Roseburg review. [volume] (Roseburg, Or.) 1885-1920, 1886-05-07
WASHINGTON LETTER.
WASHINGTON, April 10

among the subjects that one hears dis
cussed op the streets here now. Att
the Capitol our. lawmakers are talking
about Inter State Commerce, Secret
sessions, the fisheries question, and
appropriation bills.
An enthusiastic meeting was held
at Wizards hotel few evenings
since, at which representatives business
men of Baltimore and Washington dis
cussed the projected Exposition to be
inaugurated here in 1889. An adj
dress was presented, which is to be
scattered broadcast over the country,
setting forth the plan of the great
Worlds Fair Congress is TO he asked
to establish number of permanent Ex-
hibition buildings in the city on the
Mall, for the Products of the North,
South, and Central America, and the
Empire of Brazil. The Mall is that
extensive area of parking extending
from the Capitol to the White House,
including the Smithsonian, Agricult-
ural, and Monument grounds.
It is the intention to strip the pro-
ject of all local purpose, and to make
it national and international, politics
being ignored in the interest of all
countries. For intance, it is suggested
that building be erected for the dis
play of working models in the interest
of inventors, and that there shall be
national art gallery sustained not only
by the Government, but popularized
by bequests from private individuals.
1t is expected that one perhaps both
Houses of Congress will take some
favorable action on the subject this
week.
AS to Senators and their secrets,
those who have in the debate branded
the secret sessions as farcial, childish,
cowardly, and treacherous, are Platt,
Logan, Butler and Riddleberger.
Senator Logan was wondering how
executive secrets leaked out. News
paper men always got them in some
way. Senator Riddleberger gave his
idea Of how they were exposed. 81
have private secretary" said he: 81
walk down the avenue with him, he
asks me question or two, and being
smarter than I am, he knows more in
FIVE minutes than | learn in a week
Then he gives it to somebody else and
the newspaper fraternity gets it."
Hon. Mr.. Whitthorne, who has been
appointed to succeed Judge Jackson il
the u. S. Senate, will need no intro
duction to the halls Of Congress. He
served with distinction in the lower
House during the Forty-Fourth, Forty
Fifth, Forty Sixth and Forty-Seyentf
Congresses. AS chairman of the Ma
val Affairs Committee he was very
earnest and successful in exposing the
the rascalities of the Navy Depart
ment under Grant and ex-Secretar,
Robson.
There has been great improvement
in the ways of doing business in th'
Government Departments here unde
the new regime, and there are eyi
dences of new life. Further reforms
are locked for the Though passage of
a bill that is exciting good deal Of in
: terest. It provides for reclassifca
ton and reorganization of the civi
service at Washington, and its pun
pose is to so arrange the force of til
Departments that the same kind G
work will receive the same pay. Ur
! der the present plan there are clerk
drawing $720 to $40 who are doin
the same work in regard to quality an
amount as clerks who get from $l,2O'
to 81, 900 year.
The last classification was made i
1854 when there were only 7l9 clerk
. in the departments, now there az
S,031. Under this arrangement ther
are four classes-class |, receivin
+ 81, 200: class 2, 81, 400: class 8, 81, SOC
). and class 4, $1,000. Clerks have bee
. employed and assigned to these classt
i with but little regard to their grad
n Consequently there is great deal
waste to the taxpayers in the Depar
8 ments. But as there is no fixed lin
to the revenues of the Governmer
e and the burdens Of taxpayers, tf
q waste is not perceived While tf
q new Administration is setting the Go
\ ernmental house in order, it propose
]. to subject the men and women en-
a ployed here to a thorough investiga
- ton, weed out the incompetent, an
; redistribute the others so as to enabl
v them to do the greatest amount and be-
4 kind of work which they are capabl
Apropos of work, group of Cor
n gressmen were chatting few day
# ago, when allusion was made to tn
a popular idea that men in legislati'
o positions work little and get good pa
Mr.. Scott, the wealthiest Member
the House, spoke up: 81 have worke
e harder since became Congressman
4 said he ethan ever before in my lif
/. T oct to work every day that am