The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1883-11-14
Washington Letter.
(From Our Regular Correspondent

The announcement is. made tina
the United States Steamer Trento
leaves this morning for Newport hav
ing on board a jovial party consisting
OF Secretary Lincoln, Secretar
Chandler, Postmaster General Gresh
am, Commander Walker, and others
As it is about the middle of Novem
Der it, is to be hoped that this is th'
last junketing expedition of the sea
son, and that the pleasures of winte
life in Washington will be suffcien
to keep the President and his Cabine
in some sort of official connection
with the government for the rest o
the year. 1t is astonishing, by thu
way, to what proportions the shame
less practice of absenteeism has
reached under the present administra.
ton. The President was away the
better part of three months. The
Secretary of State visits Washington
so seldom that be is practically q
stranger here. Attorney General
Brewster has not spent three days in
Washington since last May, Secretary
Chandler has passed the summer
cruising up and down the coast; per-
haps he has been looking for our
navy, to take it in ont of the wet, but
he has certainly paid little attention
to the Navy Department. Secretary
Lincoln accompanied the President
out West, and has made weekly trips
away during the remainder of the
season. And now Postmaster. Gen.
eral Gresham though scarcely warm
in his Office is away to Newport for a
dash at fashionable folly.
l do not know but the ship OF
State founders on about as we'll with
out inefficient officers as with them,
that they prostitute their Offices and
waste the money the people pay for
their services seems bad enough, but
the worst feature of it all is the way
it is done. Here is a government
vessel for instance maintained for a
certain purpose. Without authority
or sanction these officials transfer it
to other uses; run it at the public
expense for their own pleasure.
Private cars or railway trains are
placed at their disposal by obsequious
companies who receive their reward
through advantageous legislation or
some sort of subsidy. For instance,
such as Assistant P. NJ. General Elmer
allowed to the Pennsylvania Co. for
q supposed increase in the weight OF
mails carriedby them, donating about
sS50,0O0 a year to them without ever
being solicited to do so. This will
pay for many private Cars and passes,
md is an example of how it is done.
The breaking up the coalition in
Virginia is the most substantial
'ictorysthe Democrats have gained
his fall. The result of the elections
q sat asaaa Sias66s IS G. ccmnaratiyely !,
aas been gained by the Democrats as a
New York is sure for the
Democrats in the Presidential cam
oaien no matter how local questions
may vary the majorities in OF years.
but the division which has existed IN
Virginia, and given the Republicans
two Senators, through a political
which divided the Demo-
Gratis against themselves, was a great
loss and menace to the autonomy OF
the party. To have recovered from
it and to sweep away the power OF
Malone is to defeat >lprever the
attempts of a Republican administra-
ton to buy ove a part OF the Demo-
cratic church South.
It should be more generally known
that Washington harbors a multitude
o fclaim agents who live by victimlzing
ex soldiers and their heirs.
The order of the Commissioner OF
pensions disbarring some OF these
agents from practice is only a partial
remedy. It was the intention OF the
authorities to prosecute some OF the
agents, but the pension Office il not
able under the restrictions of the law,
to give any help in this direction, 80
I suppose the cases will be abandoned
for want of sufficient proof against the
swindlers. The only thing seems to
be to warn the public against them
through the press. All of the officials
unite in recommendations to Congress
to make the laws more strict, but it
is a very difficult matter to provide
against the folly of fools. The govern
ment however should punish these
men; they have the evidence against
them in their hands, and should go
to the trouble and expense ofconVict'
ing them. Ii a few were sent to the
penitentiary it would end the conf
dence games played in the name Of
the government.
The railroad depots at Washington
+hoea dove remind one of the rush o.