St. Landry democrat., 1885-02-14
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From Our Regular Correspondent
Feb. 3rd, 1885.

Feb. 3rd, 1885.
In four short weeks this city, let the
weather be what it may, will present an
appearance joyful or tristful according
to the brain behind the retina upon
which the vision falls. AS seen by
hopeful Democrats, it will be happy
day. To despodent Republicans, it will
be the day of doom. To class that has
grown numerous in Washington of late,
it will be day of mingled hope and
despair. The class | refer to comprises
large number of crescent democrats,
those who were republicans fonr months
ago, but who have been growing, grow
ing in the nurture and admonition OF
Andrew Jackson and Samuel ]. Tilden !;
growing so fast that they are green and
sappy. They shave folded mp their
bloody shirts, abjured their campaign
ISLANDERS, read the constitution of the
United States right side up, and are yo-
ciferous for the old flag and an apprO-
priation. There are thousands of them,
male anu lSIluE0s w ~ NOuLN udSS W
]ieved to have heard them talk, and to
have seen them work for the grand,
pure, historic party of moral ideas, that
they would now be willing to hold office
and draw pay from the party of dis
union, of retrogression, rascality, rum,
Romanism and rebellion !" But there is
no doubt about it, their racket is to hold
the offices and draw the pay. They
have interpreted the bright motto of
civil service reform to mean, ito the
victims belong the spoils." Happy vic
tims-of foolish delusion 1t is not
for such as you that political wars are
waged, and administrations won. The
carpeted, upholstered, and curtained
offices of the public service will soon
know you no more. Your luxurious
places will soon be filed by those who
will work, by real clerks who are not
enervated by years of idleness and
shirking,
The work of the government in many
offices is twelve months in arrears. The
neglect of work especially in the .. S.
Patent Office, far from being a tax on
the people is actually money-making
establishment. The fees paid by in
ventors to have their machines examin-
ed are largely in excess of the expenses
of the Office, and it has paid surplus
of more than $2,70O, 600 into the Treasu-
rv OF the United States. Notwithstand-
ing this fact, inventors are frequently
compelled to wait eight and ten months
before their cases are taken up for ex-
animation. The Commissioner Of Pat
snts, Hon. Ben. Butterworth is pOlitl-
clan and too much engaged in the work
of his contested election to attend to
the duties of the Patent Office. Many
of the Examiners are incompetent, dis
sipated, and idle. They are required to
spend only seven hours per day in
Office, but instead of giving their time
to the examination of applications for
patent, they waste time in reading, gOs-
sip. and in f1irtations with the female
employees of the Patent Office. These
Examiners are hoping to hold their
places under the new administration on
the ground that they have expert me-
chanical skin, and special knowledge OF
the classes of invention over which they
have charge. But there are few gov
.ernment offices in which jndicious weed
ing will do more good.
Ornamental drones and idle sinecur-
iets are thick in all the offices, and their
newly assumed and ill-ftting democra-
cy should not deceive anyone.
tits the general opinion that the week
will be devoted to the Diplomatic ap-
preparation bill 10 the Senate, and to
the River and Harbor and Post Office
Appropriation bills in the House. The
Post-Ofice bill as prepared by the com
nlittee on appropriations of the House
makes two important changes in the
rates of postage. The rate on letters
and other sealed packages is changed
from two (2l cents for each half ounce
or fraction thoreof, to ~ cents an
ounce; while the postage on newspa-
pers and other periodicals, mailed from
! recognized Office of publication, is re-
duced from two cents per pound TO one
cent. Both changes will be welcomed
By the public, and both are in the in
aerest Of the people. Congress should
have no hesitation in adopting the re-
port of the committee.