Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1885-04-25
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.


tierom Our Regular Correspondent
President Cleveland has had much
hand shaking as usual to do this
week, and unless some one shall soon
invent and patent an automatic presi-
dental bend SHAKER there viii be need
OF a deputy or assistant president to
perform this duty alone. Negro dele
CATIONS have predominated at the the
White House this week. The bishops
and pastors of the African Methodist
Conference called upon the president,
and their foreman made an introduc
tory address which was nearly as long
as sermon. The same day Mr. Cleve-
land with his Cabinet reviewed the
emancipation procession of colored
people, which passed before them as
they stood on the front portico of the
presidential mansion.
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 remark
able 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 de-
partment or a bureau of adepartment
here in Washington with the current
work up to date. lis not uncommon
to find offices months behind, and
some of them even longer than
months. Whenever anything of this
kind has happened little success has
attended efforts to even up the bust
ness. Sometimes, it is true, this has
been occasioned by much extra work
imposed on force not quite sufficient
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
overhauling of the different bureaus
and the discharge of idle and incapa-
BILE clerks of both sexes, who have
heretofore relied upon political influ-
ence to keep them IN place. 1t will
demand the retention of good servants
and the displacemet of bad and the
general recognition that days work
must be given for days pay.
An occasional howl OF rage in the
Republican morning paper announces
that the official head of Republican
worker has fallen into the place of
wailing and crashing 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 little 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 discharging a class of Re-
publicans who are VIGOROUSLY unfit
for their places; but these should re-
fleet that it requires time to select the
proper substitutes, and consider the
tremendous difficulties that confront
the administration. There are knotty
legal questions to be considered in
the matter and the manner of remov-
ais. 1t would be just us reasonable to
substitute full force of new employees
in watch factory at a single stroke as
to contend that the President should
at once turn the republicans out and
replace them by Democrats.
Tho committee on economy
which is inquiriug into the methods
of business in the Treasury depart
ment 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 bu-
reaus," said one of the committee to-
day, land as it is our intention to 90 |
right into everything, we cannot rush |
things through in hurry"
With the entrance OF new admin
istration there WAS naturally consider |
able interest felt in society circles as to |
the ladies of the cabinet and their |
characteristics. From all accounts the |
impressions formed by contact with
Miss Cleveland and the ladies who will
for the next four years, be prominent
factors in the social world, are of the
most flattering description. Some of
the ladies of society here paid particu-
lar attention to noting the effects of
the new element and their verdict
was that society was in safe hands and
no disagreeable frictions would occur.
Washington, April Goth, 1885