St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1885-09-12
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From Our Regular Correspondent
Washington, D. c., Aug. 81, 1885,

arrive in Washington before the tenth
of September, this is earlier than he
was accepted, but it is quite probable
that he is now resigned to forego the
hardships of a fishing camp for the
luxuries of the Executive Mansion, and
the ear-piercing music of the mosquito,
for that of the Marine Band.
"That will be big cleaning out soon
after the President returns" said an
official in the Treasury Department
yesterday. "The committees that are
examining things here will recommend
many dismissals. There is a great deal
dead timber that will be cleaned out.
The notion of this Administration is
that things should be run in simple
economical way, and that no more peo-
pie should be employed than are neces-
sary to do the work.
One Of the officers of the United
States Senate who is in town at present
probably because it is pay day or some-
thing of that sort, is of the opinion
that when Congress meets in December
there will be such shaking up of the
pay-rolls and so much retreDchment
generally that the attaches of that lux
urious bed will be greatly surprised.
More than this, many of them Will be
compelled to walk. During the closing
hours of the last Congress the usual
flood Of resolutions authorizing the APP
pointment of all sorts of committees
for junketing trips during the summer,
with an unlimited right to draw on
the fund, were introduced. Some of
them, whose promoters were sharp
enough to get them in early, were
passed. But before many days the
pressure was SO great that the whole
thing was turned into farce. The
debate which sprang up over the vari-
Gus resolutions of the dignifed Sena-
tors who were making frantic efforts
to put some protege on the pay-rolls
for the summer with nothing to do was
ludicrous ut first, but before it was over
it became disgrace to the United
States Senate. Some of the cooler
headed Senators (whose clerks were
, already provided for) were smart
enough to see it. They called caucus
and after two or three angry meetings
smothered all the resolutions. They
went even farther. They appointed a
committee whose duty it should be to
hold meetings during the summer and
go over the whole ground in relation to
sinecures about the chamber with a
view to making q report in the fall,
which would bring about great many
remarks, and much retrenchment all
around. This committee has been hard
at work all SUMMER, and its report will
be made the basis of a little retrench-
ment and reform side show in imitation
of that which the administration is
carrying on upon such large and
stho.ough scale. 1t will also furnish
Republican Senators needed opportu-
nifty to worship this species of reform
most eIoquently with thesr lips, to put
themselves on record, and to roar
through the Congressional Record"
that they are the first, sole. and original
inventors Of Civil Service referm, that
they have broad patent on political
virtue, and that the reform of the pres
ent administration is but spurious i'm
itation and infringement. In political
circles here the Democrats are highly
pleased at the course of Republicans OF
Ohio and Iowa, in falling back upon
lthe bloody shirt for a political issue.
The Democrats do not believe that the
masses in the north can be stirred again
by sectional appeals. An Ohio Demo-
.crat said to-day: eff the Ohio canvass
is fought out in accordance with Sena-
tor Sherman's keynote it will disgust
many members of that party SO that
they will stay away from the polls.
.SectionaIism was buried in General
Grants grave. Why, at the recent
grand army reunion ex-confederates
were present by special invitation. The
people of Ohio consider the war over.
and if the Republicans make their fight
on old war issues we will beat them
certain. Other Democrats talk in the
same strain. They do not conceal their
qualification at what they consider a
lblunder on the part of the Republican
leaders of Ohio and Iowa.
-znn------
BATON RoUGE, La, May 9, 1885.