Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1884-06-24
COrrnptiOns at Washington.


Day after day corruptions and defalca-
tions in the administrations at Washington
are being discovered. The number and
amount may never be known, most certain
ly not unless there be change of admins
tration, by putting the Republicans out
of power. AS the Inder-Appeat says, the
defalcation last dicovered in Washington
may be very large or very small, and may
go back twenty years or only few months.
If it is ofrecent beginning, the employees OF
the office in which it occurred were Of more
than an average degree of honesty, for, &C
cording to the reports, the opportunity has
been before them for many years.
Some months ago the rottenness OF the
department of justice was shown through
testimony brought out by Mr.. SPRINGER
committee. There had been absolutely no
check upon the swindling agents OF the de-
partment who carried on system OF plum
der which respected neither the government
itself nor the people who were unhapplly IN
the power of United States marshal or a
deputy marshal. Incidentally, twas made
known, too, that officers or attaches OF the
internal revenue bureau in the south were
committing great frauds. One exalted Of
ficer of the government went so far as to
say it was a wonder the southern people did
not treat these revenue agents as public en-
emies. Next Col. BURNSIDE, of the post
office department, becomes a defaulter to
the amount of $4,000. 1t seems that for
merly the funds in his charge were so pro-
tected by department regulations that he
could not steal them, if he tried, but in the
general looseness that prevails in all de-
partments at Washington the barrier was
brushed away and he was allowed to take
all he wanted. And now comes the navy
department robbery, the extent of which as
we say above, is limited only by the dispo-
sitions of the thieves. If they were greedy
thew have stolen half million or SO if
easily satisfied, much smaller amount has
been taken.
Here are four departments of the govern.
ment-the treasury, justice, postoffice and
navy-in which outrageous robberies were
being perpetrated at time when, one
would think, the star-route developments
have made every official careful.
What is wanted at Washington is change
of administration, not from one'set OF repub-
licans to another set of republicans but
| from republicans to democrats. Any re.
publican who becomes President is in some
sense under obligation to continue i'll place
the force of men who are in the departments.
This is most especially true of Mr. BLAINE.
great portion of whose strength in the re-
publican states comes from the fact that he
has for ten or twenty years been the idol OF
three fourths of the small place holders at
the capital. These men in their annual Wis
its TO their homes, in their correspondence
with friends, in every way that was posi-
BILE, have perpetually sounded the praises
of BLAINE until it almost appeared to the
| deluded farmers of the north and west that
ehere was nobody in Washington but
BLAINE. The election of the Maine politi-
clan, therefore, is pledge of security to
those who now occupy government desks at
Washington, and will put off indefinitely the
time of much needed reformation.