South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1884-12-05
Letter from Washington.
From Oar Regular Correspondent.
Washing ton, ID. c., Dec /

Washington, ID. c., Dec 1.
The business of cabinet.makipg for
Mr.. Cleveland 10 beginning 20 he decid.
edly active. and viii doubtless, continue
80 until The day of the new Presidents
Inauguration. am very well satisfied
that Mr.. Cleveland has q good many
surprises in store for those gentlemen
OF The party Who have been in The habit
or arrogstiag to themselves all the cre-
dit for party success. There are to be
no representative Democrats Il the all
urian period in tie Cabinet, such as Mr..
buchanan surrounded himself With, but
men OF activity, and decidedly progress.
i've nnti0ns-men, too, who have taken
the aggressive in this Presidential cam.
paign and developed the wonderful vi
tality Of what was assumed 10 be NOR
ibund political organization. l am also
persuaded that whatever Of diff. renee
oil sentinel. that may have occarre 1 the
other day on the occasion Of Mr.. Hen
drick's visit TO the Presldent.slcct. a.
rose FROM this very question Of 6lling
the Cabinet with this mass OF fossil;zed
"reminiscences. Tie President is a
young man himself-tLe youngest we
have ever bad. save Mr.. Pierce-and he
very naturally would prefer to ssleci for
his advisers men nearer To his own age
than any of those who have been prom
inently named as being morally certain
OF Cabinet appointment. As il is not
likely that eve.i Mr.. Cleveland himself
las given the constitution of his Cabinet
tho't, it is not more likely that We shall
know anything about it until the names
are actually forwarded to The Senate for
confirmation.
Political econom.s S have gone lnto the
mathematics Of tie Pension Office and
find that we shall be paying PENSIONS
with good deal OF alacrity seventy
years hence. The war has been over
for twenty years, but the retrogression
of the pension roll has been anything
but in keeping with the natural decrease
OF that large class Of our population. In
fac. few die. and mono allow the IN elve,
TO miss the quarterly pay cay. Since
1861, a little more than a m Iii ON claims
have been filed with the Pension Office,
OF which just about one-half have alrea-
dy been allowed, and last year we went
into an outlay Of fifty millions Of
dollars to meet the pension demand,
though it should 10 said that thirty
thousand ofthese last years pensioners
were back pay claimants under the ar
rears act The actual increase of the
pension II was nnLeen thousand and
seventy-eight, and reg lar steady aug
mcntation is aud has been about one
tn, usand five hundred new claimant per
month. The whole number OF pension.
eis who are actually i'll receipt Of pen.
sions is not so large as has often been
stated, the aggregate being 322, 756,
which includes the widows, children, REL
atives. navy invallds, &C., TO say nothing
OF the survivors ofthe old wars and their
widows.
The Commissioner Of Indian Affairs
makes bitter complaint that the Govern
ment is not expcn,iing money enough
upon its copper colored wards, and says
that their civilization must be postpon-
ell until the nation gets really 10 meet
the great necessity OF their education.
While the Lord helps those who help
themselves, we are decidedly Of the o.
iinion that there is TO be no departure
from that intention so long as the IT,
dian prefers TO remain the dirty, lazy
lout :hat nc now is. Every dollar that
is spent upon the fellows before they
evince desire 10 become civilze !, is
60 much robbed from the American PEG
pie TO he thrown away upon poker-Jack
and cut throat euchte. PHONO.