Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1885-06-11
Our Washington Letter.
From Our Regular Correspondent


The shilly-shally stuff that is now
going about concerning Miss Cleyeland's
tremendous literary WORK, must be as
nauseating to her as it is to all sensible
people, or | have obtained wrong i'm
preston of the lady makeup OF course
she has the same right to get tout book
that Mr.. Blaine, or Job, or Mrs. Stowe
had, but the heralding Of the work in
advance as an achievement of literary
excellence that no American lady has
yet reached, goes to show to what depths
OF snobbery and obsequiousness the
journalistic mind will descend. If Miss
Cleveland has written good book the
world will be sure to know it, for its
merits will commend it. If she has
written poor one-and | am not going
to say that she has--even her relations
with the President as 'the first lady of
the land" will scarcely save her from the
terrible criticisms of those who know
poor work when they see it. Because
Mr.. Cleveland has suddenly become
great as a statesman and politician with
out previous experience or even ac-
quaintance with public men, it does not
follow that his sister should be stimuli
taneously endowed with that superior
literary ability that comes only as a gift
of something higher than back kitchen
newspaper reporter.
| would take occasion to call the at
tention of the proper authorities to the
condition of the Interior Department
building, better known as the Patent
Office. First, in sanitary point of
view, the building should be denounced
by the Health Department as an I'M
mitlgated nuisance. The corridors the
stairs from basement to garnet, and the
floors in many of the rooms are satur-
ated with filth that sends up its noisome
stenches from January to December,
with an army of lazy salary drawing
drones with nothing under Heaven to do
but to keep the building clean and make
1T fit place in which the public may
enter and transact its business. It is no
wonder that sickness and death have
visited hundreds of employees in this
building, and it is no wonder that the
appeal for fewer hours of confinement
IN 1t are so urgent and incessant. We
read with horror of the death-dealing
mlserles that overlook the prisoners in
the Black Hole of Calcutta, but the ter
rible visitation there was different from
that of the Patent Office only in the
period of suffering. Second, in the
matter of safety from the ravages of
fire. With no appliances for the ex-
tinguishment of fire at hand, there is
afforded every possible facility for just
such another confagration as that which
practically destroyed the Patent Office
IN the year 1877. In the file-rooms,
and indeed in every room where COM
bustible material is kept, men are often
seen smoking their cigars as compla-
Gently as they would smoke in the
streets, and if there is any rule to pro
hibit smoking, it is rule that is more
honored in the breach than in the OBJ
servance. There rooms contain the
records that involve the rights and prop
erty interests of millions of people, and
these people expect that every reason
able preeaution shall be taken for the
safety of the public archieves. | trust
that MIR. Lamar will lose no time in
formulating appropriate rules to meet
the emergencies we have alluded to, and
see that they are strictly enforced.
JUNIUs.
Washington. ID. G.. ,June Q 1SS5