The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1883-02-17
Senators, cut off from thor ,ccus,ome,

saturnalis Of late suppers aud drinking
bouts, are enjoying the good health which
regular hours, abstcmiousness, and tenn
perance bring
Still harping on the tariff IS what may
be said of both the House and the Senate.
They are near the end Of debate on this
subject, because they are near the end OIL
the session, but 1t cannot be said they arel
any nearer the solution OF this vexed ques.
ton than they were one week ago.
As for society, dear niealy mouthed soci-
ETY., she is now trying the plous dodge and
devotional racket. She arises early and
goes to church every morning, and, in the
afternoon, she goes TO vespers,-then IN the
evening she goes to the theatre, or pulls
down the blinds and has game of cards
or dance at home. What q beautiful
thing is religion with all the latest I'M
provements and novelties! The lenten
season is observed more formally in Wash.
ington than IN any city of the United
States, Many society people, and especi
ally those of the Army and Navy are Cath.
oiCs and they are very punctual IN their
observance of this season. II Is PLAIN even
to casual observer that the Catholics
have made great effort to establish them
selves firmly in Washington. They have
no less than nine church edltices here, as
well as an university, conren,s, schools
asylums aud hospitals.
Government, clerks are still much agi-
tated over Representative Cannons bill to
make them do q fair days work of eight
hours. Notwithstanding the too large
number of clerks employed, government
work IS 80 much behindhand that mum
Der of the chiefs of the different offices
have asked Congress to increase the force
OF clerks. Congressman Cannon, to whom
the request was referred, deserves a monu.
ment for suggesting that the work could
be accomplished by making those now
employed work earlier and later @Con-
gress can doubtless enact that government
employees shall be In the departments
eight hours, but TO make them work, "ah !!
there is the rub" To whom are the exam
liners IN the Patent Office responsible il
they prefer to read novels at their desks
instead of examining and acting upon the
thousand applications tor patents now
pending in the Patent Office? It's impos.
sible for the Commissioner of Patents to
discharge the shirks and idlers of the Ex-
aiming corps, for they are each one
backed by political influence as good as
that OF the Commissioner himself. Sn 1t
IS with all the Government offices; the
chiefs have no power over their subordi-
mates, cannot discharge them for neglect,
incompetence, or idleness, because they
have been appointed aud are held in their
places by their uncle or patron, Repub-
lican Senator or Member. But it Is too
frequently the case that the Chiefs of
Bureau are as incompetent and lazy as any
of the clerks. hope do not tire your
readers by writing 80 much on this sub
ject. l feel very indignant at this worse
than rotten state Of things. have seen so
much of 1t. 1t il such an outrage on the
people of the United States who are taxed
TO support 1t, that desire TO contribute
my mite towards arouslng public sentl-
ment against wrong that voters remote
from Washington cannot we'll realize
Senator, Pendleton's late civil service bill
"but skins and films the ulcerous thing
while rank corruption rankles under
MEATH" Nothing will improve the civil
service but to clean 1t out, root AMI branch
and supply Its place with an entirely new
plant The people OF this country may As
easily gather grapes from thorns and figs
from .histles as get honest, competent
work from the thousands Of cousins, sis
ters, brothers, aunts, mistresses and
motbersin.law of Republican Senators
and Members with which the Offices of the
United States Government are gorged.