Richland beacon., 1885-04-18
WASHINGTON LETTER.
WAsaIHGrOS .A1ril 6. lSo


many Senators with their faulilie
hnger III Washington and enjoy the
beautiful srpin5 weather which camc
promptly on til. first dav of April
The crocuSes are III bloom IN The
! parks. The shade trees are putting
forth their leaves, and the detesttblt
English sparrows are as numorc Us ant
as nasty as ever, in spite Of the svs.
tematic and deoultory efforts that
have been made 10 eXterminate them.
Fashionable Washington Is Oh
wheels, or in the saddle, and unfash-
. ionable Washington too. Old fash
loned pedestrianism is in danger OF
becoming lost art. The miles Of
concrete pavement furnish such =
skating rink as no other city can af-
ford. and children Of all ages, shales.
cOiOrs and conditions live on roller
skates fro:a earl morning TO late at
night. Then there are cycles. bvcyc-
les, tricycles, and qua lracycles. to
say nothing Of the old fastened vehi-
cles that have horses for q motive
power This is indeed a peculiar
city, and every succeedeGing wear
seems to draw more sharply the con
trast between the pleasure loving.
easy going Capital, and the great
commercial ami manufacturing narts
of the New World.
1t Is expected tnat Washington.
notwithstanding the absence of Con-
gress, viii continue to be the center
Of political interest durinc tAe sum
mer The president and his cabinet
DO not expect to 20 on trip to tue
Yellowstone, or to Long Branch, nor
will they cruise along the Atlantic
coast III government vessel They
Will remain III the District of Column
bia, giving close and personal atten-
tl"n to their several departments. and
setting All example 10 the thousands
OF clerks who have been in the habit
of abseptinG themselves duliuc the
summer, to the great and serious
detriment Of the public business.
There is great deal to be done in
al the Departments before thev can
be reduced to their original purpose
Of offices for the transaction Of the
business Of the great nation. This
work has been planned; il has been
undertaken. but it cannot be Success
fully consumated without the strict
est supervision of responsible heads.
/ do not think it can be done with
out corps of suhordiuates in accord
with the principles and purposes of
the administration. 4 very large
number of tae idle, useless, obstruc-
tive parasites in the government Offices
must be, Will be, cast out. Civil ser
vice reform viii become a bvword
and kissing unless this is done
But this alone will not do. There
are hundreds of others in govermen,
employ, who have no sympathy with
the new men and new methods.
They are not altogether idle or in
competent, but they are creatures of
routine, and vessels of malice
They would hate nothing worse than
to see the present administration
succeed. They live in ideal exile.
hoping and praying for the return
Of the republican party four years
hence. Can the new administration
gather fruit from such thorns and /
thistles as these?
That the president was wise in not /
too much in the way of
confirmation of his appointments by !
The Republican Senate the seqral has |
proved. The Senate has adjourned /
eaving score Of the 10 whom he
lad nominated unconirmed. The
significance of this neglect is appar-
snt. Republican leaders have been
nonplussed and alarmed .
1t the wisdom. Temperance and iudg- ,
nent with which Mr.. Cleyelnnd has
begun his administration. They
nave seen in one short month the
'efutation of their auguries of demo-
ratio blunders and crimes. They
ave seen their political capital Of .
stage lies 90 down in a calm sea
They have realized that they were on
he point Of beconing practical dem
'crats by acquiescence III the nomi-
lations and pOIcv of a thoroughly
patriotic administration. The situa-
ion was embracing, and the thor
'uShly confounded body of old poll
icians but their heads together in
'aucus and said, We will adjourn and .
yet out of this, lest We stul,ify our
'ecord, and commit particide.
Statistics show that one hundred .
thousand people are killed by whisky