The Dillon tribune., 1881-09-10
Correspondence.
WASHINGTON LETTER
From our regular Correspondent

From our regular Corrrspcnd>nt.l
WASHINGTON, September, grid, 1881.
There ie growing demand for another
investigation in connection with the Gov
ernment Departments here. For some
time, and especially during the last year,
nearly all issues OF the daily papers have
contained advertisements tor positions ,l,,-
der the Government, the advertiser agree.
ing to pa, 500 or 81 70. more or less. for
the appointment. and Il percentage of salary
| as long as employed. Some issues OF Ger.
tain newspapers contain two or three OF
these advertisements. Here is Il specimen
clipped from last evenings Star:
WANIEO-Su, cash and ten per cent Of
StiarS WEI Nc r.id ioi :: position in any rf the De
partincnts. Address in confidence, 't2,'.rr' this
Office.
From the frequency with which such adj.
vertise'nent>. appear, and the continued
use OF this method it is evident that the,
are >o"vtines, perhaps always, successful.
Senator Plumb alluded to this state OF
things on the floor OF the Senate, jus, be
forc.atiiou' nmcnt las, session, and tro,i, tn,
! ',a.s:.r IN which his remarks were re-.
>onl lthing will he done about the matter
next session. There c~,t.i.!y should b..
| an investigation. 1t would be interesting
to A,,o~ who the individuals arr that carr,
on brokerage IN Government positions
and what lacilites they have for doing it
successfully. Those Who have made the
effort In legitimate way know how hard
it y to obtain an appointment. Few who
apply have the persistence to pursue their
applications to the end. The majority be-.
come weary, heartsick, and discouraged
after months Of waiting, and give it IN in
disgust. But these brokers' are said to do
their business very promptly. Ofcoursv
1t would not w po>>iu.e to carr, this thing
m to INV "s'r.,' without having corteder.
ats.s on the inside, and it become sub.
'ect worthy Of attention to find out how
many OF the Departments have chief
| clerks, heads of Bureaus, or other officers
who arc dispensing positions for r,v. If
| SONG action is not taken BY the proper
! authorities your correspondent will some
ut these days undertake IN got Mt The bot
tom Of it for the bench, vi the public.
The country generally appears TO be
we'll satisfied with Secretary Windows
financial policy and witt, TIL general man.
age'nent Of the Treasury Department un.
| der him. While congratulating til. Srcre.
tary upon his success | van, to express
the humble opinion that he would do al,
excellent service to the country, or at least
to those citizens having business with the
Treasury, II he would make a few changes
In the higher grade Of subordinate offices II,
his Department. 1t will he remembered
| that the recent scandal affecting the Chiel
Clerk and Appointment Clerk Lamphcre,
in connection with the contingent fund Of
Office was not disposed Of in any satiAfac.
tory manner. The fact that La,nphere
had used his position to sell the Govern.
/ rnent large number Of worthless books
contfalcd by him, and that by the probable
connivance Of the Chief Clerk certain
frauds In the purchase Of supplies had been
| committed, was brought out with such evi.
dence as to be generally believed Yet the
report on the subject prepared by com.
mission Of inquiry was pig-on-ho!ed bv
Mr.. Window, and Iamphere is still in his
position. This report is generally under.
stood to have sustained the charges made,
and reflect more or less directly upon Ger.
tain other officials. Whether this il true
or not the public have no means Of know.
Ing But It seems to Us the people have i.
right m know all about II and that Secrc.
tarv Window has not only made great
mistake but exceeded his rightful author.
i.v.
Whatever the conclusion on this point,
It will be pretty * nerally admitted among
those who are acquainted with the facts,
that Assistant Secretaries Upton and
French ought to he removed. To put it
more dclicately; they should both be in.
vited to resign. Mr.. Upton is considera.
BILE ofa politician, but he has not made a
very good officer. Before his promotion
to the position Of Assistant Secretary he
was Chief Clerk, and the Irregularities
changed in connection with purchases date
hack to and are said to have begun under
his administration OF that office. Assist
ant Secretary French is an insolent bureau.
crat. With no capacity whatever iur the
delicate duties Of his Office, which are to
construe the revenue laws. Merchants
and importers whose business has bro,,.h;
them in contact with him almost unani-
mously complain Of the treatment they
| have received at his hands. lie has cvei,
gone so far as to pronounce that it is his
official duty to con~truc the laws so that
they shall conform to his own prcconceivcd
notions Of what they. ought to be. Owing
to some Of his absurd rulings hundreds ot
thousands Of dollars Of the capital OF sugar
! importers alone have been tied up only to
he released nj the bidding of the courts,
which have without an exception decided
| the other way. Other interests have suf.
fered similarly. Notwithstanding the de-.
| cisions against him he rcncw> his rulings
in every case. and compels every importer
to resort to legal process. His removal
has long been demanded bv the commercial
interests Of the country and it is blot on
Secretary Sl,erman's administration that
French was not dismissed. This NAV
sound little like unnecessary faultfinding
to easy going people at a distance, hut I
must free my mind once in a while. and like
a great man whose tomb recently visited
down the river. ] cannot tell lie