The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1885-07-01
Washington Letter.
WASHINGTON, June IS, 1885

Editor Herald:
The new Cabinet officers and the
Chiefs of Bureau under them are very
much embarrassed by their inheritance
Of asylums for the aged, blind and deaf
The Government offices are these
asylums, and there are i'll them hun
dreds Of superanuated men and women
who do actually no work. They. were
not remarkable for energy and effi-
cheney even in their prime. Now they
are sans eyes, sans ears, sans everything
but pocket. They go to the Depart
ments day after day as has been their
custom for years. They sit at their
desks and do nothing, but once month.
when pay day comes, they are each
handed one hundred dollars I'm crisp
new notes. l have in my mind an old
man both blind and deaf, who is daily
brought to and taken home from the
Patent Office by members of his family
in order that lie may draw the pay he
is absolutely incapable of earning. If
these superanuated people should be
discharged, they would doubtless die
from the shock. and more or less suf-
fering would be entailed upon their
dependent families. But it Is never
theless a gross wrong to the tax payer
and subversion of the purposes of the
Civil Service to make the Government
offices an asylum for this class. The
Government pays thousands of dollars
yearly for rent of offices, and the
rooms of many Departments are over
crowded with desks. 1t would be in
the interest of economy to pay these
old and helpless people to stay away
from the Departments so that compe-
tent men might be placed at the desks
which they only cucumber.
There is another class that ought to
be discharged. The Departments were
filled with pretty women by system
fostered and practiced by the Republic
can PARTY. There is not Republican
Senator or ex-senator who has not
lovely prOteges, and some of them
have dozens, in the Government ffices
here. They Were not appointed under
civil service rules, but in direct contra
ventiOn of civil service principles
because they were pretty and helpless,
or because they were sisters, cousins,
aunts, and mothers-in-law. To say
that they are not efficient is putting il
very mildly. Ten good clerks, such as
are found in the business houses of the
city can do more and better work than
one hundred of these women, and will
be glad to do it for less pay than the
women receive. The fact Is that the
civil service has been most shamefully
run down at the heels as well as at the
head during the long ascendency of the
party of moral ideas and Loose practices
During the last three and q hall
months great progress has been made
in the neglected and belated work o
many Government offices, but the bes
results cannot be hoped for until radi-
cal changes have been made i'm both tn,
men, women and methods of the wors
demoralized civil service under tn,
sun.
Proof that a new era has opened il
National affairs is seen every day here
The last Republican Senate succeeded
IN passing subsidy bill of $500, 900 il
favor of the Pacific Mail Steams hiI
Con. Mr.. Villas has been looking int
the subject, and he finds that the pres
ent rates paid for the mails are ample
As the act of Congress is not mands
tory, but merely gives him permission
to spend the money, the p. M. Genera
will, with the approval of the Presi
dent, expend not one cent of the appro
priatiOn. This will be very fatiguini
and nauseating to the Pacific Steam
ship lobby, but will save the tax payer
the sum of 100000. This is only on
instance. But wait until the account i
made up at the end of Presiden
Cleveland's term. There will be litera
"milliOns in it" saved to the country.