St. Landry democrat., 1884-01-05
WASHINGTON LETTER. 81
DECEMBER Gath, 1888.
From orr Regular Correspondent.

ago to look over the morning mail OF a
prominent western Senator. He re-
ceives daily over one hundred letters
on every conceivable subject; offering
praise. advice, making requests for
places, for bills, books, department err
rands, speeches, seeds, plants, foreign
papers, etc. ETC., but the greatest num-
Der were from ex-soldiers concerning
pensions or demanding new laws on the
same subject The Senator in question,
aims to read all his letters but it would
consume all his time to attempt to at
tend to the demands personally. His
Secretary, if he happens to have one,
must do that. And it keeps him busy.
The idea Of making Members of Con-
gress in Washington agents for their
constituents is ridiculous one. But
almost every district las wealthy men
whose interests are engaged here in
some way. These men do not scruple
to ask favors of their representatives
and the latter do not dare to refuse their
demands. The consequence is that the
legislative duties Of a prominent mem
Der are mere bagatelle compared with
his correspondence and official errands.
His desk in the House is his Office in
epitome. He works there at his writ
ing and only on rare occasions gives at
4ention to what is going on, the business
for which he is sent here.
The resolution offered the other day
to remove the desks from the Hall OF
Representatives, is step in the direc-
tion of needed reform. The inattention
to what legislation is in progress is a
burning shame, and an impediment to
business. Members do not try to un-
derstand public questions. II any
doubt suggests itself they oppose an OBJ
lection and the bill or measure looses its
chance, perhaps for good. There are
more measures slaughtered because of
5nattention than for any other reason.
1t is an easy way to meet the burden OF
public duty, but it is by no means the
best way. / think that the idea Of re-
moving the desks so that Members will
have to attend to what is gong on, is a
good one, and when the public come to
.appreciateit, it win be demanded. Ger
tainIy something should be done to keep
Congress from idling away its time or
devoting it to purely personal and ex-
6raneous matters.
Ithas been commonly reported that
", =, F,,rr ,,Is,,i he q ~, araotad
very large residence ii Washington.
Some people have wondered why his
name has not, appeared in any of the
lists of tax payers. The explanation as
given to me is that Mr.. Blaine bought.
his building lot from Hon. William
Walter Phelps; that he has never had
his deed recorded, and that he now pre-
fers to have the whole property stand in
Mr.. Phelps name. Mr.. Phelps is taxed
for about S150.000 Consequently no
valuation of the Blaine mansion appears
IN the tax list.
The object of the bill recently intro
adueed IN the House to examine all the
clerks now in Office is said to be to
create vacancies in order to fill them BY
civil service methods, and thus insure il
possible d performance Of the reform.
Forit Is clear to all here that the en-
eieavor to divorce department appoint
ments from politics has. had the appear
aace Of being d little more than a device
20 keep Republicans in Office. Should
"a Democratic administration come
into power in March 1885 it would find
that less than 10 per cent Of the i've or
six thousand classified employees in the
departments have entered through the
non partisan methods OF the civil ser
vice law the other nine tenths being
the appointees of Republican admins
trations for political reasons mainly. It
would in fact, take d good many years
at the present rate of progress to bring
the departments into such state as
would offer no excuse for wholesale re-
anovals to a Democratic administrat
The civil service act has been in force
nearly ten months, and yet there are
not much above a score OF appoint
anents to its credit in all the depart
1nents together.
The men and women who look with
peculiar dread upon the passage of such
q law are those who are retained or
have been appointed for sentimental
reasons. There are hundreds of such.
The class includes men and women who
have grown old in the service and have
Uassed the age of efficiency those who
have been appointed because they had
failed ia other walks of life, such as
H3rokeil merchants, dismissed Army and
Navy officers, Se., widows OF deceased
soldiers, sailors, and politicians, secured
from absolute want by their places.
such people are least likely to pass an
asvarair1atlan which is at all searching,