The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1882-11-04
AWAITING TIE EXPECTED CHANGE.

WAsuINGToN, Oct. 2l.-In the var
ious departments of the Government
are a great many intelligent men and
shrcWd politicians. An experience OF
ten or twelve years or longer has en-.
abled them to read the signs OF the
times with accuracy. Whether it is on
account Of the elections which have
been held, or the prospects i'll those
States were they are to take place, or
from independent reflection incident
thereto, and variety of other consid-
eratiOus relating to the political situa-
ton, the opinion extensively prevails
and is expressed in a variety of ways
that with the present Administration
most of them will so out of Office.
With many it is a gloomy subject,
not at all relieve Il by Hubhell's inroads
on their savings. In the light of an
early and Il certain ending of the month.
ly payments from the Government, the
dollars cXtortcd by uubbel are rcck-
oned at SO much loss, if not downright
robbery. Probably at heart, q good
many already are considering how
much good these sums might do them
when their times come to go.
One can hear men who have lived on
the country for half a score or more of
years say what they intend to do
when the change arrives and it is a
most noticeable thing how almost I'M
ivcrsal is the admission that it would
have been better with them had they
been pushed from their seats years ago.
Few of the thousands of mere depart
ment clerks have saved anything.
They will virtually begin to work
l.,{D
one sense having been lost while they
have drawn and spent their salaries at
the seat of Government.
In Il number of ways it is manifest how
absolutely the idea has worked into
the minds Of the department clerks and
subordinates of every grade that a
change is coming: that their term in
less than three years will be up, and
that they had better be preparing to
decide what they will do. The flight
of wild geese does not more accurately
denote the season than the impressions
prevailing in the departments now in
dictate the political future.
The event, Whcu it comes, will be
like tearing up the foundations. The
ruts have been worn deep, and nothing
but radical treatment, and by an in-
exorable hand, will suffice to lift the
wheels of the public service out of
them. 1t is not necessary to say that
men are dishonest, to reach the con-
clusion that millions of dollars will be
saved by the change. Even were it
not to be the result of q political revolt
ution, it would be productive of vast
saving. For nothing is more true than
that it takes vastly more power to
propcl machinery numbered with the
N1,NS <Nf r
urity in Office, and the carelcssness in-
cident thereto, than new machinery,
or even the old in new hands.
Fhe Government is run at Il cost not
less than 100 per cent. greater than the
private business of men. The cost has
continually increased. and, as \ general
thing, out of all proportion to the
Increase of public business. This is
the tendency, the natural one, perhaps,
when thousands of officials have come
to regard themselves as secure in their
places, with their sense OF Responsible
ty growing less and less.
What now engages tho minds of an
immense number OF officials is how to
obtain appropriations and how to spend
them. Tens of thousands of dollars
are squanuercd annually in useless in
spections, by iuroads in Il variety of
ways on the contingent fund, and by
appropriations where no necessity OK
lists, by officials secure in their places,
who throw money whcrec yer they wish
without thought of the Taxpayers.
With the sagacity that detects the
import of tho coming change in the
Government, is the conviction in the
minds of most persons nj present cNcr-
cised by tho prospect, that it will he
for the good of tho public service. No
one knows SO we'll how this is as he
who has had half Il score of years of
service in Il responsible position in ono
of the departments.
POSTAGE STAMP FRAUDS.