Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1885-05-23
Washington Letter.

Notwithstanding am anxious to
see Republican Office holders go, l
cannot join in the pretty common de-
nunciatiOn of the new administration
because it has not completed its four
years. mission in ten weeks. To me
it appears remarkable that so much
has been accomplished in 50 little
time, and | can account for the de-
nunciatiOn for the so-called hardness
Of the administration only on the sup
position that those who denounce
know nothing of what a task Mr..
Cleveland and his Cabinet had before
them. Ten weeks ago the President
found himself at the head of a pom
derous and complicated chaos Of gov
ernmental machinery intimately con-
nected with the interest of 100000
Of people, and handling S300,OO0,00O
per year in the transaction of public
business. He was without expert
ence in National affairs, had not been
in Washington until he came as
President. 1t is not remarkable that
he spoke in his inaugural address Of
the painful sense of responsibility
with which he undertook the stupen-
dous work. 1t would be very easy
for him to dawdle through his term
of Office and pose as President like
his proper and respectable predeces-
/, sor. But the times demanded differ
, ent work from him-the work of re-
forming and simplifying vast
and demOralized bureaucracy and re-
ducing it to an honest business basis.
| Ten weeks have passed and much
} has been accomplished. A large
| number of the civil service bureaus
have been filled with good Democrats
and with good men. To the unre-
fiecting million this may have seemed
an easy task, but when it is remem.
, bered that the time of the administra-
ton has been occupied by battallions
l of delegations pressing rival candi.
dates, by office seekers single, and by
1 Office seekers in mobs, all good Demo.
Gratis 50 called and bountifully en-.
e dorsed, it is remarkable that time has
e been found to make the best selection
: Most people, / presume, are aware
e that the mere fact of having voted
e the Democratic ticket does not fit {
s man for Office where he must perform
= promptly and creditably a class o
/ work about which he knows nothing
S more than he does of the Russian Ian
/ guage. When Mr.. Cleveland came
into office the first consideration was
to use an old figure, to keep the shiI
Of state sailing smoothly and effect
lively, making the best time and pre-
i serving the precious freight of meI
e and merchandise. Revenues had t.
: be collected. The army, the navy
+ pensions, the courts, and vast civi
Il list had to be paid; the books mus
e be kept, and ten thousand processe
q requiring skill and experience had t
n be infinitely carried out. The Presi
e dent and his cabinet and his part,
II were mskilled and inexperienced il
a executive affairs. They had as We
only a general idea of what they hat
5, to do and what can be done. 1t
IF not anything to the disparagement c
l. many of the bureau officers that haV
"a been appointed to say that they ar
p helplessly dependent upon their Re
n publican subOrdinates in Office for in
Is formation in the commOnest detail
I, of their official duty. They are 8
l. the head Of the bureaus, vast office
'd employing from one hundred to 81
lie hundred clerks, and yet they kno0
p less than any of these clerks abou
n the routine of the bureau.
G. 1t would then seem to be not jus
er the time to discharge these clerk
y who, however bad politically, have
C. skill upon which the new administs
III ton will be dependent for time
rs and nothing would be more rash an
u, ruinous than to fill these offices 6
II once with unskilled men. The pos
nj offices throughout the country are
w different class of officers and they al
a being filled at the rate of about Il
er per day, or just as rapidly as I'll
mt Postmaster General can work.
A