American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1876-09-16
WASHINGTON LETTER.
The 0racIes of Mr.. Hayes Party
Reforming the Civil Service
Bouncing Clerks "-Cen.en-
NAL Pilgrims Boat Race,
Etc.
From our regular correspondent. [

| teriStIc way, in the exalted work of
civil service reform, under the direc-
/ ton of such distinguished r.formers
as Secretary Chandler, Shepard and
Babcock. The equitable and gal
LIANT programme is to dismiss first,
all women who have no political
intluence-that is to say. no intlu
entail political friends; second, all
men, who are not high proof un
suspected Republican workers.
There is very efficient clerk in one
of the Departments whose name is
Tilden Secretary Chandler, it is
said, suspects he may be IA relative,
and continually tests him with as
sessments, to see if he is loyal. As
sessments for campaign purposes
are carried on unblushingly as they
were in those p,lmy days, before
the menace of Democratic majorities
taught them that HOW familiar cant
about internal reform. l know a
young man of excellent character,
who was last week promised an APP
pointmeut in the State Department.,
but, wheu he arrived, he was tod
that his place had been filed by an
appointee of Gen. BabcOck The
General, Notwithstanding his Grim
inal complications, lis still Super>
visor of Public Works in this city,
and an immense power behind the
throne. On the 10Th of this month
his trial for completely in the safe
burglary commences, and there is
every prospect that the farce of his
tria. at st. Louis will be enacted
here. Boss Shepard, it is sus
pected, is deeply in, olved in the
matter, but his influence in the
District is still paramount, and a
trial before the average Washing
ton packed jury Is burlesque of
Justice.
There is stentorian complaint,
just now, from the employees in the.
| different Government offices. The
Confederate Congress" have cut
down the appropriations, crippled
the Government, and made it neces-
sary for a poor Government clerk
to work screen hours a day! And
yet these unhappy clerks do not
resign; they continue to lounge,
read the papers ssnd talk politics
during a Large portion of the office
hours, and at night they have
strength to direct campaign docu-
ments by the ten thousand. Many
of them have just arrived from Yer
mont, where they were sent to vote.
The Republicans here are not In
state of screaming jubilation over
that election. They realize, that
such change i'll Maine as that
registered at he.polls in Vermont
Will give the Democrats the former
State by from 10000 to $4,000 ma
joriry.
l have said, that in the discharges
recently made in the Departments,
the majority were women without
political friends. To-day eighty
were discharged from the Interior
Department of this number sixty
were women; yet the women i'll
Government employ are quite as
efficient and more honest than those
Of the opposite sex. Who ever
heard of charges of defaioltion or
theft against any of the thousands
of women in the Departments; and
they are paid about % per cent.
less than the political strikers put
there by Chandler, Conkling, Spen-
Ger. Mostly, e. i'd Omne genus. The
status of every clerk, with regard
to influence, is definitely known;
her native State; who appointed
her, &c. II frequently occurs that
she was appointed by Republican
who is no longer influential, as
Chase or Wilson, in such case she
would better make friends with the
living representatives of the party.
The appointees of Shepard. Morton
and Spencer stick To show the
animus of civil service reform as
pushed by those who are straining
every nerve for Hayes election.
quote from the Administration
organ, the National Republican, of
this morning: 1t is refreshing to
see members of the Cabinet, like |
Secretaries Chandler and Cameron
''bouncing" their political enemies,
and retaining good Republicans in
office. If the example can be fol,
lowed by other heads of Depart
men!s, the civil service will be
weeded of many who have been
opposed to the Government during
and since tie war. The Navy Yaru
in this city could stand a good
up" More tn IN half the
clerks and foreman in that establish
ment are today in favor of Tilden