Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1885-04-18
Washington Letter.

say llldl many OF the Offices III WASH
ington have accomplished more work
in the last month than was accom-
plished in any two months of the pre-
ceding year. / say many of the Of
fees, for some of them have not done
much for the reason that there is not
much for them to do. A large num-
Der of the offices, owing to the negli-
gence, idleness and incompetency of
the clerks, are far behind with their
work. This is especially the case with
the Patent, Pension, and Land Of
fees, but within the last month Won
derful progress has been made, and it
is probable that theveXatious and I'M
necessary delays that have driven
applicants for patents and pensions
to dispair, will be suffered no longer.
From the President down to the
last appointment, the personnel of the
administration is capable of hard
work, and it has evidently this OBJ
ject in view, more than pleasure,
emolument, or fame. The Cabinet
of the President are not men with
itching palms. They are all men Of
sufficient wealth, or men to whom
their wealth is sufficient. So it is
with the recent bureau appointees.
A gentleman whose fortune is not
less than 100000 was last week APP
pointed to an Office in one of the de-
partments the salary of which is only
$4,000. He did not need the Office,
but the office needed him.
Heretofore the staples of recon-
mendation for Office have been pow
erty and patriotism! "He needs the
office, he has large family, and was
good soldier" No question as to
fitness was considered, and the civil
service has been made an elegant and
lucrative asylum for incompetent dis
abled soldiers, and dishonest Repub-
lican politicians. 1t is needless to
say that this is a perversion of the
object of government offices, which
have for their end the transaction of
the postal, military, naval and finan-
cial business Of the entire country.
The United States pension and bounty
laws have paid with a lavishness I'M
paralleled in history for the service
which every man owes to his coun-
try, and it is time this, false philan-
thropy and sentimental statesman
ship of appointing men to Office they
do not need and are not competent to
fill, should end.
There are great many Office seek
ers in the city at present. The old
crowd that came here on or about the
4th of March is pretty well thinned
out. Some of them linger because
they cannot borrow money to get
home. But new crowd has come
in the last two weeks. Their disap-
pointment and chagrin on learning
the situation of affairs is picturesque.
All applicants are handed a copy OF
the civil service law, and a blank APP.
plicatiOn for examination. The Presi.
dent does not consider any applica.
tons for small offices, and none will
be made until after the first of July
The new administration seems more
anxious now to empty than to fill of.
fees, and each week results in the
discharge of a number of those who
have been kept on the government
pay rolls, although they have rem.
dered no legitimate service. If the
discharge of this class shall be made
thorough and exhaustive, literal mil
lions will be saved annually, and the
morale of the service greatly imprOv
ed.
The daily routine at the White
House involves an immense amount
Of work. And although President
Cleveland is relieved Of much work
by his Secretary, yet great quantity
has to receive his personal attention
The President is ready for work at
o'clock in the morning and is usually
busy until midnight. About 10O'cloci
he begins the perusal of such letter.
as require his special attention. Thu
great bulk of the letters sent to thu
President marked personal" anC
confidential are never seen by
him. They are from all sorts of PEG
pie and on all sorts ofsubjects. Man,
of them are of character that woulC
: seem to entitle the writer to a plac
/ in the lunatic asylum. 1t is not I'm
, common for these writer's to send tel
and twenty page letters, and some 0
them enclose their photographs
These letters are carefully culled ant
placed on the eccentric file, and no
more than 8 or 10 letters per day re
cai1,a tho Cnecio1 attention Of th