National Republican., 1883-07-13
THE MAN ON THE AVENUE.
Small Talk About Dron and Measures

More than n suspicion prevails that the
| civil service commission will have very dry
! pickings for the first few months of It's ex-
istence as an Office making power. gontle-
/ man who has been watching the movements
about tho departments for several weeks gave
the result Of his observations to the Man on
tho Avenue last evening. " BY Monday
next" he said, "the date upon which the now
law goes into effect, every secretary and bu-
reau officer will have every possible vacancy
in every department filled, from Sl5 sweep
up. There will bo' nothing for the
commission to do until December ut least,
| excepting to arrange the applicants who have
| passed muster in line to shove them in the
moment door opens. There has been q
| general wedding out Of useless rubbish in the
departments, and such shifting about as has
not been known before for years. Persons in
authority have been fixing things as they
want them to remain until the close Of the
administration. They have been putting
their houses in order, and there will be no
places to fill other than those occasioned by
death or resignation for long time TO come
| The going into effect Of this law will relieve
cabinet officers and congressman of the accu-
|
shape of pending applications for position.
They can point to the law and set up their
absolute powerlessness to get their hungry
constituents in. This will take terrible
load from their shoulders and dispose of
thousands of tons of useless deadwood. The
desks will be entirely cleared, and the ma
terial left over will bo remorselessly
dumped overheard. Congressman will
have very little to do about departments
hereafter except to get anxious friends
promoted. They will have nothing to do with
getting appointments unless they can manage
to bo ost favored party through back win
dow when no one is looking That will be
their limit.
"The pressu re on cabinet officers and
bureau officers of influence to get friends in
has been tremendous for the past month or
six weeks Political necessity has doubt
less caused many of the removals made lately,
clerks having TO make way for others having
stronger backing"
The loquacious gentleman in the Postoifice
department is delighted with tho boomerang
which has struck the congressman who voted
to reduce the appropriation for clerk hire.
| He says "These committee men thought
they were playing big game for popularity
as watch dogs of the treasury but they are
already learning their mistake The post
masters in their districts are clamoring for
more money to pay their clerks but are nee
essarily denied by the department because of
the limited appropriation. They vent their
disappointment on the congressman. 1t is
probable that those patriotic officials will
learn in time that there is an executive as we'll
as legislative branch of the government"
ia
"This new law depriving us of our voting
leave is an outrage" was the observation of a
land Office lad yesterday. 1--WE must divide
our regular summer vacation and pay our
passage both ways twice, or else work
right on through the hot months and take
our furloughs in the fall. 1t is piece OF
petty demagogism on the part of a congress-
man who simply wanted to make himself a
name as a roformer at our expense. Ho be-
came somewhat famous but his conduct was
infamous"
"Please say word in defense of your
patrons" said clerk in the surgeon generals
office last evening. "Give the newspaper
thieves a roasting. They come to the office
carly, not to work. but to get their fingers on
our REPUBLICANS. Half Of the regular sub
soribers never see the paper except as Dor.
rowers. These fellows are the worst class OF
sneak thieves, and if they don't like the ap.
pellation you may give them my name and
send to me for satisfaction. If the types can
swear a little just fire them up and let em
Spiel" l can't express my complete opinion
of newspaper thief without profanity"
s@a
"Bill Scott" said the gentleman from
f northwestern Pennsylvania, "is one of the
! richest men in the Keystone state. lie livel
, in a splendid mansion in Erie and owns
dozen or more fine farms in the vicinity. HI
, has been associated with Vanderbilt in
business way ever since William H. inherited
the old commodore's millions | doubt if any
: living man enjoys Vanderbilts confidence 81
fully as Scott, and as result of this intimacy
he has managed to heel himself They hav,
been in many scheme together In on,
, transaction l know Of they cleared
couple of millions as easy as falling off
log. The Lake Shore Railway company, o
which Vanderbilt is president, held abou
100000 in the stock of tho Chicago Stocl
Yards company. Vanderbilt wanted that
stock, so as president of the railway company
, he sold it to his confidential friend Scott fol
1,250,000 A rich Chicago pork packer tolC
me he would have paid $3 100000 cash for the
stock in open market. Vanderbilt couldn'
we'll sell the stock to himself. but he saw tina
it didn't get outside the charmed circle
A Vanderbilt, | understand, now holds con
trolling interest in the Chicago stock yards
which is worth about Si5, 100000. the $4,000,
600 in stock being held at considerably abov
$500. Scott is in with the railway king as
t matter of course, but TO what extent do moi
T know.
"Scott mixes in politics once in while, bu
y y since he was defeated for congress in 1876, h
= has taken dislike to local politics. He wa
o n warm friend of Tilden, and is said to hay,
h contributed large sum to the Tilden cam
@ paign fund. He would not hesitate to Civ
0 100000 to elect to the presidency man h
i liked, and there is no doubt he was badl,
r stuck on Tilden. do not know who he j
Il for now!
n "He is taking a very lively interest in fin
j stock nowadays, and on his farm he has a
g least hundred head of blooded racers He i'm
ported stallion from France last year tina
cost him $33, 900 ON the other side. He is 55 or
wears old and although very liberal in hi