The Baltimore County union., 1886-09-25
Correspondence Baltimore County Union.
LETTER FROM WASHINGTON.
The Administration Returning-Just the
Same as 1t Used to be-Secretary
Manning-Work Getting Behind
CONGRESSMAN McComas, &c.

The Administration Returntng-Just the
Same as 1t Used to be-Secretary
Manning-Work Getting Behind
congressman McComas, &c.
WASHINGTON, D. c., September 22d, 1886.
Messrs. Editors 1T is announced that the Pres
ident will arrive in this city from his summer
vacation this Wednesday, evening and it is prob
able that the balance of the administration, some
of whom have been quite a lengthy leave of alb
sence, especially Attorney General Garland, who
has been away several months, and often there are
flying rumors that he will not return at all to as
sumo the duties of his Office, will quickly follow
suit and be at their desks and performing the du-
ties and assuming the respers.oities vi thoii P0
-s;,;rns- necessarily fall upon the heads of
bureaus chiefs of divisions and other subordinates
when they are away.
It has always been usual for the high officials,
the President, Cabinet officers, heads of bureaus
&C., to take leave of absence in the summer as
we'll as the subordinate clerks and other employees,
but the difference is that the Cabinet officers are
not limited to the usual thirty days like the sub
ordinate clerks, and have but to notify the Presi
dent of their intention of leaving the city, which
they do if he has objection no important
business to detain them, and then they can alb
sent themselves as long as they please with his
permission. While the heads of the departments
are absent the work and responsibility of the off
cial machinery of the Government of course fall
upon the subordinate heads of bureaus, &c., as
stated above but they would not in the absence OF
the chiefs of the departments assume the respon-
sibility of making decisions on any important
matter or doing any important work requiring the
decision of their chiefs, they and the clerks under
them confning themselves simply to the routine
duties of their respective Offices But it l. never
.theess fact that when the President and all his
Cabinet officers are away the Government is as
much under the control of the subordinate officers
and employees and is as virtually run by them as
l. IL n1 hah
no President or heads of departments. This is
often the case for months at a time and we have
lust passed through period of month or more
in duration when this was the case.
Tno rIo has Deen aosenG ro4 fully IL enth
and many of the Cabinet officers for much long
er time. Secretary Manning, as is well known,
has been absent from the head of the Treasury
Department ever since last winter or spring on
account of serious sickness, and it is very doubt
full whether he will ever return to the position
again, and certainly never again to assume its
duties Meantime Secretary Fairchld the First
Assistant Secretary of the Treasury, has been per-
forming the duties of the Secretary. October 1st
was set as the date when Secretary Manning would
decide whether he would again assume the port
folio of the Treasury not, his resignation being
written to take effect on that date, but nothing
definite has been settled yet with regard to the
matter, although it is almost certainly understood
that he will not be able to, and it is We probable
that the President will soon after his return name
the successor to Secretary Manning. The stories
going the rounds that he will accept the Austr an
mission for which Mr.. Kelly, of Virginia, was re-
iected by the Austrian government, Is as lmprob-
able as that he will ever be able again TO assume
the portfolio of the Treasury Department. While
every clerk and employee of the Government in
the departments here are entitled to thirty days
leave of absence year, there is always sufficient
force here to perform the duties of the offices, and
it is they who keep the Government alive during
the dull times when Congress is not in session or
the higher officials absent. Yet there is al
ways sufficient work to keep the whole force IN all
the departments busy, in these instances, for
the routine work of the Offices diminlshes but lit
tie or none at any of the year. 1t is fact
that may be noted in passing that under the pres
| ent administration it requires as many employees
to perform the duties of the offices, and in some
| instances more, and the work is no better done
| than under the previous Republican admnistra-
tions although these were accused at times of lax
| performance of duties. The army of ga hundred
thousand office holders" has not been reduced, and
in fact has been largely added to since the advent
| of Mr. Cleveland's administration.
An instance in illustration of the effort to per-
form the duties of an Office with reduced force of
employees is aptly found in the case of the Sixth
Auditor of the Treasury, who has the adjudication
| and settlement of postmasters' account. This
Auditor in making his estimates at the last session
of Congress for running his office for the current
| year, thought he could reduce his force by the
number of seventeen clerks, and the appropriation
was accordingly so made. But since the year
came in he has had to have sub0rdinates detailed
| from all the other offices from which he could get
them in the Treasury Department, and to day it
| is fact that he has more clerks employed in his
bureau than were ever before on its rolls. The
| work in many of the bureaus of the Government
| offices is reported being considerably behind,
although the discipline over the clerks is very
l l..kk So hob klu N of
many of the old and experienced clerks having
| been dismissed and their places filled by new and
| inexperienced ones, whom it will take consider
] ahla whila to haaome axperts- snah "a thnsa uhn
| were removed. This is very probably the case In
the Office referred to above. Also the work in the
Patent Office, which is the only self-sustaining
Office under the Government and the only one that
pays surplus into the treasury, is said to be con-
siderably in arrears.
Both absenteeism and nepotism, which used so
virulently to be charged against the Republican
party seem to obtain likewise under the present
| administration. The absenteeism is shown by the
| fact that not only the President but his whole
| Cabinent, Secretary Bayard excepted, have been
| absent from the seat of Government, as well as
| most of the other high officers of the administra-
ton and nearly all the clerks and other employees
| in their turn. But one can blame them for
their absence, for it is right that they should take
| their vacation and 60 away to the Adlrondacks
and fish and shoot deer, or 60 anywhere else they
please and do what they choose to get rest and
| recreation from their duties arduous and respon-
| sible in many cases. In other words, the Govern
| ment employees from the President down are en-
| titled to their vacation, and all sensible people
| will commend them for taking it.. AS to nepotism
there are a number of instances that might be
cited here in the departments illustrating it, but
will not take up the space of The UNION in mem
| tioning them. But one case in which prominent
| civil service reformer might be accused OF being
hyper conscientious against the practice OF nepo.
| tism has occurred and attracted attention, and
that was of Assistant Secretary Thompson, of the
| Treasury Department, dssuading his 0on from
aaaAntins nnstiAn the dcnf' service CONT m
tive examination and fairly won the position.
The denomination of Hon. Lewis E. McComas,
ofthe 9th Maryland district fora third term in Con
gress, is commented upon most favorably here by
Republicans and Democrats alike, for he is popu-
lar with the members of both parties, having
served his constituency faithfully without regard
to what party they belonged to and done good
service to the whole country by the right stand he
has taken and advocacy he has given on many
| important questions in Congress during the two
| terms no has so hOnoraby served and which but
gave him experience to increase his usefulness in
future Congresses. There are few abler men in
| Congress than Mr.. McComas and but few, if any ,
who have attracted more attention to their abili-
ties not only in his own district and State but
throughout the country than he. and it is predic.
ted that he will be returned with larger majori-
ty or at least as large as before, although Col.
Baughman shall be his competitor.
Your correspondent cannot say what will be
done in the Republican convention of the Second
Congressional district to morrow in Baltimore, but
it is certain that the Prohbtionists of that dis
trict have nominated very strong and popular
candidate in the person of Mr.. Peter g. Z0uck,
with whom 1 am intimately acquainted, who will
poll very heavy vote where he is known among
the Republicans, if not the Democrats and whom
| would be tempted to vote for, although he is
Democrat, were not Republican first and q
Prohibtionist afterwards. If the Republicans
would all take this view and nominate candidates
temperance people could vote for satisfactorily,
| possibly Prohibition candidate would not be
| necessary. ANON.
| Bishops Appeal for Help.
Bishop Paret, of the Protestant Episcopal dio-
cese of Maryland, has issued the following appeal
for special church contributions for the Charles
| ton sufferers.