The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1881-11-11
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER
From our Regular Correspondent. |

WASHINGTON, d. G., Nov. 8, 1881.
The President, who has been absent
in New York for week, will return
tomorrow. The White House, now
empty. swept and garnished, will not
be ready for its distinguished occupant
before the middle of the month. At
tention is just now turned from the
political affairs that work and Writhe
here, to the mills that grind to-day in
various states, and fear your columns
will be too full of the grist, its political
drifts and siftings, to admit this letter
of your Washington correspondent.
The President has, perhaps, been
wise in postponing the nomination of
a new cabinet until after these state
elections. A prudent politician will,
doubtless, be able to make forecasts
from the indications of to-day thst may
assist him in the adoption of policy
and the selection of its executors.
In less than a month the National
Legislature will have assembled for a
long, probably seven months, session.
It is believed that a revision of the
tariff will be undertaken, and a reduc-
ton Of the internal revenue will be &C
complished.
Something ought to be done to inn
prove the condition of the navy, but
this can be best accomplished by reviv-
ing the once mighty but now extinct
commercial marine of the United
States, thus furnishing a large body of
sea soaked and seasoned sailors to draw
upon in time of war, rather than edu-
eating the effeminate sons ana grand
sons of old commodores and retired
admirals at the Naval Academy in
French, Waiting, astronomy, and in
ternational law.
No radical legislation, it may be safe
ly said, will prevail in relation to the
army. Appropriations will be passed
maintaining it at about the same force,
rank, and file, upon which it has been
kept up during the last four years.
There is much talk, in both the army
and the navy departments, OF @ more
rigid enforcement Of real service upon
large number of official shirks, orig
inally from West Point, who manage
to remain at Washington, Fortress
Monroe, New York, Philadelphia, or
get off to Europe, on full pay, thus Sc
curing the delights of society and trav-
ell at the expense Of the tax payer, and
uniting themselves (if they ever had
any fitness) for the stern duties they
were educated, at public expense, to
perform. It is doubtful, however, if
Secretaries Hunt and Lincoln, or their
successors, will be able to enforce this
much needed reform. Army and naval
officers are SO entrenched by relation
ship and marriage connections with
influential Senators and members that
nothing short of the heroism that
plucks out the offending right eye will
eradicate this growing evil. There is,
however, a strong feeling in Congress
against the aristocratic tendencies and
growths of West Point and the naval
academy. The Whitaker and Flipper
episodes have directed public attention
to General Schenck's prophecy that the
negro who once broke up the union of
the States would yet break up the two
national academies. 1t may not be
best that the two institutions whose
sole legitimate object is education for
national defence shall be discontinued,
but it is necessary that their object
shall be more clearly seen and pursued
by those who maintain them, and, es-
pecially, by those who directly con-