St. Landry democrat., 1885-06-20
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From Our Regular Correspondent

u6 DuA VI HuA oGltA NShANS NA N@"~
goes on between the administration and
thes0ffice seekers. The tugging is to a
great extent among the Office seekers,
that is they tug against each other; but
the President has to hear the brunt and
suffer the wear and tear. He is, no
doubt, becoming very weary of the del
egations that pursue him relative to
comparatively unimportant Offices.
Perhaps no minor office has made great
er-demands upon his time and patience
than the Charleston South Carolina
.coIlectOrship. The rival delegations
have been persistent in their claims
upon his attention He told them last
week that they must agree to settle
this matter between themselves, and
that if they did not do SO soon, he would
be compelled to settle it in way that
!. would not suit any of the contending
factions.
The work of turning out the idle, the
incompetent, and the otherwise often
siye partisans goes on slowly but surely.
The term offensive partisan" is in the
mouth of every one here, and it is in
danger of being not only abused but
misunderstood. 1t should be known
that these discharged employees were
not cast out merely because they were
Jealous republicans, but because their
zeal in politics wholly interfered with
their duties as Government employees.
They are those who have been drawing
pay from the public treasury but per-
forming no public service, because their
time has been entirely taken up with
partisan work. While they we're doubt
less very important factors in the re-
publican organization, collecting cam
paign money, falsifyirg statistics,
skilled in the arS Of making the worse
appear the better" part "upon the
stump, and through the press" they
were the vampires of our political sys-
tenn, sucking its blood, and lulling it
with lies. Manv of them have been dis
charged and many more will be dis
charged. No matter who their sim
fluence" and backing may be, the time
has come for them to go into scandal
GUS retirement, and they will go.
It is not alone in the discharge of idle
and worthless partisans that this ad-
ministration is making itself memora-
BILE. There are other and perhaps more
important reforms going on. These re-
forms are not palpable and visible to
the unskilled eye of the public at large
but their cumulated weight will be seen
in the reports of Cabinet officers when
Congress assemblies next fall, in the
message of the President; and especial
" in the greatly reduced appropriations
that will be asked for the public service
for the next fiscal year.
Ii is we'll known that frauds upon the
revenue have long been practiced bS
imposters in connivance with custom.
house officials. So great had this evi
become few years ago that it wal
found necessary for Congress to appro
pirate 100000 to aid in the detection
and exposure of these frauds. But ever
this fund, designed as it was for th'
prevention of evasiOns and Irregular
ties, was soon perverted to as fraudu
lent uses as those which it was appro
Driated to correct; and it is matter o
notorious history that the greater par
of this hundred thousand dollars yea
went into the hands of disreputabl
gang Of political bummers in New York
Philadelphia, and other cities as re
ward for their partisan services. Her
was one attempted reform, but the mis-
fortune Of it was, like that of most he
publican reforms, that it was back
ward rather than forward step.
Such is but one of many greater ras
.calities in the customs service whlc
Secretary Manning, as practical busi
ness man, set to work to eliminate upo
his taking charge Of the Treasury DE
.partment; and how he has succeeded
best told in the language of prominen
Republican of this city to correspond
.ent of the New York Herald
81 have occasion, by the nature of m
work, to know what is being done !
the Treasury and by the Administratio
in the way of reforming long standin
and very grave abuses; and say
you that, in the important matter
which I am necessarily familiar witt