The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1882-12-02


GovERNMEsr EMPLOYEES soT UTTKhi
CAST DowN--woHK IL TIE DEPARqs
MESTs NEGLECTED BUSINESS or rFfl
oovEREMET NOT MANAGED IN TIE ~
TKEEsT OF THE EcoukTRr-~-BKhnx AM
DoRsEr NOT THE ONLY THIEVES.
lFrom our Regular Correapondent.l
wAsHiNaroN. p. q, Nov ~, 1882.
It cannot be said thai The alarm and
dependency among the government
employees over the result Of the cleo.
ton is unprecedented. They are not
as much surprised as they were il
1874, when the Democratic victory
was less expected. Nor has tho lato
election produced the Consideration
among them that the election Of Til
den, in 1876, produced. The Repub-
lican clerks and government officials
were not unprepared for this cata-
clysm, and if they are not resigned,
they at least are not utterly cast down.
They have been SO often pulled through
by fraud and money, that they have q
not unreasonable confidence in their
ability to enjoy the spoils BY the same
means after 1854, and forever.
The work in all the departments
has been much neglected Of late, not
only on account Of the absence Of
clerks who arc granted from six TO ten
days to go home and vote, but for the
last three months, SO great has been
the interest in the elections, the Iegiti-
mate and necessary business men Of
the government, from the duties Of the
president and cabinet down TO those Of
the 5000 clerk, have bees left undone.
President Arthur has not had time TO
give his moral support to the prcsecu
tion Of the star route thieves, or TO
compel the appearance Of SO important
a witness as ex-senator Spencer, now
holding government position and
drawing monthly pay, but unable to be
found when wanted to testify against
Dorsey and Brady. In the postoffice
department, interior department, and
in tho pension and patent
offices, the work is from two to four
in arrears. There is no reason
Why it should be so. The clerical
force ia more than sufficient, but dis
graceful neglect, indolcnee, and crimi
ial dishonesty will always be the rule
n civil service whose tenure depends
ipon politics and tho favor of bosses,
Who value a clerk more for what he
IAN do on the stump and at the polla
han for what he can do at the desk.
The business of tho government,
which has grown to be gigantic beyond
he comprehension Of all who do not
make it special study, Is not mar-
ged in the interest Of the country on
usiness-llke principles, but, without
rinciple, in the interest Of politics.
hevoters Of the country only knew.
S it is known here, the negligence and
lcompetency, the grand and petit lar.
eny practiced by one hundred thou
and Office holders, the party in power
,ould receive a moro emphatic order
} 60 than it received in IA, in 70,
nd in 'S2.
When case Of grand larceny like
10 star-route theft has been discovered
lerc is great popular indignation.
ut when the statement is made that
uring every fiscal year, twice as much
stolen from the government BY its
usted servants as Brady and Dorsey
ole, no sensation is created; yet it is
10 truth, known by hundreds in gov
employ here. There are thou
nds Of persons in Washington who
low that government clerks are in
Q habit Of supplying their families
ith pens, pspcr, envelopes, inkstands,
asers, pen-knives, etc, These are
'ught by the government BY contract
immense quantities, and government
,rks carry them home to their fami-
s. The children in the public schools
re, many Of them, use the finest legal
P to write their exercises on. This
'uld seem at first TO be very small
ing, scarcely worth public attention,
I when multiplied BY all the clerks
the departments the aggregate il
ormous, amounting to more than
lion annually.