Ramsey
has, it is safe to assume, finger in the
pie.
All the government employees have
been for some days in state of the ut
most trepidatiOn. IL is proposed to re-
duce by ten per cent. all salaries above
1920, and TO reduce the working force
of the several departments by one-hlth'
This IL certainly very strong measure
toward economy, and will, of course, be
strongly opposed. fancy that that Con
CHEESEMAN'S lot viii for some time TO
come be the happicst who has
fewest appointces in tho government
offices. The lamentations and entreaties
to which members are bound to be sub
jected will be enough TO make the most
enduring sigh for the quiet Of private
life and bewail the unhappy fate of the
peoples representatives. II is estimated
that saving of seven millions of dollars
will be effected by the enactment Of the
aforesaid reductions. Whether or not
the public service can. without de riment
to efficiency. Withstand such Limitation
Of outlay. II is certain that the groans and
expostuations of the threatened employ.
es are 10 great extent unreasonable.
That class Of people take il as a hardship
that they are required TO work, or al
least 70 appear TO work, for n length OF
time daily which would be thought q
very moderate demand by an immense
majority Of the clerks engaged in private
business concerns. Lately there has come
from some Of them n moan because on
Saturday they cannot be free from three
o clock in the afternoon. instead of ut
four. True, in many of our cities it has
become tho custom for large business
houses 20 close at three or earlier on
Saturday, but in nearly all such cases
the employees are for the rest of the week
confined in their offices until two or three
hours later than is the case with the
Washington clerks.
4 gentleman in ono Of the bureaus who
has some sixty clerks (lemale) under him,
gave TO me yesterday a very emphatic
opinion on the matter. He told me of an
instance where young woman, whose
parents live in a neighboring city ana who
are amply able to support her in more
than c)mtort, was sent 70 him TO be given
a place. She proved utterly incompo
tent for the work allotted her, and was
put at something else. In a few days
she was sent back to her former place
through the influence Of Congressman.
and the work She is paid for doing has TO
be done by another. \ somewhat sim.
lar case was told me at the same time.
only the reinstatement Of the person,
again female. was made at the request
Of Mrs. Grant 70 tho Secretary of the
Department As the gentleman alluded
To said, IL is pretty small business when
the Presidents wife utcriercS to TN the
bureaus with useless clerks These ere