The Hartford herald., 1885-06-17
Washington Letter.
SATURDAY. JIrNE IL.

ABtteEs
SATURDAY, JUNE IL.
EtiifOr Herald:
The Republican clerks postmasters,
internal Revenue collectors, etc, who
have been discharged during the last
four months to be replaced d by Demos
crats. number more than is generally
known. The changes have been ~
gradual that the casual looker-on has
failed To note their total. The number
of revenue collectors is eighty-five /;
since the fourth of March about fifty
Democrats have been appointed to take
the places Of the Republican collectors.
Each collector has under HIM from fif-
ty to one hundred employees, and all
these are being constantly changed. IL
IL the same with the custom offices and
post offices Ii is no exaggeration tO
say that fully 5000 Democrats have
been appointed to office during Presi-
dent Cleyeland's administration. At
this rate only about sixteen months
will he required To change the entire
personnel of the Government, but the
probabilities are that changes will pro-
ceed much faster npw that the new
heads OF departments, bureaus and di>
visions have begun tO know their
ground. and feel less dependent upon
the old and trained. but tricky, Repub-
lican office. holders
The closing session of the conference
Of Charities was held here "Wednesday
night. The conference has held its
twelfth annual session here during the
past two weeks, and it has brought to-
gether many distinguished philanthro-
pist and specialists. Its meeting on
the management of prisons was at .
tended by President Cleveland, and il
was remarked that this was the first
time he had attended any public gath
ering, church excepted, since he came
to Washington. The assistant Secre-
tary of the Treasury, Fairchiid, made
an address before the conference, strong.
ly urging the establishment of postal
savings banks. He drew from bis ex-
perience of four years in the district at.
tornev's office at New York the terri.
BILE tale of suffering which followed the
wholesale closing of private savings
banks, and declared it to be his belief
that it WAS impossible for State or
national government to so supervise
private savings banks as to insure safe
ty to depositors. But there was no
good reason why the national govern
ment should not receive small deposits
through its post -oiiices, affording to the
poor man absolute security for his earn
ings, as is done by almost all H." civil
lied governments in the world.
In reply to inquiries 10y delegates, Mr.
Fairchild expressed the ,.......n that
the amount deposited should be limited
to a comparatively small sum, stating
that the largest sum received by any
government from single depOsitor of
this kind was 81 900 in England.
Secretary Manning has nder consid-
Grafton u plan for re-oT oTyanizing the sys-
tenn upon which the different sub.
treasures are now conducted. There
has been good deal of dissatisfaction
with that system in the past, not only
on account of the defalcations which
haye from time to time occurred, but also
because it results in withdrawing from
circulation and Keeping up vast sums
of money which the commercial chan
nels of the country might utilize. The
scheme which has been proposed by
Treasurer Jordan Is To abolish the SUBJ
treasury 50 far "a concerns its functions
as strOng-bOx, and to distribute the
the government money among the
first class banks of the cities in which
the sub-treasuries are respectively To-
Gated. Security will be exacted of the
banks in the form of United States
bonds, in the same way as the nationa
banks guarantee their circulation, and
upon scale that will give the govern
ment hundred or thousand times the
protection that it now enjoys.
The advantages of the scheme are OBJ
vious. The chances of defalcation are
reduced to minimum. The Govern
ment is relieved of all the enormous ex-
pense and risk of keeping charge of the
money. In addition, the operation of
the plan will be to confer conspicuous
upon all the cities involved
by adding many millions to their ac
tive capital. Furthermore. ii commu-
nicates to commerce and industry a
powerful impetus in this Infusion of
and industrial ife-blOOd-
thus stimulates every USE
full and benefcent enterprise.