Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1885-06-04
Our Washington Letter.
From Our Regular Correspondent

From Our Regular Correspondent.
The return of Gen. John A. Logan to
succeed himself as U. S. Senator from
Illinois, is the great political event of
the season since March 4th. As he is
an indefatigable worker, well acquaint-
ed with the political machine. and a
Republican of brains, backbone and
courage, he will be no deadhead from
this time on. Had Blaine been elected,
he would have bounced nearly all of
Logan friends. Logan in turn will
demand the removal of all who snubbed
him and coddled up to Mr. Blaine, and
will thus open the doors so that about
LOO voters employed as clerks in the
different departments, will be pointed
out to Mr.. Cleveland rs proper subjects
for rest. Their places in several cases
must be filled by Republicans, but as
general thing Democrats will come as
the Blainites go out. As the Senate is
Republican and needed in political
business. it has corresponding power
and privilege in naming clerks. The
great contest of 1888 has virtually be-
gun already, with Logan in the lead as
the coming Republican,
With all the machinery and accessor-
les requisite for the printing of postage
stamps, obtained at cost infinitely
greater than that incurred by any pri-
vate concern, the government is asking
for bids to supply the Post Office De-
partment with four billions of postage
stamps of various denominations.
Should any individual be guilty of
piece of folly so unequivocally stupid
as this, there would be no hesitation
about consigning him to some institu-
ton for the feeble-minded. However,
the syndicates in New York and else
where have somehow or other always
managed to get the best of the Govern
ment in these contracts, and the expen-
sive machinery might just as we'll as
not be sold for old iron. When the
contract for printing the Government
bonds few years ago was awarded to
the American Bank Note Company, it
was demonstrated that the Bureau of
Engraving and Printing could do bet
ter and finer work for about one-fourth
of the contract price awarded to the
company; yet, in the face of that fact.
the Treasury Department continued for
years to award the contract to the same
company. If this manner of doing
government business does not call for a
reform, perhaps it were better to farm
out every other species of government
work to private parties
That was very pretty broadside to
the civil service rules that was given by
the Interior Department the other day,
in the appointment Of clerk of class
four as "chief of division in the
General Land Office. That such an Of
ficer is not known to the law, made no
difference to the appointing power in
in this case, which, in its anxiety to
provide for the family, did not hesitate
to override the law. With this exceed
ingly shallow excuse for avoiding the
rules laid down in the civil service law,
we shall expect that chiefs of divisions
will be as thick as black berries in the
Land Office, and who as such. will be
fired OUT al iibitun, in order to Gre
ate vacancies for that hungry, and
''you may well suppose thirsty horde
who infest the corridors to so great an
extent that standing room only is
the admonition to the outside throng.
JUNIUs.
Wachin0 toO II ~ Nav 90 1903