Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-06-20
SIGNING AWAY THOUSANDS.
A Treasury Clerk Whose Life is vexed
by the Constant Sight of Checks.

by the Constant Sight of Checks.
WASHINGTON, June ia clerk in the
office of the United States Treasurer to-
day at four O'Clock threw down his pen
and exclaimed, II am going to ask to be
gwen other work. He was signing
checks for the payment of interest to gov
ernment bondholders. ''This work is too
discouraging. Here | have signed to-day
checks representing nearly a million of
dollars. l get 800 month and / sign
away millions every year. My pay is
enough for the work do. l don't grum-
ble about that, but it is the contrast that
gals Ame. 1t makes me discOn-
tented. Here is one man whose
check for his Quarterly interest amounts
to $4,000. | sign that check and get 800
a month. | say tits disheartening. am
going to ask for other work where | won't
be so everlastingly reminded of my pow
erty. 1t brings it home to me too strongly
that my life at least is one 'demnitiOn
hard grind l will go crazy if / stay at
this much longer" About the same ideas
most people would have under the same
circumstances.
The work of the commission to
establish a uniform rate for rail
way mail transportation does not
promise as well now as it did at first.
Nearly every railroad in the country has
presented its views and signifed its
hearty cooperation in the work of the
commission. They have submitted views
in writing, which make very good essays
on the subject, and which impart a good
deal of information i'm regard to railway
mail transportation. This is all very WELL
and is very interesting. But as the work
of the commission has progressed, it
shows very plainly that while the railway
essays on transportation are many and
able, still those corporations do not at all
enter into the spirit of the thing when
it is limited that it would be
good thing to reduce the amount of
money paid to them by the government
for mail carrying. They stop at that
point. The enthusiasm OOZes right out of
every pore. They have no suggestions to
make whatever as to how the government
can econOmize by curtailing their re-
ceipts. There they are dumb. The COM
mission has pretty well grasped that idea,
and is doing very little now. The result
of its work will certainly be to enlarge
existing knowledge of the railway mail
service, but there is not much chance of
any saving being accomplished in the
cost of the service.
in the tone of those Democrats who have
been so urgently crying out that the Demo-
Gratis of the next House must let the tariff
alone. 1t becomes palmer and palmer
every day that as the tariff is to be the
leading issue of the next campaign it is
necessary that the attitude of parties on
that subject should be drawn so distinctly
that there may be no lodging on either
side. There are plenty of wOuld-be
dodgers in the Democratic party as well
as in the Republican. The growing senti-
ment in favor of a fair tariff, or what Repre-
sentative Cox calls fair trade, is having its
marked effect. 1t is only the adherents
of Mr.. Randall in his contest for the
Speakership of the next House who say
let things alone. They know that Mr..
Randall can never be elected Speaker if
the majority of the next House intend to
do anything with the tariff. Therefore
they urge in season and out of season for
a feeling that will let things be. They
made some converts two or three months
ago, but are on the retrOgrade now. The
people and the wiser leaders are going
over to the side in favor of taking up the
tariff at the next session and making it
the direct issue. This could not be done
last session to advantage. Both Houses
were then Republican. But with one
House Democratic and the other Republi-
can it can be done to a nicely. The adhe-
rents of the do-nOthing policy say that
nothing new can be said on the subject of
the tariff, therefore why take it up again?
The tariff question is undoubtedly thread
bare as to speech making. That is not a
point which IS working with any effect in
the Democratic mind. What has and
still is influencing that mind is not a
question of what can be said about the
tariff, but what can be done. There is
going to be tariff legislation by at least
one of the houses of Congress at the next
session, and Mr.. Randall will not be the
presiding officer of that house.
The President, who always takes things
easy, is taking them very easy now. EX-
cept on the two Cabinet days a week, he
does not get into the city from the Sol
diers' Home, until about two O'Clock in
the afternoon, oftener later. He sees very
few people, and goes back to his summer
residence about six o'clock. He keeps
the place hunter at bay. The able bodied
politician who is here in numbers to
prevent this or that district being abolish
ed in the forthcoming internal revenue
consolidation, is asked to submit his views
in writing as general thing. He don't
argue very much in the Presidents ear.
All people have to take their chances of
seeing the President during the short
time he is at the White House. Only
personal friends and invited guests can
get into the Presidents cottage at the
Home. The President transacts very lit
tie public business. There is but very
little to transact. The bi-weekly Cabinet
meetings do not do anything much. They
seem to be held either out of Difference to
custom or to ascertain if any of the men,
bers of that august body have departed
this life since they last gathered around
the council board. POTOMAC.