The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1885-07-10
WASHINGTON LITTER.
(rrom our regular correspondoutl
WASHINGTON, JUNE, 10th, 1886.

WASHINGTON, JUNE, 10th, 1885.
The new Cabinet officers and the
Chiefs of Bureau under them arc
very much embarrassed by their in'
heritsnce Of asylums for the aged,
blind and deaf. The Government
Offices are these asylums, AMI there
are In them hundreds of suporanuat.
ed men and women who do actually
no work. They were not remarkable
for energy and efficiency ever in their
prime. Now they are sans eyes,
sans ears, sans everything but pocket.
They go to the Department day after
day as has been their custom for
years, they sit at thei. desk aud do
nothing, but once month, when
pay day comes, they are each hand.
ed one hundred dollars In crisp new
notes. / have in my mind an old
man both blind and deaf, VINO Is
daily brought to and taken home
from the Patent Office by members
of his family In order that he may
draw the pay he Is absolutely incap'
able OF earning. II fthese superanuat-
ed people should be discharged, they
would doubtless die from the shock,
and more or less suffering would be
en,ailed upon their dependent fAmi'
lies. But Il Is nevertheless a gross
wrong to the tax payer anG sub
version OF the purposes of the Civil
Service 10 make the Government
offices an asylum for this class. The
Government pays thousands of dol
lars yearly for rent of offices, and the
rooms OF many Departments are
overcrowded with desks. II would
be In the interest of economy 10 pay
these old and helpless people to stay
away from the Departments 80 that
competent men might be placed at
the desks which they only encum-
Der.
There Is another class that ought
to be discharged. The Departments
were filed with pretty women by a
system f;stered and pracliced by the
Republican party. There Is not
Republican Senator or ex-senator
who has not lovely proteges, and
some have dozens, II the Govern
ment Offices here. They were not
appointed under civil service rules,
but In direct &C ontraventlon Of civil
service principles-because they we're
pretty and helpless, or because they
were sisters, cousins, aunts, and
To say that they
are not efficient Is putting IL very
mildly. Ten good clerks, such as
are found in the business boases of
the city can do more and better work
than one hundred OF these women,
and will be glad TO do 1t for less pay
than the women receive. The fact Is
that the civil service has been most
shamefuliy run down at the heels as
we'll as at the head duriog the Jung
ascendency Of the party OF moral
ideas and loose practices.
During the last three end hall
months great progress has been made
IN the neglected and belated work OF
mary Government offices, but the
best results cannot be hoped for
until radical changes have been
made in both the men, women and
methods of the worst detnornlized
Civil Service under the su1.
Proof that a new era has opened in
National affairs Is seen every day
here. The last Republican Senate
succeeded in passing subsidy bill Of
s4O0 900 in favor of the Pacific Mail
Steamship Com. Mr.. Villas has been
looking into the subject, and he finds
that the present rates paid for the
mails are amfIe. AS the act Of Con-
gress is not mandatory, but merely
gives him permission to spend the
money, the p. NJ. General Will, with
the approval of the President, expend
not one cent OF the appropriation.
This will be very fatiguing and nau-
seating to the Pacific Steamship lobby,
but will save the tax payers the sum
oi S400,00J. TINS is only one instance.
But wait until the account is made
up at the end Of President Cleve-
lands term. There will be literal
"millions in IL" saved to the coun-
try.