The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-07-21
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From our Regular Correspondent

From our Regular Correspondent
WASHINGTON. ID. c., july 10, 1888.
To illustrate how much everybody is in
favor of civil service reform it is only
necessary to refer to the extraordinary
efforts that have been made to securely
fill all the offices before the new law went
into effect. There has not been such
pressure for appointments and promotions
in the departments for many years as that
of the last month or six weeks. The
heads of departments have been anxious
to provide for their friends, and the outs
were anxious to get in before the much
feared civil service system was put into
effect Members of Congress, ward po-
iiticIons and everybody who Imagined
that they had the slightest influence have
produced candidates either for appoint
meut or promotion The consequences |
that at the present time. there is not
vacancy existing in any of the depart
ments. A large number of changes were
made in the various divisions of the
Treasury department last Saturday-the
civil service law went into operation
Monday following and large force of
clerks were kept busy late in the day re-
cording the changes and filling out the
papers. Every possible vacancy in all
the departments has heen filled, and every
bureau officer has provided for his friends
and promoted the favored one under him.
And now that future appointments must
be made from the lists of the civil com
mission congressman will be relieved of |
one of their chief duties, or what has
been made one of their chief duties in |
many cases They will have little TO do |
about the department hereafter except to |
get anxious friends promoted They will |
have nothing to do with getting appoint |
merit unless they can manage to boss a |
favored party through a back window
when no one is looking. That will be
their limit
But while everything possible has been
done to anticipate the commission, ii is
mistake to assume that there will be no
vacancies to fill. Perhaps the number
will be small for two or three months,
but in the nearly six thousand clerkships
in all the Government offices here vacan-
cies are bound to occur from natural
causes. 1t is stated that from deaths
designations and dismissals for cause
more than fifteen vacancies occur weekly
10 the combined departments. This esti-
mate does not include the Increases or
reduction in the force made by special
acts of Congress. 1t will be seen, there
fore, that the civil service commission
will be called upon to name 720 persons
to fill vacancies which will occur during
the next twelve months. So they can
count on sixty month, and there is no
need to be discouraged. Considerable
merriment has been INDUCED about town
at the expense of a clerk in the office of
the civil service commission. A young
lady in the Census office wrote 10 the
commission for the blanks necessary to
make application for examination They
were forwarded in an envelope addressed
TO her at the Census Office" and it has
been questioned whether the clerk who
directed the letter had passed a compe-
tive examination in spelling.
If there is any place on earth hotter
and duller than Washington in July and
August, | don't know where it is. The
thermometer does not 60 so much higher
here than IN many other cities, but we
have such humid atmosphere that q
temperature of 80 or 80 degrees is almost
L., ii
with such cool night breezes at all times
as we would wish During the two
months mentioned the thousands of
Government employees take their annual
vacation. Of course they do not all go at
once, but they nearly all manage to get
away by turns. They have thirty days at
Government expense. The President
well understands the dullness in Washing
ton and the shadow of repose, that has
come over the Government business.
He stays at his pretty little Villa in the
grounds of the Soldiers Home nearly all
the time He never comes to the White
house before noon and day after day
passes without his coming at all. He has
telephone connection with the depart
ments and his own clerks, and disposes
of much business without attending per-
sonally. His experience last cabinet day
was rather funny. 1t was an extremely
hot day and the President drove a little
earlier than usual, as he had some things
which be wanted to consult the members
of his cabinet about before deciding.
Well, he went to his library and stayed
awhile. Then he went to his private
quarters and stayed awhile then he went
to the cabinet room and stayed awhile
getting little more impatient all the
while and scowling at the big engraving
of General Andrew jackson. He again
ran over his papers, looked at the marble
clock on his mantel, then at his watch,
and no doubt swore little in his mind.
Not a single member of the cabinet APP
peared. Out of all patience he had, at
last, ordered his coupe and was about to-
return to The Soldiers Home, when
Secretary Teller appeared with his Russia
leather portfolio under his arms The
President simply said: Mr.. Teller, there
will be no cabinet meeting to-day" 1t
seems that the Secretary of the Interior
was the only cabinet officer in Washing
ton, and yet the President didn't know
it. Even Mr.. Brewster was not here,
and yet his chief clerk says that the
Attorney General is never away from bie