The south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1879-1883, 1883-09-18
WASHINGTON LETTER.

WASHINGTON, d. c., Sept. 10, '3S
Our neighboring city of Baltimor
is getting ready for another ''Oriole,'
and the streets of Washington arr
covered with advertising posters and
pictures, which local paper aptly
says constitute the best part Of th'
show. Baltimore is pretty good
own and generally does things VI
according to Hoyle, but there arr
several thousand people in Washing
ton who won't be fooled a secont
time in this Oriole business. Las
year the whole city turned out ant
endured the discomforts of jam OF
the trains going and coming and thu
crush of the crowds in the street.
and on returning home none could
tell what they went for, as nobody re.
membered having seen anything be-
yond the crowd. All these will b,
satisfied to stay at home and look al
the handsome posters OH the walls
this year. The purpose is to make
Oriole festivals to Baltimore what the
Mardi-Gras is to New Orleans, but il
is not likely to have the same interest
to outsiders. Still it is a pleasan
thing for Baltimore and her public
spirited citizens can well afford to
keep it up for her home amusement.
The pick-pocket and swindling fra.
ternity always reap harvest oil
such occasions and they are reported
TO be making plans for it already.
These gentry are not as plentiful i'll
Washington now as they were under
the old police regime, and robberics
and confidence games are remarkably
few of late.
Early last spring an enterprising ex
British naval officer opened civi.
service institute in this city. He
went to considerable expense i'll fit
ting up rooms and engaging teachers.
His institute was modelled after thost
in England. He met with poor en-
couragelnent, and now he has retired
in disgust from the field. "Tht
scheme commenced all right" he said
"and had hopes of building up a
profitable school. There are several
large institutes of the kind in London
and they all make money. The peo-
pie here are not educated up to the
idea yet. had large number of ap-
plicants at first, but they expected
too much Of me. To begin with they
wished to be crammed for the civil
service examinations, and asked me
to get them the official list of ques-
tions. 1 could only do this by brib-
ing some of the clerks, and, not being
in the bribing business, l refused to
do it. Then they thought ought to
see to it that they were all provided
with fat Office if they cOndescended
to take course at the institute
When the applicants found that
could only prepare them for the ex-
animation and could not guarantee
to get any of them positions in the
departments, they commenced drop
ping of. l have received hundreds
of letters from parties asking me to
get them clerkships. 1t has been the
common error that 1 kept an office
brokerage shop. | might have con-
tinued my school, Notwithstanding
these drawbacks, but l have become
convinced that the civil service law
is fraud as it now stands. Nearly
all the officials that l talked with
that the civil service regulations as O
huge joke. There is no need for my
school. To continue it would be on
ly giving color to the farcc.'
Generally speakinga a cemetery il
, not cheerful place TO spend holi
! day, yet there are circumstances
which lead people thither sometimes
in moments OF leisure. | spent al
idle hour the other day in visiting
for the first time, the Congressiona
e cemetery here. This is not. as man,
people suppose, Government insti
i tuition, although the Government ha
i purchased considerable portion o
it as last resting-place for thos
:. who fall in its service here in Wash
c ington. The cemetery is the proper
ty of Christ Church (EpiscopaD, an,
is one of the oldest in the city. Tn
Government lots stretch along th
: principal avenues, and their adorn
y ments. wretched-looking though the
j. may be, are the most prominent feat
e ures of the place. Among thos
2, whose remains lie here are two Vice
70 Presidents Of the United States
0 George Clinton and Elbridge Gerry
d Over The grave of the latter is good
d sized marble monument, erected b
t, order of Congress, and bear this ser
h tence from one of his speaches: %
II is the duty of every citizen, thong
n he may have but one day to live, t
devote that day to the service of hi
country" Over the dust of Vice
President Clinton is a m0numer
erected by his children, bearing thes
II words: ITO the memory of Georg
I. Clinton. He was born in the Stat
of New York on the 26th of July ,l73'
$ and died at the city of Washingto
u. on tho 00th of A Anril 1911 in the sci