The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1883-04-05
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From Our Regular Correspondents
WASHINGTON, D.. c.,
April . 1884,

Washington for a couple of weeks
past and at such times q very little
thing creates a sensation. The col
ored man Brown, who was recently
kicked out of a place in one of the
departments because he refused to
become the body servant of his su-
perior officer, has had a good deal of
notoriety. His chief required that
in addition to his regular duties as
messenger for the department he
should attend the said chiefs resi-
dence morning and evening to black
boots, make fires, shovel snow, groom
the horses, and such little trifes. AS
Brown was paid by the government
this arrangement would save Mr..
chief the expense of a servant. The
messenger, to use q slang term,
'kicked," and refused to do mental
service in the chiefs household
Then Brown was discharged. Fool
ish Brown! He should have attend
ed to the household duties and let
the department run itself. Then
there would have been no complaint.
Brown vas entirely too conscien-
tious. He ought to have known that
his first duty was to his chiefs fam
ily-not to the department. Every
officeholder in Washington entitled
to q messenger uses him 1.-THE mes
senger) as a private servant. There
may be exceptions, but I do not
know of any. Take the Supreme
court. Every n of the ninejudges
has his body servant paid for by the
government. The servant hangs
around the Supreme court a few
hours every day, but he devotes him.
self to the household of his particu-
lar judge, and he knows better than
to refuse to do whatever he is direct.
ed to do. Nearly every bureau and
department has its horses and car
riages. They I used by the Off.
cial's families shopping and social
purposes, and big livery bills are
thus saved. These abuses run
through every department ofgovern
ment. Congress is by no means ex
empt. Every chairman of commit
tee has his clerk or secretary paid
by the government. What does this
clerk do? Why, he attends to the cor
respondence ct the member and looks
out for his private letters, his seed:
and his documents, and draws hi:
salary from the government.
The list of names mentioned" fol
the vacant Postmaster G eneralshiE
is quite formidable as to numbers
and reads like an extract from 6
mortuary record. A couplet or two
from the obituary poet of the perioc
would make it complete. Nearly
every one of the gentlemen included
has "gone to meet" the politician
who were happily, ard let US hop'
permanently, buried under the av
alanche Of votes thrown upon then
last fall. There is Filley, and Win
dom, and Robson, and Ferry, ano
about q dozen ex-congressmen in thu
lot-all former leaders in the stall
wart ranks, whom it is taken foi
granted must be provided for by the
Executive in some way, now tina
the people have turned them out
One name among those suggested
deserves more than passing notice
not only because there is DANCE:
that the President may consider i
favorably, but because it is put for
ward under false p%retenses. Tha
is the name of Mr.. Hatton, who's
friends ask for his promotion in tn
name of civil service reform. Th'
essential principle of that reform a
regards promotion, is that it shall
be based on seniority and merit
The latter is Indispensable, and MI
Hatton has none of it. His open ant
impudent hostility to reform woulc
make his appointment an insult t.
public intelligence if it were mad
in the name of reform, and his mar
rowness, greed, and lack of any sens
of propriety in the office he holds Of
conclusive evidence of his brillian
unfitness for a higher position. Ye
it is believed that his chances ar
about first as matters now stand. Fl
is boss of the Administration orgal
here.
Crowds attend the S~tar-route tria
and the courtroom becomes so ST
fling at times that even Judge Wyli
is forced to complain. During tn
winter many ladies attended, amoni
them Mrs. Dorsey and a number O
her friends, but they have rattle
Trimmed out of late. New interes
was awakened this week, however
by the additional indictments found
The SLY Kellogg is caught at last
1t was generally believed that hi
escape from indictment a year ag
was through certain political inlu
ences, as his absence from the sen
ate would have broken the republi
can majority. There is much curl
osity felt here to see whether KeI
logg's usual adroit methods an,
brass-mounted assurance will pre-
vail to get him out of the presen
scrape. He has been heretofore fol
tunes favorite in the matter of gel
ting out of corners, but no man ca
be always in luck. The capitol i
undergoing the first of its semi-an
nual cleaning; the second occur
just before Congress meets. Til
next house of representatives wi
have to be slowed away like the pre-
verbal sardines in a box. The oil
desks in the house will be retained
but a new carpet will be necessary
The dead letter office is carrying
novel and entertaining plan into et
feet. A museum is being arrange
of all the queer things that lie ther
for years unclaimed. In that roor
the public will be admitted, bu
sightseers will not be allowed to pok
and pry and Peer and peck into ever
hole and corner of the Office, as the
now do. PHoNo.