Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1881-10-27
WASHINGTON LETTER.
.FrOm our Regular { eorraponaent.l
WASHINGTON. D. G. Oct. "A. 1881.


WASHINGTON, D. c., Oct. "a, 1881.
There is an organization here in WASH
ington, composed of veterans of the late
war, which is making preparations to
stir up some OF the nests in the Govern
ment Departments with very sharp
stick. A committee of this organization
has been at work for some months gath
ering the data upon which to base their
action, and when the developments come
there will be scattering all along the
line. During the Presidency of Grant
we heard a great deal on the subject of
nepotism. The provision which the Adj
ministration made for its own and its
wife's relations was the subject of much
discussion in the newspapers and un-
doubtedly had its effect. If that was the
origin in this country of what Webster
calls IAN undue fondness for nephews
and other relations" among those in ar-
thority, certainly the disease has spread
with exceeding rapidity. There is so
much of it in every Department of the
Government at this time that it has come
to be a crying evil. And that is what
tneSo veterans are going IOr. s.
It has been understood that ex-soldiers,
qualifications and other things being
equal, were to have the preference in
appointment to minor positions under
the Government, but they do not get 1t.
Such large proportion OF places are
| filled by the relatives of Department Of
| ficials, favorites of Senators and miss
tresses of Congressman, that the soldier
gets pretty unanimously left. This is not
mere idle talk; it is solid fact, based upon
actual investigation. have seen the
lists now in course of completion after
careful and thorough canvass OF every
Department and feel constrained to say
that there will be some music when Con:
gress assemblies this winter. There are
over seven hundred cases where from
two to fourteen members of favorite fam
lies are on the Government pay-rolls,
drawing salaries ranging from 5000 to
$4,000 per year. Assistant Secretary
French of the Treasury has ten members
of his family snugly slowed away, seven
of them, consisting of sons, nephews and
nieces, are attached to the Treasury
and It's various bureaus. Chief Brooks
of the Secret Service division Of the.
\ Treasury Department, is happily provi-
over $11, 900 in his immediate family.
These are merely samples. To go on
though the list would require too much
space, though it might be what Horace
Greedy used to term mighty interestin'
! reading"
Sometimes Secretary or bureau chief
, after providing for goodly number of
his relations in his own department, to
save appearances, uses his influence to
get the rest of them in somewhere else.
Secretary Hunt of the Navy Department.
/, is the latest example of official tender
: ness for offspring and the ties of consan-
guinity. He has snugly located all his
4 four sons where they can do the most
4 good-for themselves-the Navy positions
! as in the Army being for life, or during
good behavior. Other relations have
also been provided for. Apropos of Hunt
: there is a strong effort being made to
: keep him in the Cabinet but am certain
: it is wholly without effect. Had General
= Garfield continued in his administration
/ both Hunt and Kirkwood would most
. probably be in retirement. Both have
4 proven failures. am not now speaking
i, NV private opinion but giving the facts
!, which must go to make up history. MT,
7, Hunt was given position in the Cabine!
l. as a Southern man, but with the distinc1
IT understanding that it was an experiment
4 so far as he was concerned and that i
At at any time a change was desired hi
lie place was at the disposal of the President
"a It was also understood that as he gave vi
ct a life iudgeship to enter the Cabinet b.
er would he properly cared for in cas-
is he left it. This arrangement Presiden
| "A .xx:n M doubt hoor II, mind
,g saw Judge Davis this morning an
n n could but notice that the smiles whic
u wreathed his countenance the day he wa
it elected President of the Senate had q
disappeared. In fact the old gentlema
to is just little worried. That this IS tru
nd is evidenced in his anxiety for some day
0n to find out what people thought OF n
on election. Besides he knows uat the ~
his pubiicans will most likely elect some on
else to the position one OF these gay
y. The Judge now perhaps realizes thae
az made mistake in accepting theposielo.I
va But it was the first and only chance
na, has ever had to make one step towal
biil 1sa the Presidency. He has had the fTel
DENTAL bee in his bonnet for years. 1o'
ield correspondent attended the Cincinns
r of convention in 1879 and saw car ioads
de-. der delegates come in from Illinois whose I.
lar, penses had been paid out OF DAVIS vptes
the oric purse. But for the obstlnateSno
i've TIVE pensive fight made for him ia tnat G.
the ventl0n MS OCaCe Wouiu n:'e
Trumbull, instead of dividing its vo
,eof 81 +ha reault not, only of the convent
Mar, @nu o.,o s,;t,. thot followed wo,
His but or Jhe Campaign Sna' io -:
h is probably, have been different. Previ
lphy 70 tb;c fbe .J,tape had lust accepted
used " unie - 80. - con,a 'barnn, scar
elo- NOMINATION IfOni soio IL.
rable convention in New Jersey. Dutanoit. !
filter ;s foo n,ch for many public man.
y au- maps 1ne C"o inoeo NC ~ IIaxaoa Orc,
r the our recent history are HoIaoo ~,
is o ord Salmon p Chase. II charge u
Id IL dIt:a a;,,c awev ambition"
the IloIutio, AinS ""4
mpa- .
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