St. Landry democrat., 1885-05-02
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From Our Regular Correspondents

and unless some one shall soon invent
and patent an automatic presidential
hand shaker there will be need of a
deputy or assistant president to per-
form this duty alone. Negro delega-
tions have predominated at the White
House thiss week. The bishops and
pastors of the African Methodist Con-
ference called upon the President, and
their foreman made an Introductory adj
dress which was nearly as long as a
sermon. The same day Mr.. Cleveland
with his cabinet reviewed the emancipa-
tion procession of colored people, which
passed before them as they stood on the
front portico of the presidential man.
sion.
In the Departments the work goes
bravely on, and to those who know the
past condition of the Departments this
is saying a great deal. A remarkable
change has come over them. The clerks
are all doing real work, and surprising
everybody and especially themselves.
For several years past it has been very
unusual to find department or bu-
reau of department here in Washing
ton viii tbs current work up to date.
It is not uncommon to find offices
months behind, and some of them even
longer than months. Whenever any
thing of this kind has happened little
success has attended efforts to even up
the business. Sometimes, it is true,
This has been occasioned by much extra
work imposed on force not quite suffi-
cient in numbers, but generally it has
been due to inefficient and lazy clerks,
whose interest in the payroll over
shadoWed completely their concern in
the work of the Government. Changes
now going on indicate that this hap
hazard way of doing business has had
its best days. Those Departments and
Bureaus which are behind with their
accounts and reports are to catch up
with the current business, and when
that is done each days work is to be
finished each day.
This is as it should be and is just
what every well-regulated house would
have done by its own employees. 1t will
necessitate, of course, thorough over
hauling of the different bureaus and the
discharge of idle and incapable clerks
of both sexes, who have heretofore re-
lied upon political influence to keep
them in place. It will demand the re-
tention of good servants and the dis
placement of bad and the general recog-
milton that days work must be given
for days pay.
An occasional howl of rage in the Re-
publican morning paper announces that
the official head of Republican worker
has fallen into the place of waiIing and
gnashing Of teeth, but as yet this good
work has hardly begun. There will be
more of it anon and if the Republican
paper is going to howl about such lit
tie thing as chopping off official heads,
it will have to issue double sheet and
an extra edition.
Some Democrats are impatient at the
delay in dischaTging class of Republi-
cans who are notoriously unfit for their
places; but these should reflect that it
requires time to select the proper sub
stitutes, and consider the tremendous
difficulties that confront the Admins
tration. There are knotty legal ques-
tions to be considered in the matter and
the manner Of removals. It would be
lust as reasonable to substitute full
form of new employees in a watch fac
tory at a single stroke as to contend
that the President should at once turn
the republicans out and replace them
by Democrats.
The COMMITTEE on economy" which
is inQuiring into the methods of busi-
ness in the Treasury Department will
be engaged for some weeks, perhaps
months. before they are ready to report.
"Thus far we have simply scratched
around in a few of the bureaus" !" said
one of the committee to-day, "and as it
is our intention TO go right into every
thing, we cannot rush things through IN
q hurry
With the entrance of new Admins
tratiOn there was naturally considerable
interest felt in society circles as to the
ladies of the Cabinet and their charac-
teristics. From all accounts the i'm
pressiOns formed by contact with Miss
Cleveland and the ladies who will, for
the next four years, be prominent fac
tors in the social world, are of the most
hattering description, Some of the la
dies of society here paid particular at
tention to noting the effects of the new
Al,.,s.. AhnA