Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1876-06-01
WASHINGTON.
From our own Correspondent.

tlrely unexpected changes III his Cab
met. Transferring the Attorney Gen
eral, Hon. Edwards Pierrcpoint, to be
Envoy Extraordinary and Minister
Plenipoteptiary to Great Britain and
Hon. Alonzo Taft, Secretary of War,
to be Attorney General, and the ap-
pointmeut of Hon. James Donald
Cameron to be Secretary of War. Va
rious reasons are attributed to the Pres
ident for these changes, and the indie
pendent and Democratic Press as usu-
al attribute it to some selfish object of
Gen. Grants to be accomplished by it.
If the desire to promote the best in
terest Of the whole country is a sell
fish one then the President will have
to plead guilty. It is a well known
fact there was no little feeling existing
among the Republicans that New
York should have two Cabinet officers,
Secretary of State and Attorney Gen
eral, while other States nearly as large
as New York had none. The Presi-
dent wishing to harmonic all Repu5-
licans against'the Southern Democracy,
wisely transferred Hon. Edwards
Pierrepont to be Minister to Great
Britain, and Judge Taft being perfect
ly familiar with legal questions and
controversy is wisel y transferred to be
Attorney Hon. James Don
aid Cameron, the newly appointed Sec
rotary of War, is the son Of Senator
Cameron Of Pennsylvania and has had
many years experience in the manage
ment Of public affairs Of the Northern
Central Railroad of Pennsylvania. 1t
is thought that he will make the best
Secretary of War that the country
has had since the lamented Stanton.
The Southern Democratic House of
Representatives recently passed sixty
FIVE bills for the relief of their South
ern brethren, and as a matter Of course
to keep down the sum total Of the APP
preparations, they must insist upon
Republicans working for smaller sala-
ries now than Democrats were paid for
doing less work in 1854, notwithstand-
ing the increased expense Of living
since that period.
An examination Of the records Of
the Fifth Auditors Office shows that
for the four years of President Blu
chanan's administration the average
force of the Office consisted Of eight
clerks and that they adjusted during
said time 5,261 accounts being 167
accounts annually for each clerk.
For the four years ending June 30th.
1875, there we're adjusted 56,670 &C
counts which employed an average of
twenty-six clerks, making an average
of 544 accounts per year for each
clerk, being more than three and one
fourth times the amount performed
dnring the former period allowing the
accounts to average the same in amount
of labor required. In point of fact,
the accounts require more labor than
formerly in consequence of the addi-
ton since Of the Internal Revenue
Accounts. The total amount passed
upon in 1861 was less than one million
of dollars while in 1875 it amounted
to six hundred and seventy-eight mil
lions.
With all the charges against the Re-
publican party for its bad appointments
is there an instance of SO demoralizing
an effect upon public morals as the
late contest for Democratic Senator in
Connecticut. The result of the con,
test did not depend upon the qualif-
cations or honesty of the candidates,
but upon who could buy the most
votes. According to all reports there
never was in the history of the coun-
try such an open use of money to aid
the election of a United States Sena-
tor as the Democrats of Connecticut
have lately presented. In case the
great calamity of Democratic Presi-
dent should befall the country, of
course the appointees made upon the
recommendation of Senator 8arnum
would feel justified in pursuing the
same course as the Senator, and con-
slider money, 1.-the root of all evil, :
the great lever in producing results.
The Democratic House of Repre-
aentatives might have stood the really
scandalous offences of Doorkeeper
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