St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1885-05-30
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From our Regular Correspondent
MAY 18th, 1885.


their Washington correspondent is no
friend of the Republican Office holder
For the last ten years | have been try
ing to have him discharged, and for the
last eight years | have considered him
and written of him as no better than a
thief, who, like r. B. Hayes, drew the
salary of another man. The only diff
ference is that these office holders have
been drawing their fraudulent salaries
for eight years instead of four, or ever
since the voice of the country discharg-
ed them by the election of Tilden. But
notwithstanding | am anxious to see
Republican office holders go, cannot
join in the pretty common denunciatioD
of the new Administration because it
has not completed its four years mission
in ten weeks. To me it appears re-
markable that so much has been accom-
plished in so little time and can ac-
count for the denunciation of the So
called tardiness of the administration
only on the supposition that those who
denounce know nothing of what task
fore them. Ten weeks ago the Presi-
dent found himself at the head Of
ponderous and complicated chaos of
governmental machinery intimately
connected with the interests of 60,000,-
900 of people and handling S300,000,000
per year in the transaction of public
business. He was without experience
in National affairs; had not been in
Washington until he came as President.
1t is not remarkable that he spoke in
his inaugural address Of the painful
sense of responsibility with which he
undertook the stupendOus work. 1t
would be very easy for him to dawdle
through his term and pose as President
like his proper and respectable prede-
cessor. But the time demanded differ
ent work from him-the work of re-
forming and simplifying vast and de-
moralized bureaucracy and reducing it
to an honest business basis. Tenweeks
, have passed and much has been accom-
plished. A large number of the civil
service bureaus have been filled with
good democrats and with good men.
To the. unrefecting million this may
have seemed an easy task, but when it
is remembered that the time Of the ad-
ministration has been occupied by bat
talions of delegations pressing rival
candidates, by Office seekers single, and
office seekers in mobs, all good demo-
Gratis SO called and beautifully endorsed,
it is remarkable that time has been found
to make the best selection. Most peo-
pie l presume, are aware that the mere
fact of having voted the democratic
ticket does not fit man for Office where
he must perform promptly and credita-
bly, a class of work about which he
knows nothing more than he does of
thee Russian language. When Mr..
Cleveland came into Office, the first con-
sideration was, using an old figure, to
keep the ship of state sailing smoothly
and effectively, making the best time
and preserving the precious freight of
men and merchandise. Revenues had
to be collected. The army, the navy,
pensions, the courts, and a vast civil list
had to be paid the books must be kept
and ten thousand incidental processes
recurring skill and experience had to be
minutely carried out. The President
and his Cabinet and his party were I'M
skilled and inexperienced in executive
affairs They have as yet only a gener-
AL idea Of what they have to do, and
what can be done. It is not anything
to the disparagement OF many of the
bureau officers that have been appoint
ed to say that they are helplessly de-
pendent upon their Republican subor-
dinates in Office for information in the
commonest details of their official duty,
They are at the head of the Bureaus
vast Offices employing from one hun
,dred to six hundred clerks, and yet they
know less than any of these clerks
about the routine of the bureau.
It would then seem to be not just the
time to discharge these clerks who
however bad politically and personally.
have skill upon which the new Ad.
ministration will be dependens for 3
time, and nothing would be more rast
and ruinous than to fill these offices al
once with unskilled men. The post.
offices throughout the country are diff
ferent class Of Offices and they are being
filled at the rate of about 100 per day
ar inst aa rani1ly nc thn pne+nroefo-