Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1885-03-18
From our Regular Correspondent.
WASHINGTON LETTER.
Washington, ID. c., March IA, 8

WASH NJ ON LE EN-.
Washington, d. c., March IA, 80.
1t is sud that the President has
avowed a determination to adhere not
only to the letter but the spirit OF the
civil service reform law, and that all
amendments to office hereafter to be
made by this administration shall be IN
accordance with civil service require
ments. There is, however, a very
grave danger that the thimble-rigg'ng
Republican politicians who have thus
far invaded the enforcement OF the law
in the retention of an army of incompe-
tents in every department OF the gov
crnment, will find it not at all difficult
to produce reasons enough to prevent
any considerable number of changes
for the coming four years of Demo-
cratic management. What ! want to
see, and what the country expects to
see, is thorough renovation IN the
governments offices everywhere, and
the administration of its affairs placed
in the hands of those to whom the peo-
pie look for the fuliillmcnt Of our re-
peated pledges for sretrenchment and
reform.
Among the first things that Presi-
dent Cleveland should see to is the in
PRODUCING of some of the customs and
habits of American civilization in the
State Department, which under the
snobbish Frelinghuysen has become
nest of foreign lackeys and gilt-edged
hummery. The idea that anybody is
important enough to make it absolutely
essential that he should be retained IN
office, should now be etfectually eX-
ploded. If through the opportune Wis
itation of a pestilence, the last one OF
these State Department clerks should
be called hence, / will wager horse
that somebody Or other will be found
to fill their places, and fill them accept
ably too. Old John Davis has sur
yived and pcregrinated through every
administration for half a century as
Assistant Secretary of State. And
Hunter, another assistant, has kept a
grip on the pay roll for almost two
generations. Yet the Republicans de-
clare that the Department of State will
90 to pieces unless these two Anticipated
specimens Of senility are preserved
through yet another administration.
In the War Department, which for
four years has been ostensibly under
the guiding hand of that mighty man
Bob Lincoln there will be found lot
of venerable barnacles who have glided
down to us from former generation,
and who found their way into position
at time when competency counted
but little beside the potency of political
Influence. In this particular depart
ment, my mind reverts to an old fell
low who has for his tenants something
like score of officials, one of whom is
the chief of the division in which the
old chap draws his regular rations o
81, 800 per annum. His property at
the Capitol is worth hundreds of thou
sands of dollars, and many poor
devil is now waiting in vain to get
some recompense for the sacrifices he
has made to secure the ousting of just
such old cormorants as this. He is
Ouly one of the hundreds OF other
bloated bondholders and real estate
spectators who live in Washington and
figure upon the government pay roll
year in and year out through all ad-
ministrations.
John Quincy Adams became mem.
Der of the lower House of Congress Of
ter having served a term as President
of the United States, because, as he
declared, the one position was equal in
every way to the other. Now, how
ever, we have Congressman and rever-
end Senators who are not only willing
but anxious to serve their country in
any possible or impossible capacity, so
long as they can have their names re-
tanned upon their Government pay
roll. To-day some of the ex-members
Of the recently expired Congress are
applicants for mental positions in the
next Congress, just as the ex-members
of previous Congress have accepted
service to this. Fifty of these men,
bers lmve got to be provided for,
though why defeated candidate for
reelection should not suffer the conse-
quences of his own unpopularity is un-
fathomable. PHoNo.