Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1885-08-20
OFFICIAL ABSENTEEISM.
Even RefOrmers Leave Their Desks

By telegraph to the N. Y. Tribune.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 1.-THE question
of official and clerical absenteeism in
the Government departments has been
constant theme of discussion for many
years. While the Republicans were in
power the Democratic newspapers, those
vigilant sentinels on the watch-towers
of "Reform," failed not to sound note
of alarm whenever Cabinet officer or
chief of a Bureau was absent from his
post of duty. If he happened to be abb
sent from Washington on official busi-
ness he was said to be 'junketing' at
Government expense. These same news
papers informed their readers Eve
months ago that there would be no more
official absenteeism for four years to
come at least; that special cars for
high Government officers were a thing
of the past; that public vessels would no
longer be used to transport the Presi+
dent or members of his Cabinet, and that
there would be no more junketing'
at the public expense. For days and
weeks the country was informed once in
every "a hours of the hour at which
the President took his breakfast,
and that at which the members of his
Cabinet seated themselves at their Off
cial desks. One Democratic newspaper,
which at that time aspired to become
the Court Journal if not the official or
gan, of the Administration, went so far
as to publish sort of picture in which
President Cleveland was represented
sitting at his desk, without coat or waist
coat, immersed in official business, at 6
o'clock on Sunday morning. That pic
ture would not be true now, and the
Presidents breakfast hour or the mo-
ment at which each Cabinet officer be-
gins his daily duties is no longer herald
ed to the country.
Since May the President and every
member of his Cabinet have enjoyed the
luxury of special cars free of expense
to themselves, and among the distin+
guished men who have been passen-
gers on the Dispatch, public vessel ,are
the President and Secretaries Whitney
and Endicott. Secretary Bayard has
furnished an example of 'Jeffersonian
simplicity by travelling all the way to
Missouri in Pullman special car in
order to impart to the citizens of that
State his views respecting Thomas JEFF
ferson. He returned to Washington by
the same comfortable conveyance. Sec
Tetary Endicott also has spent several
weeks in the West travelling in a Pull
ry prison at Fort LeavenWoEth and the
military posts at Omaha and Chicago.
Railroad Commissioner Johnston has
journeyed to the Pacific Coast by easy
stages in special car to inspect the
railroads. Solicitor General Goode has |
visited British Columbia at the expense
of the Government to demand the ex-
tradition of defaulting Postmaster-a
duty which could have been performed |
as we'll by an officer near the scene of
action at small expense. The record of
official absenteeism during the first five
months of this Reform Administration
is imperfect in many particulars, but as
partially compiled it shows that Secre
tary Whitney has been absent from his
post of duty more than fifty days, Secre-
tary Endicott more than fifty days, Sec
retary Manning thirty-eight days, Sec
retary Bayard twenty-five days, Secreta-
ry Lamar twenty+three days, Postmaster
Villas ten days, Attorney General Gar4
land five days, Assistant Secretary Fair
child sixteen days, Assistant Secretary
Muldrow fifteen days, Auditor McCon