Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1883-01-03
From our regular correspondent,
WASHINGTON LETTER.
Washington, D. c.. Dec. 80, ;

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Senator Pendleton has secured tri-
umph in the passage of his civil service
bill through the Senate. Whether it
will ever get through the House, or
whether it will ever be honestly en-
forced should it become law, are
questions which the future must deter
mine. There is a good deal Of insin-
cerity and juggb'g about our civil SER
vice Legislation and practice. The
Democrats have for several years hon,
estly advocated certain reforms. They
have been simply lookers-on in the Of
flee brokerage practices of the Repub-
Leans and have been free to observe
the evils and pernicious efforts Of the
system. But the recent sudden con-
version of so many Republicans to
their views has aroused suspicion. 1t
looks like "dcath-bed repentance" and
an effort to make sure of retaining the
officers after the party has been turned
out of power. Up to the last election
nearly every Republican sncered at
civil service reform, and it is undoubt-
edly true that their present advocacy of
it is due to the handwriting on the
wall-the almost certain dethronement
which stares them in the face. 1t is
this which has made some Democrats
agree with Senator VOORHEES, that is
not Il law for regulating cerkships we
want so much as more stringent penal
statutes for the punishment Of rascality
in high places, Certain it is that there
is no sincerity on the part of the Re-
publicans in this matter. Should they
succeed after all in escaping defeat in
1891 the law will be a dead letter. On
the other hand, should the Democrats
come into power these same Republic
cans will make use of the law to keep
the offices. But the service has been
so abused for ten years past that if
change of administration came fully
one-half of the present officials would
need to be removed "for cause
The policemen complain, and justly
too, of officials who use them as lack
eys. Upon the excuse of having
policeman to keep the carriages in line
at receptions and balls the policeman is
really used to call out the carriages
and save the expense of man hired
for the purpose. 1t is told of police
man at a reception last winter being
ordered by an official thus "Call my
carriage" "Call it YOURSELF" re-
sponded the policeman, 81 don't want
your carriage" But where snobbish-
ness begins and where snobbishness
ends in Washington it would be diff
cult to tell. A Book of Snobs in forty
volumes could be written on the subject
without exhausting it. A change for
the better in that respect has taken
place in the Navy Department since
Secretary Chandler came in. He is
up to something more important than
naval red-tape. He is universally con-
coded to be the deepest scamp in
Washington, and if he contract for the
two steel cruisers, on which he has set
his heart, for his friend and ally, John
Roach, he will dispense with some of
the paint and feathers that formerly
delighted the soul of Minister Hunt.
Mr.. Chandler has a good many irons
in the fire. Governor Ordway, who
is trying to smuggle Dakota into the
Union, is very thick with Chandler :
they have country places not far apart
up in New Hampshire. PHoNo.