The Delaware ledger. (Newark, Del.) 1879-19??, 1885-03-21
Things At The Capital.
WASHINGTON. Mar 10th. 1856.

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WASHINGTON. Mar 10th, 1885.
The new administration has not COM
menced with a revolution, but in the
twelve days of its power, sufficient
number Of changes have been made and
reforms inaugurated to furnish key to
its future. The new broom has been
ed in the White House, in the Treasury
Department, in the Interior, and in the
Department of Justice. In the litter Of
the White House, four clerks were found
whose services were deemed superfuous
and they were dispensed with. In the
Treasury Department forty supernumer-
aries were found and dismissed. In
the other Departments mentioned, the
| broom has as yet been confined to the
stables. Secretary Lamar and Attorney
General Garland have taken the iniative
| by reducing the transportation service to
the actual necessities Of their depart
ments. They propose to walk, and have
ordered a lot of horses, carriages and
wagons, hitherto paid for by the Govern
ment for private accommodation, chiefly
for carrying the families of officials
to balls, receptions, and amusements,
rather than for public use, to be sold at
auction. The proceeds of the sale are to
go to the Treasury, and u result of this
order will be the return to their legiti-
mate duties of seven employees who have
been used as drivers.
The guillotine work of the new regime
has made all of the government clerks
miserable. 1t has sent thrill of terror
through the sinecurists of the Depart
ments, and their name is legion. Hereto
fore Government clerks have had a feel
ing of security. But decapitation for
economic purposes was phase Of reform
undreamed Of With Civil Service pro-
testations now on one side and this terri
BILE example of retrenchment on the
other, they are in constant apprehension,
In the Treasury Department, where the
force is greatly in excess of the require
ments Of the work, employees are 30
badly frightened that they seek tempo
rary relief by going from one room to
another and comparing probabilities with
their friends. A clerk in the Secretary's
Office remarked yesterday that he hadn't
the nerve to open a new ledger, for he
did not know at what moment his dis
missal would be received.
The contagion of reform has extended
to the Patent Office also, where it is
greatly needed. The acting Commission
er says employees must work day and
night, eat their lunch in thirty minutes
time, and read no newspapers during
office hours until they catch up with the
work, which in the Patent Office is sew
eral years in arrears. On account of the
dilatoriness of the Patent examiners, APP
plicants for patents have often to wait
ten months, before their cases can be
attended to.
The office seekers are growing decid-
eddy impatient and cannot appreciate the
fact that it is impracticable to turn out
all the present force of Government
employees in one day, and run the Gov
eminent with raw recruits the next day.
Among the most active and persistent
spoilsmen are the men who we're beaten
at the polls in November last. The ex-
Representatives all expect something,
and they form very noisy and agrees
sive part of the throng Of Office seekers.
President Cleveland listens much of
his time, to the talk of callers. Many Of
them visit him to pay their respects,
while others, disregarding the publicity
given to his determination to give no
hearing to place hunters, have persisted
in pressing demand for Office.
Hon. James G. Blaine and President
Cleveland met for the first time last Fri
day evening, when the former walked
over from his residence to the White
House. The visit was brief and neces-
sarily embarrassing to both victor and
vanquished, but the popular comment
was that it was graceful act on the part
of Mr.. Blaine.
Secretary Bayard is experiencing con-
siderable difficulty in filling the place of
the Assistant Secretary Of State. He
thinks the office should be filled by a
man of the highest reputation, one equal
to any of the Cabinet officers, and it is
said he would like ex-senator Pendle-
ton to accept the position. Mr.. Pendle-
ton, however, does not regard the place
so highly and his friends say freely that
he would not have it under any circum-
stances. They want him to be Minister
Lowell's successor, and are working hard
to that end. He has been recommended
for the Paris mission, but the majority of
the Democratic Senators urge his ap-
pointment to the Court Of st. James, and
it is now believed that the Civil Service
reformer from Ohio will go there.
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