Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1885-01-14
From our Regular Correspondent.
WASHINGTON LETTER.

Washington, d. c., Jan. 10, 'S5
The comfort that can be extracted
from Mr.. Cleveland's late delivercnce
on civil service reform is general, and
the disposition he is to make of the in
tense partisan employees in particular,
is of the most frigid character. 1t is
astonishing now to contemplate the
number of those now in Government
employ who have all along been Dem
Jcrats, the best sort of Cleveland men,
and who for months if rot years have
been dying for a change of admnistra-
ton. 1t is a tact, however, that the
contributions from the several thou
sands of Government employees here
were very small in amount as COM
pared with former campaigns, but the
boys are all kicking themselves mcrci-
lessly for not coming forward with
funds enough to save Mr.. Bainc's and
their own bacon.
The folly of both houses originating
bills upon the same subject is to be
somewhat sadly demonstrated in the
prospective defeat of both the Cullom
bill in the Senate and the Reagan bill
in the House, which provide for the
regulation of Interstate commerce.
The Culom bill will pass the Senate
tomorrow, and the Reagan bill will
pass the House some dav this week.
There is not much similarity in the
provisions of the two bills. 50 that it
is not more likely that the Senate will
pay the least attention to the Reagan
measure, than it is probable that the
House will take notice of the Cullom
production. The upshot of the bust
ness will be that neither bill will be
reached, and the railroads as usual
will come out first best.
1 really hope that the friends of Mr..
Springer, of Illinois, will convince Mr..
Cleveland of the propriety of having
such man in his Cabinet. If, as is
said, the new administration is to be
vigorous one. whose heads are to be
those Of virility, and whose muscles
are to be active and strong, then men
like Mr.. Springer cannot be ignored.
He is most mdetatigible worker, a
most profound student in the mazes of
craftsmanship, and best of all II man
who, in nearly a score of years of pub
lie life, has never had a charge of cor
ruptiop Or double dealing laid at his
door. As Secreteey of the Interior, or
indeed as the possessor Of any other
portfolio, Mr.. Springer would acquit
himself with acceptance.
have just come in from tour
through the departments, made for the
purpose Of satisfying myself that the
Government would be turned over to
Mr.. Cleveland in good shape next
March. l must say, however, that
evidences of niggardly appropriations
in the matter of the employment of
sufficient clerical force in some of the
departments were much too frequent,
especially in the Land Office and in the
office of the Sixth Auditor of the Treas
ury. In the latter bureau, which is
perhaps the most important of any con-
nected with the Treasury, the lamenta-
BILE want of clerical help must work in
jury to the public interest, inasmuch as
no amount of faithfulncss and devotion
to public duty will admit of proper
discharge of official functions, when
Congress refuses the necessary force to
prosecute them. 1t is the Sixth Au-
dilor who audits the most insignificant
as well as the most extensive of the
accounts arising out of the postal sys-
TEN. The postmasters, the route
agents, the mail contractors, and every
person connected with the Post Office
Department, large and small, undergo
the scrutiny of the Sixth Auditor be-
fore he can draw a penny from the
Treasury, and every dollar of the sixty
or seventy millions disbursed to carry
on the postal system in this great couu-
try, can only be disbursed upon his
certificate OF the Governments obliga-
ton, position which makes it pecu-
liarly necessary that his quarters should
not be circumscribed. PHoNo.
81 We have been waiting for q