The National tribune., 1885-08-20
WASHINGTON GOSSIP j,
The Weeks Doings at the Ma
tional Capital
NOW puLLNEss REIGNs.


Since the President has bied him away to a
lodge in the vast wilderness of the Adirondacks,
and sought comparative rest and repose anna
its swarms of mosketoS and myrlads OF WOOD
ticks things have become pretty dull In the
places where ofice-hunters have been wont TO
congregate The public rooms in the White
House. which for nearly five months have been
thronged with anxious-eyed men with big and
little expectations, are now desert where the
painter and the paperhanger and the STOUT
armed wielder of the scrubbrnsh hold high revel.
Only a few clerks hover around the desks and
the telegraph instruments and these do as little
work as they can possibly get along with.
The mosaic marble of the hotel corridors echo
only to the footballs Of the languid bell. boys,
and the shuttle of the lank and thirsty Jedges,
"Majahs" and Kunnels," who. bereft of their
usual supply of drink and prOvender from the
througng visitors, wander wearlly back ana
forth from the lunch bowl on the bar counter
to the watercooer under the stairs, and count
with each other the days of privation that must
pass before the cool breezeS of-eeptember Will
bring the President and the crowd of gentle
men who are anxious TO serve their country In
positions where work is not so much of an OBJ
feet as regular salary. The drivers OF the
little cabs sit all day long in convenient shade,
and are thank ful if fortune gives them one Gus
toner, where in the busy season they have
score. The idle barkeepers yawn over sporting
papers beside their cut-glaSS and mirrored
splendor, and jump to draw casual glass OF
beer or mix an infrequent cocktail, as II de-
lighted to have something 10 break the mono
tony.
II declare to goodness, boss" said the barber
who shaved me yesterday, 81 hain't enough to
do to keep me from gOin' to sleep. Last week L
didn't make but $3.25, where in the busy season
j sometimes run up as high as SD"
Washington, always is as quiet as a country
cemetery in Midsummer, but this year the dull
ness came on as a sudden wave. So long as the
President was here there was crowd about the
hotels and considerable daily influx into the
city. The day that he left all life and move
ment "slumped,' to use the expressive word OF
the Chicago grain market. Then, too, most OF
the clerks and other employees OF the Govern
ment have so far failed to take their customary
vacations None of them felt so secure in his
place as to think it prudent TO be away from
his desk at time when there was SO much IN
quiry as to whose services could be dispensed
with. Since tue end of July little more Sc
cure feeling has manifested itself, and many of
the higher employees are asking for leaves OF
absence. Their going helps intensity the reign
ing dizziness.
INTERNAL REVENUE.
We s<e getting the system of Internal Reve-
nue. down finer every year, with a greater GER
tainty of every dollar due the Government
being collected, and 8 marked dimlnutlon OF
the cost of collection. Two years ago the num-
and other important retrenchments made. The
result of these was that the expense of collect
ing the revenue for the fiscal year ending June
80, 1855, was 100000 less than for the preced-
ing year. before the changes took effect. The
items in the reduction of expenses are as fol-
lows:
Salaries and expenses of coeetors-...-... 5000
Salaries and expenses of agents and SUBJ
ordinate officers 4lo,VU
Stamps and paper ............... 5000
Detecting fraud 1890. .... ..........-... 10000
Office pay roll 10000
Total 5000 600
The cost of collection is SO cents for every
dollar collected. The entire amount of revenue
collected was $lI5, 900, 600, of which
ILLINOIS PAID SZ1,Gio,ooa
New fofk I5,cEo,e44
pennsylvania 1,SI-soS
The other States diminish in amount to Mis-
ississppi. which pays only S47, 95I.13, and Yer
mont but S29, S69.S3 These figures will be
useful to remember next Winter, when we see
whence comes the opposition to pension legis-
lation.
A DESERVED PROMOTION.