The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1885-05-01
WASHINGTON LETTER.
[From our Regular Correspondent
WASHINGTON, April ~, Il

WASHINGTON, April 27. 1885.
The last week has been about the
first smile of spring that Washington
has enjoyed since the peculiar vernal
weather that favored President Cleve.
lands Inauguration. The parks, lawns
and shade trees have resumed their
garb of green and the Capital city
never looked brighter and fresher than
it does now. Since many thousands
of shade trees have grown to an umbra-
geous height, Washington has much
improved as a summer residence, and
it is well it has, for the indications are
that it will be, for the next four years
at least, the enforced summer home of
many who have been in the habit of
spending the hot season in the noun
tains or by the sea. Heretofore Gov
ernment clerks have been given an alb
sence of thirty days with pay with the
privilege, frequently, of thirty days
more without pay. 1t has been their
custom to leave their desks for this
long period no matter how much their
work was behind. In this way .he
public business has been neglected. A
long summer vacation, and perennial
systematic laziness has had the effect
to place the public service in such a
laggard condition that it is now neces-
sary to work of nights to catch up.
1t is said that the new administra-
ton will curtail the customary summer
vacation, or deny it altogether to those
in offices and bureaus that are behind
with their work. The president pro-
poses to spend the summer in the city.
He will live in the presidential cottage
at Soldiers Home, which Is about three
miles from the White House, and he
will drive in every morning. His new
horses have Just been received from
New York ; they are an excellent pair,
and, it is said, can trot mile in three
minutes.
think society is doomed to be very
much disappointed in President Cleve-
land. Society has piped to him, but
he will not dance. He politely parties
all her mealy -mouthed overtures. Last
night box was reserved for him at an
amateur operate performance, in which
large number of young society people
took part. The president was expected,
but he did not appear. Had he been
sent for, he would have been found in
HE office in his shirt sleeves before a
pile of papers. He has been expected
at a number of places, but has inva-
riably disappointed those who expected
him. In this respect he is quite diff
ferert from his predecessors. Lincoln,
Grant, Hayes, and Arthur were FIRE.
quently seen at the theatre and at both
private and public entertainments.
The president has made but one call,
that upon w. w. Corcoran, Esq, since
he has been in Washington.
The new administration has gone to
work in practical, thorough, compre.
hensive way to make such changesin the
management of the public business as
will facilitate it's transaction, save time
and money, and better accommodate
the immense number of people who
have dealings with the Government.
This is the beginning of an already
we'll defined and what promises to be
an exceedingly energetic and success
fnl policy. 1t is also a matter of the
first importance to which little if any
conspicuous attention has been given
for several administrations past.
The Republican party, like an old
tenant, had become careless of its trust,
and had allowed the property to run
down, as it were, or at least to 60 un-
improved. 1t was comfortably fixed,
in full possession of the patronage and
power of the Government, with what it
seemed to think was an indefinite lease
in prospect.
That both the need and the room for
reform existed, is made evident by the
number of important steps in that di,
rection which the new administration
is already taking and others which are
contemplated. The doctrine of letting
we'll enough alone, to which its pre-
decessor adhered, is loose and dan
gerous doctrine. 1t is believed that by
the time the various plans of re-organi.
zation are perfected which the heads
OF the departments have in view, the
offices will be filed acceptably to the
party, and the salaries attaching to
them will be honestly earned.