The Press., 1885-06-04
WASHINGTON LETTER.
Washington, D. C, May 30, lss;

gF88 If 8,ssg
 This being Memorial day., and legal holiday, the executive departments are all closed, and twenty thonshnd government employees are free. As usual there were official exercises at the various cemeteries j; those at the national cemetery at iArlingt ton at the soldiers home, an,I at the congress sional cemetery being the most elaborate. At Arlington, the procession formed ID front of the mansion, headed by the mar inc band, and marched to the tomb of the ls'unknOwn, where, halting, the band play ed Q dirge.s The march then continued to the cemetery where the procession sepa- rated, and proceedefi with the decoration l of the graves, the band rendering appro- priate selections during the ceremony. The procession then formed again and marclied to the amphitheater where servl. ces were held consisting of music, invoca- tion, oration poem and benediction. .sToo much sentiment for practical, matter of fact people" was the comment often made on the decoration of soldiers graves when the ceremony was first introduced in this country. But it. would seem the custom Came to stay. z It gets stronger hold on the popular heart as the years go by. It may savor of .sentime mentalism, but there is room for 8 great deal more of that perhaps in American life, before the ridiculous would be reached. fs4 as#a& 4 From the white house we hear of little else than appointments, changes, removals and dismissals for 'soffensiVe partlsanshlp.' An official massacre is predicted here on the first of June. Itis stated that, on that day, the bosses, ax in hand, will. stride l through the departments aud fell the heads l of republican office holders to the right of
 them, to the left of them, and in front ot
 them. Republlcanss make no protest against the removal of incompetent or un- faithful officials, nor against the filling ot
 all vacancies naturally occurring, with
 democrats. F. This they expected. But il
 IS gross violation of the administration I pledge; and of the civil service rules, te
 trump up all puerile pretexts to put good
 men out of office for the sole purpose oi
 putting democrats in.
 J Since the fi1ss assistant postmaster
 general returned from his recuperatins
 trip south, and assumed his duties, he ha. been beleagured by office seekers. Demo
 crats have been expe citing much assistanc'
 from MT. Hay, and he shows a determine ; tion not to disappoint them. He attends
 to their wants as rapidly as possible. MT
 Hay has not been gu,ltless of ofiense, bn his feeble health pleaded strongly for in
 dalgent charity. He would probably hav' been permitted to come and go ill peace t the end of his term. had he not, in an m guarded moment, plunged into the subjec of offensive partisanship. His utteranc.
 could not but challenge an investigation Q his own official record. It is only fair tha , the official who criticlses other officials l should have the light turned on himself Mir. Hay took the oath of office on the 22 of March, and entered upon his, dnties ol : the 25tn.. of May, having been absent fo
 two months and three days. with pay. , he had been made sick in the public SCI
 vice, he wollld have been entitled to leav with pay. But there is neithea law, usag nor equity for such leave to a man wh 3 has done no service at all. He gets $7O 3 that he has not earned, and for which n l shadow of claim exists. f On Tuesday last the treasury paid ou g, 100000 for pensions, making the tots : amount paid out on that account durin
 the present month SIG, 900, ,OOO.