The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1884-06-28
WASHINGTON LETTER.

From our Regular Correspondent
WASHINGTON, D. c.. June 26, 1884.
The developments that have been
made recently that involve the cupidity
and corruption of several government
officers. simply demonstrates the present
condition of Washington society. The
pay of no officer, civil or military, is
adequate to the demands made upon him
for the maintenance of any sort of social
status, and to resort TO the commission of
crime becomes necessity simultaneously
with the taking up of residence at the
capital. By this am not to be under
stood as saying that all who stand well in
Washington society are thieves, though l
might say that thieves are among those
who hold the highest social rank, and
some of them are absolute satellites in the
galexy of snobdom.
The republican party leaders have
given out word that they are Furnishing
their own thieves as fast as they find them.
rapidly that they are getting good ways
ahead of the party. Close upon the heels
of Burnside, the Discussing officer of the
Post Office Department, came batch of
rascals connected with the Navy Depart
ment whose pilferings have just been dis
covered, and now the State Department
shows up some good strokes of grand lar
ceny aggregating some thousands of dol
lars, committed by Col. Morgan. How
ever, Morgan is dead, and the government
is saved the expense of q trial and acquit
I'll. don't know what an ordinary bus
mess man would think of himself or what
he would think of any other ordinary
business man who should let his financial
agents 60 on collecting and discussing
money from year to year for years at a
time without examining such accounts to
see how he was standing with the world.
Yet the government is doing this very
thing all the time. Here was Burnside
drawing money from the government as
often as he wanted it, and in such sums
as the caprices of oil stock would
dictate. He discussed money for
the government, but to whom,
for what amount or for what pur-
pose, nobody can find out, for nobody
has kept any record of it. Since 1881,
Burnside, has regularly made sales of the
waste paper, Irvine, sacks and other con
demned property connected with the post
office department, realizing therefrom
more than $1,000 per year, not a dollar
of which has ever reached the Treasury
nor whisper of inquiry from any source
as to the disposition of the proceeds Of
the sales of public property! 1t is theI
serious question as to which is the mos
culpable in the carrying on of this system
of government spoilation, the men who
do the stealing. or the men whose business
it is to prevent it, who stand by and see i
done without making The slightest effort
to stop it2
Although Washington people can TAXI
no hand in the election of president, thel
manage to get up more enthusiasm ovel
business that belongs to other people
than is consistent with sincerity Natur-
ally enough they don't care a straw
which party elects its president, if he is {
good provider and spends lots of money
in the dry goods, jewelry and furniture
shops. They have holy terror hanging
over them necessarily, from the though
that another Hayes may get into thu
White House When Grant was there
he and his family patronized the Wash
ington stores necessarily, and Washing
ton people will all declare that Grant wa
the best president that the country eve
had. Hayes was the worst we ever had
because Mrs. Hayes went to New York
whenever she desired to invest in a new
paper of hair-pins. Arthur buys nothing
in Washington that he can get in New
York as well, and that is the reason tina
his postmaster here was the only frient
that he had at Chicago from the Distric
of Columbia. If Washington people hac
the selection of the president, Ben Butte
would hold the Office perpetually, for frs
and last Butler has done as much for tn,
city as any man in the contry, save per
haps BOSS" Shepherd who, in conjunc
ton with Grant and Butler has mad'
Washington one of the most magnificen
cities in the universe. Shepherd wa
gotten rid of all too soon, for had h