The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1885-06-19
From our Regular correspondent.I
WASHINGTON LETTER.
WASHINGTON, ID. G., June 8, 1885.

- - @--~-
4 WASHINGTON, ID. c., June 8, 1885.
The tug of war still comes on and goes
on between the administration and the
office seekers. The tugging Is to great
extent among the Office seekers. that il
they tug against each other; but the
President has to bear the brunt and suf-
'fer the wear and tear. He Is no doubt,
becoming very weary of the delegations
that pursue him relative to comparative
ly unimportant Offices. Perhaps no mi
NOR Office has made greater demands
upon his time and patience than the
charleston South Carolina collectorship.
The rival delegations have been persist
ent In their claims upon his attention.
lie told them last week that they must
agree to settle this matter between them
selves, and that ifthey did not do so soon,
Ihe would be compelled to settle il in
IA way that would not suit any OF the
factions.
The work of turning out the idle, the
and the otherwise ofFen-
Isive partisans goes on slowly but surely.
The term offensive partisan" is in the
mouth of every one here, and in danger
|of being not only abused hut misunder-
stood. 1t should be known that these
employees were not cast out
merely because they were jealous repub-
icans, but because their zeal in politics
wholly interfcred with their duties az
Government employees. They are those
who have been drawing pay from the
public treasury but performing no pub
lie service, because their time has been
taken up with partisan work.
While they were doubtless very import
ant factors in the republican organiza-
tion collecting campaign money, falsify-
ing the worse appear the better psrtr
upon the stump and through the press,
they were the vampires Of our political |
system. sucking its blood, and lulling It by |
lies. Many Of these have been discharg. |
ed and many more will be discharged. |
No matter who their ainfiuence" and
backing will be, the time has come for |
them to 60 into scandalous retirement,
and they will 90.
1t is not alone In the discharge OF idle
and worthless partisans that this admin |
is making itself memorable. |
There are other and perhaps moro Inn
portant reforms going on. These re-
forms are not palpable and visible to the |
nnskilled eye of the public at large, but |
their cumulated weight will be seen in |
The reports Of Cabinet officers when
Congress assemblies next fall, in the mes
sage of the President and especially in
The greatly reduced appropriations that
will be asked for the public service for
he next fiscal year.
II Is well known that frauds upon the
'evenue have long been practiced by i'm
,orters In coDnivance with cnstom-h house Il
,ficials. So great had this evil become
! few years ago that II was found neces.
'ary for Congess to appropriate 100000
o aid in the detection and exposure oil
hesc frauds. But even this fund. de.
igned as II was for the prevention Of
'vssions and Irregularities, was coon
perverted to as fraudulent uses as those
which u was appropriated to correct
md u 10 matter Of notorious history
hat the greater part of this hundred
housand dollars year went into the
lands ofa disreputable gang OF political (,
in New York. Phi!adelphia. ID
md other cities as . reward for their !
artisan services. Here was one at
cmpted reform, but the misfortune OIL,
was, like that OF most Republican re-
orms, that II was backward rather
ban forward step. II
Such is but one Of many greater rascal
Ties in the custom service which Secre- {
ary Manning, as practical business ,
nan, set 70 work to eliminate upon his |
sking charge Of the Treasury Depart {
nent and how he has succeeded IL best Z
old in the language ofa Republican OIL 4
his city to q correspondent Of the New /
'ork Herald;
Il have occasion, by the nature OF nv !
Tork, to know what is being done IN the
and by the administration IN | ,
be way Of reforming long standing and
cry grave abuses; and / say to YOU ;
bat, in the important matters which I X
m necessarily familiar with, this DEM !
cratic Administration has done more !
three months than has been done in !
fteen years before" n