The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1885-03-21
FROM WASHINGTON
Special to the CARBON ADVOCATE
WASHINGTON, March Ia. 1881

WASHINGTON, March ID, 1885.
I doubt whether Washington society will
be able TO survive one of Mr.. Cleyeland'
Innovations upon the customs of the Capl
tai, which is The getting up in the morn
ing, eating breakfast, and at work by min,
o'clock. The White House has known nc
such plebian way Of doing things in tn,
last half century. Arthur did his execu
tive work by the midnight oil, and hi,
sleepingwas done through the first half oI
the day. lie was rarely to be seen befor,
twelve o'clock, and of couree was inaccessi
BILE to those Congressman who mako their
daily rounds OF the departments before the
meeting Of Congress at noon. 1t was the
example set BY the scourants Of the White
House in times past, that has made all Wash.
ipgton 60 to bed In the morning ami get up
at midday. So that the eight o'clock break
last that President Cleveland has regularly
taken since entering upon his official duties
has set US oil so badly by the ears that the
President must be importuned 10 fall in
with the established precedent and take his
breakfast in bed.
The House performed a very commend
able piece of work in its last hours by put
ting General Grant on the retired list, where
he will be pretty certain to be placed be.
Yond the reach Of immediate want, il he
will only keep his family and himself alSof
from the financial sharks of Wall street.
The pay and perquisites Of retired General
Uf this rank, amounts to about nineteen
thousand dollars per year. which surely
ought to be enough to keep private iami-
ly in comfortable situation even in New
York City. The present precsrious con-
dtion Of General Grants health has aroused
sympathy for him and his family through
out the country, aud at the adjournment Of
Congress last Wednesday more than half
million Of people had forwarded to Congress
their appeals u that body to enact the re.
tirement bill.
John Quincy Adams became member
orthe lower House of Congress after having
scryed a term as President of tho United
States, because, as he declared the one 30.
sitlon was equal in every way to the other
Now, however, we have Co Igressmen and
reverend Senators who are not only willing
but anxious to serve their country in any
possible or impossible capacity, so long as
they can have their names retained upon
the Government puy roll, To day some ol
the .ex members Of the recently expired
Congress are applicants for menial positicns
in the next Congress, just as the ex.mem
bers of a previous Congress have accepted
service in this. Fifty of these members
haye got to be provided for, though why
defeated candidate for reelection should not
suffer the consequences Of his own unpopu-
larty is unlathomable.
In the admirable closing address Of
Speaker Carlisle, he paid his particular 10.
spects to the modern Congressman who
deems it his peculiar mission to draft bills
and iutroduce them. The Speaker said
'iihI ip'' NhN w S'H'S'tI'n VI NlV O'1 GlH
menL To the close of The Twenty Fifth Con.
gress, period of fifty years, there had been
hut eight thousand seven hundred and
seventy seven bills introduced, while in the
present Congress alone there had been eight
thousand six hundred and thrtyi II this
practice does not require some constitution
al or other treatment, know Of no govern.
mental abuse that does. Hardly single
appropriation Lill in the general class now
adays, is not draft upon the Treasury for
more money than The appropriations of ten
years would coyrr fifty years ago, when the
net expenditures for running the Govern.
ment Annually did not amount to as much
as is now required to Cuild an ordinary
public building in New York, Chicago or
San Francisco