San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1885-03-26
WASHINGTON LETTER.
Free or SECULAR oorrs.Psla.p',


plain that IN tho Presidential chair.
around Il or behind il there is mind
aud will, | will not say that GER
tain fiery roioFmeIs are happy in tho
realization Of their impatient hope
Aud il must b. said that those most
in poed Of reformation, have taken
new heart and hold, but let all wait
with patience and prayer, and they
viii, / think, zee tue glory Of the now
dispt nsatisG revealed, with tho OXal-
tation Of the right men and prnci'
ples-wilh tho confusion OF thieves
and money changers who have 30
long proyed upon the substance Of
tho country
There is an old latin maxim, JeSilnd
LcRic, hasten slowly, and this seems
10 DO the rule Of the new administra'
! ton. Reform was very properly be-
gun al the White House -Four clerks
swept from Office with one swQop 0f
the broom Five thousand dollars
per year and much desk room saved.
The example was taken up in the
Treasury Department where Seoreta'
ry Manning hag discharged forty
useless employees from one bureau,
Secretary Lamar has first applied
his broom 10 tho stable adjoining the
Interior Department For years OF
Republican ascondency carriages and
horses have been kept mt extravagant
expense in all departments, and have
been used not fog tho public service,
hut for the convenience Of the falli-
! liea Of pubic officials. The fine
equipage that has been used to con.
yey ladies 10 receptions lato at night,
has been ordered to be sold. and the
seven persons who have been carried
on tho pay roll aa drivers will no
longer have even the semblanco OF a
right to draw their unearned pay. OF
course this il only beginning in all
the Departments, and in al the bu.
rea,;s and subordinate offices super
fuous clerks are stumbling over one
another. Turn the loafers out and
then il will be easier to find the ras-
Gals Twenty thousand employees
can be discharged with result of pos
tive improvement and expedition of
Government work, Get your little
pencil and multiply 10000 by 81, 500,
ard you viii have an idea, but not a
| full one of the amount that will be
saved; for you have not taken into
account the oit!C6 room and furniture
Of this vast army.
It is not necessary TO say that there
is much uneagineaa and alarm in all
the Denartmonts. The reduction OF
the clerical force ig IN unexpected
flank movement, ard it has set thous=
ands of clerks qualing in their luxu-
nous ginecures. Turn the loafers
out" is new and terrifying sound.
There are many strGws indioatlve
Of n new era. An crIer has been is
sued to all the employees in the Pat
ent office that there shall lie no more
reading or talking during office hours,
and that those classes and divisions
which aye behind with their work
must work after 1llic9 Louis until it
is brought to date. The Patent Of
fee has been conducted in lax and
slatternly way. In some classes of
inventions, as textiles. larvesters,
printing, stoves and furnaces, house
hold furniture, builders hardware,
surgery, etc, the Patent Office Ex-
aminers are from three to twelve
months behind with their work, and
applicants for patents have frequently
to wait six months on year before
their cases are taken up. The recent
order indicates chat the new admins
tratioH will introduce new order of
things, not only in tho Patent Office,
but in other branches Of the public
service
The rush of office seekers has ahat
cd and the new administration has
more time TO address itself to work.
1t is fact much commented en- here
that very few office seekers have come
from the South and that many have
come from the Northern and North
western republican states. Since the
President has announced that he will
not hear applicants for office person
ally, but win refer all applications to
the proper Cabinet officers, lie has
been but little troubled There will
doubtless be important changes made,
but policy and good business man
agemeut would le4uito that they
should not be made until after the
most careful dllibe.a.;ol and a thor