San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1885-09-10
WASHINGTON LETTER.
WASHINGTON. Sept. 4, 1885.

will arrive IN Washington before th'
10th Of September, which is earlie
than he was expected.
"There will DO big cleaning on
soon after the president returns,
said an official in tho treasury de
partment yesterday. "The commit
tees that are examining things herr
will recommend many dismissals
There is n great deal of dead timber
that will be cleaned out The motor
of this administration is that things
should be run in a simple and eco
nomical way, and that no more peo
pie should be employed than are nee
essary to do the work.
1t is said the United States Senate
on meeting in December, will inau
gurate much retrenchment in the
way of cutting down the number and
pay of employees, the object being to
''steal tho thunder" of the admins
tration.
In political circles here the demo
Gratis are highly pleased at the course
of the republicans of Ohio and Iowa,
in "falling back upon the bloody
shirt" for u political issue. The dem
ocrats do not believe that the masses
in the north can be stirred again by
sectional appeals. An Ohio demo.
crat said to-day: IF the Ohio canvass
is fought out in accordance with
Senator Sherman's keynote it will
disgust many members of that party
SO that they will stay away from the
polls. Sectionalism was buried in
General Grants grave. Why, at the
recent Grand Army reunion ex-Con-
federates were present by special in
vitation. The people of Ohio con-
slider the war over, and if the repub-
licans make their fight on old war
issues we will beat them certain. -
Other democrats talk in the same
strain. They do not conceal their
qualification at what they consider a
blunder on the part of the republican
leaders of Ohio and Iowa.
The secretary of state will have the
sympathy of all Americans, and espe-
cially of all who have travelled abroad,
in his efforts to improve the tone of
our consular service. But the radi-
cal evil can only be remedied by con-
gress. At present salaries in that
branch of our service are absurdly
small. The consequence is that the
occupants fall INTO three classes {:
First, the impecunious, who are glad
to take anything; second, rich people,
who are DESTROYS of social distinction
and are willing to take place for what
ever honor may go with it; and third,
ignorant persons, who imagine that
there is much more money and glory
in q consulate than the facts warrant.
A fourth class might include invalids
who have nm idea that a particular
climate may benefit them, and who
take Office in order to have liveli-
hood and easy occupation in their
search for health. Out of these four
classes our foreign consular service is
mostly recruited, and must continue
to be until congress secs fit either to
abolish the system or attach proper
and sufficient compensation to the
offices.
1t is familiar trick of politicians
and others to sign all applications for
Office presented to them, even if they
know the office-seeker is unworthy,
and then resort, if need be, to private
representations in order that the APP
pointment be not made. By this
means they avoid making an enemy
of the candidate and at the same time
secure the failure of his hopes. To
Judge from the singing rebuke which
President Cleveland administers to
one Of this tribe, he regards such du-
plicity as heinous crime, which
should by rights bring one to the
penitentiary. Doubtless the presi-
dent has suffered greatly in the way
and SO writes with feeling.
The state department may now
have another Kelley on its hands in
the person of James Whalen, who
was recently appointed consul at Fort
Erie, opposite Buffalo. Whalen, it
appears, was an active Fenian in the
1856 episode, and on that account is
very obnoxious to the Canadian gov
A British diplomatic agent
mas been working on the case, and it
S said he has advised Whalen's rejec-
ion on his record. In that case the
state department may have a delicate
ask ahead of it. Whslen is a Buffalo
nan, a personal acquaintance of Pres