The Daily Tombstone., 1885-10-23
WASHINGTON LETTER.
WASHINGTON, Oct. l9, 1885

MI. EDITOR: The Secretary of the Interior is again overwhelmed with office seekers. The spacious ante rooms and adjacent halls of the Inte- rior Department building are daily thronged with persons awaiting the opportunity of presenting their claims. Among them are many who were here during the first days of the administration, who, after fortifvtng themselves with additional endorse mcnts, have returned witb renewed energy to the contest. In fact, so per sistent have these persons been in urging their claims that the Secretary has found 1t necessary to close the building to visitors after two o'clock in the afternOoo,
 The Department of State has an idea. It is legacy left by the late Secretary, but MT. Bayard intends to have t carried into effect as soon as Congress meets 1t is scheme worthy 2 great mind, both iu concep- ton and execution. To put the mat ter ill nutshell, it is simply this The Department of State has become imbued with the idea that our consuls all over the world are making all the money they can out of their offices that fraud' and corruption stalks abroad, literally, and, in short, that financially, the diplomatic service is going to the dogs. Well, to correct this, the Secretary of State is going to appoint four examiners to travel the world over and investigate the various consulatcS. Their salaries are to be 5000 each and thcir travelling cy- pcnses TlO,OOO each per annum. What scramble there will be for those four offices. Fourteen thousand dollars a wear to spend, the world to see, and nothing under heavens to do. There rise before me visions Of special palace cars, splendid statcrOoms, ho- tels fit for royalty, purple, fine linen, and the fat of the land Really the Secretary is too good. Why not offer the positions without the salary? Any man who desires can easily save St,OOO per year out oi his travelling expenses of $27 per day, and the chances are that all of the examiners will do it ii they get d chance to try. Just fancy, ii this little scheme is carried out, the Secretary, ill filling the four offices, can take his pick out oi 2,O0o cx-Con gressmen, 30G0 judges, 4G cx-cabinet officers, HOOD majors and colonels, l16 college presidents, and about l0O-, 900 doctors and professors, or, at least |, all there are in the country. And why not? Even d member of the present Cabinet might be forgiven for laying down the cares and worries of office and going on his cOuntry's call on q four years pleasure trip to foreign lands, with $li.000 to spend. It is d grand scheme, anl onc which the public will commend. Our foreign representatives are paid such small pittancrs thev are very sclion. ale to live in style becoming ;Ecir rank and upon an equality with representa- tives of other great nations, and it would redeem our reputation abroad to keep four pleasure seekers con stantly on the road to the ture of $14,- 900 per year.
 The removal oi Judge Vincent, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Territory of New Menico, is the subject of much comment in official circles here Charges against resi- dents of tbc Territory in connection with fraudulent land entries are be- coming numerous, and the COmmis- sioner of the Land Office is likely to have his hands full.
 In the social world the necessary preparations and improvements are going forward in making ready for the season. The staple social events con tinue to be weddings, and several in high life are now on the tapis.
 The attendance at the Presiden'ss noon-day receptions continnc to in crease, and the plan of throwing open the entire suit of rooms of the first floor at the White House, in order to accommodate visitors, is being consid- cred. Among the callers on Friday last was au aged church deacon (col- ored), who has seen every President