Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1881-11-12
our WASHINGTON LETTER.
tFrcm our regular Correspondent

The President, who has been abb
sent in New York for a week, will
return tomorrow. The White
House, now empty, swept and gar
nished, will not be ready for its dis
occupant before the mid
die of the month. Attention 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 let
ter of your Washington Correspon-
dent.
The President has, perhaps, been
wise in postponing the nomination
OF a new Cabinet until after these
State elections. A prudent politi- |
clan will, doubtless, be able to make
forecasts from the indications of to-
day that may assist him in the |
adoption of policy and the seiec-
ton of its executors.
In less than a month the National
Legislature will have assembled for
a long, probably seven months ses-
sion. 1t is believed that revision
of the tariff will be undertaken, and
a reduction of the internal revenue
will be accomplished.
Something ought to be done to
improve the condition of the Navy,
but this can be best accomplished
byreviving the once mighty butnow
extinct commercial marine of the
United States, thus furnishing a
large body of sea-soaked and sea-
soned sailors TO draw upon in time
of war, rather than educating the eff
Terminate sons and grandsons of old
commanders and retired admirals
at the Naval Academy in French,
waltzing, astronomy, and interna-
tional law.
No radical legislation, it may be
safely 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 five years. There is much
talk, i'll both the Army and the Ma
wy Departments, OF more rigid en-
forcement Of real service upon a
large number Of official shirks, orig
inally from West Point, who man.
age to remain at Washington, For
tress Monroe, New York, Philadel-
phia or get off to Europe, on full
paw, thus securing the delights o.
society and travel at the expense Of
the tax payer, and uniting them
selves (if they ever had any fitness
for the duties they were educated
at public expense, to perform. 1T Il
doubtful, however, if Secretarie'
Hunt and Lincoln, or their success
ors. will be able to enforce thii
much needed reform. Army ant
Naval officers are 80 entrenched by
: relationship and marriage connec
: ton with influential senators an(
5 members, that nothing short o
the heroism that plucks out the OF
Tending right eye will eradicate thi
e growing evil. There is however,
/ strong feeling in Congress agains
. the aristocratic tendencies an
| growths of West Point and the Ma
: val Academy. The Whitaker an
/. Flipper episodes have directed put
e lie attention to them in way tha
3 it has not before been directed, an
n have called attention to Generf
e Schenck's prophecy that the negr
e who once broke up the union Of tn
# states would yet break up tn
# two National academies. 1t ma
n not be best that the two institution
# whose sole legitimate object is edit
J. cation for national defence shall /
n discontinued, but 1t is necessar
o that their object shall be more clea
). ly seen and per5ued by those WI
e maintain them, and, especially b
Il those who directly control them.
q WASHINGTON, ID. G. Nov. 8, Isl.