The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1882-12-27
WASHINGTON LETTER.
(From our regular correspondent.l

~ s'N'S 30 INV WIZ u9aaA oh1NuhS Va
holiday sentiment in the present
Congress. 1t is not known even now
whether there will be holiday adj.
journment or not. All work and no
play has been resolved by the Sen.
ate. And the festively inclined in
the House are restlessly looking out
Of the metaphorical windows, and
looking out for the Christmas Of their
youth and innocence with such fore.
bodings Of disappointment as Con.
gressmen have not had before. All
the clerks in all tbs departments are
melancholy. If Congress holds con-
tmpeus session through the holidays,
there will be no play for them. This
phenomenal industry in the face Of
Spencer's recent hgubFious sermon
on the "over-work" of the American
people is alarming to idleness and to
idleness only. Congress and govern.
ment employees will be all the better
prepared for the New Year by the
habits which regular work imposes,
and by the omission of Christmas
dissipation and revels. Department.
al, as well as legislative work, is
much behind hand. There is no req.
son that it should be so. Idleness,
and not overwork, has been the al
most universal rule. The bureaus
seldom do to day what can be done
tomorrow, and there is an accumula.
ton Of work on all the desks of the
mammoth civil service force of the
United States that is absolutely APP.
palIFng. Those who have business
with the Pension Office, the Patent
Office, the Land Office, and score
Of other bureaus have to wait an un.,
reasonable time aud suffer pecuniary
loss before their cases can DO reached
for action. 1t is not that there is
any lack ofolerks, it is because there
is lack of work. underworld in
stead Of overwork. The government
working hours are only six in. the
twenty-four, but no civil service sys.
TEN has yet been devised to make
the thousands of employees Of the
government work steadily and eff.
fectively for much more than half
that time per day. They read news.
papers, they discuss politics, the OPP.
era, balls, boating, scandal-while
TIE work Of the government is neg.
lecl cd. 1t is difficult TO reach this
evil for the chiefs of bureau are fire..
quen'iy the leaders in the gossip
Nopr waite corporation, thoughbucked
by the wealth Of a Vanderbilt or a
Gould, could survive the civil service
system of the United States. 1t is
indeed time reform should. occupy
the attention Of Congress.
The shop windows of Washington.
are full of holiday goods. The streets
are already resonant with the toot of
tin horns. But shopkeepers COM
plain of unusual dullness in trade,
which they attribute to the elections
in November. They argue that gov
eminent employees, who, with their
families and, dependents, compose
two-thirds the population of the
Capital, are economizing and hoard.
ing in view of possible dismissal.
The right for the spearkership
among the Democrats wakes warmer,
and the situation grows more com
plicated. New candidates are con-
tinuously appearing; Randall; Car.
Isle, Blackburn, and Eaton are all
regularly entered, with several coun.
ties yet to hear from. Ex-senator
Eaton, who will be member of the
next House, holds that be is the only
surviving representative Democrat
In the field for the office. He says
Randall is for protected iron, and
for free whisky and tobacco,
and that neither should be allowed
to have that dangerous toy the.gavel.
Some of that unplpasantuess which
Republicans have predicted and are
SO ardently hoping for begins to show
itself. In Democratic circles dispar-
aging remarks as to the candidacy
If some who are running are being
whispered, and comments unfavora.
de TO the motives Of the candidates