San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1886-07-15
WASHINGTON LETTER.
prom ON RsgnIar ConespOndent.
w.suIsoros. July 8, 1886,

!
vide for running the Government
during the next fiscal year. The sub
ject sounds like a dry one, but the
Congressional debates have not been
dull. Appropriation bills always pro
woke much disagreement and afford
IN opportunity for discussing tho
comparative extravaganza and econo'
my of the two parties,
The nations balance sheet has just
been drawn up again. The Govern
ments bookkeepers have footed up
their accounts for the fiscal year that
came TO an end on June Both, and
the figures are even more satisfactory
than could have been expected. The
receipts exceeded the expenditures by
S9O,52S,546. Tho receipts and ex-
penditures for the fiscal year com
pared with the last preceding one,
show m increase OF revenue OF about
S12,500,000 and decrease in the ex-
penditures Of about Sl4, 100000.
Customs receipts are some Sl1,OOO,-
900 better, internal revenue, $780,
900, and miscellaneous some S3,0OO,-
900. The ordinary expenses are
1872, 100000 less than last year, inter
est is nearly 81, 100000 less and pen
sions are $500, 900 more.
Yes, during tho year just closed
the Pension Office issued Sl,422 pen
sion certificates, larger number by
6,721 than ever were issued III any
previous year. And when tits remem-
bered that this immense work has
been performed with force of clerks
less by over 100 than for the three
previous, there seems to be sufficient
reason for congratulating the present
Commissioner of Pensions, Gen. Black,
upon retrenchment in his office.
At o recent Cabinet meeting the
question of how many telephones
were in use at tho several executive
departments of the Government in
this city came up. The President
asked each of his Secretaries how
many the department over which he
presided used. The Acknowledgement
said two. Secretary Lamar gave
what he thought was his num-
Der, and so on around. They made
up about fifty altogether. The Pres
ident asked them to look into the
matter and report at the next meet
ing. They did, and Attorney Gen
eral Garland was the only one who
had made correct return. The to-
tai was one hundred and fifty. The
average cost of each telephone-be-
cause the departments have q num-
Der of special wires-is 800 a year.
Thus for telephone service for the
in this city alone, the
Government pays nearly $4,000 a
year. This was thought to be too
high by the Cabinet officers and re-
trenchment in this line has begun.
Fifteen telephones have already been
taken out of the Treasury Depart
menq, leaving only one on each floor
The salaries of Government clerks
come out of the Legislative, Execu-
tive and Judicial Appropriation bill.
The failure of Congress to pass it
by the close of the old fiscal year
an unusual outlook for the
new. The Departments opened Oh
trust July LIST, it being against the
law to make any contracts for Ser
vices in excess of appropriations.
g So you are without pay" was the
remark made to government clerk /;
''that must be uncomfortable" He
showed no anxiety on the subject,
however. Said he: 1.-The pay of
members of Congress is provided for
in this appropriation bill just the
same as mine is. So, you see, 1 am
all right. Every Congressman will
see that am provided for in time"
1t was Senator Riddleberger who
introduced the bill to reduce the sal
aries of Congressman and certain
high officials twenty-five per cent.
This reminds me of the difficulty of
getting good business men to take
the responsible places in the depart
ments. There is no trouble at all in
getting mere politicians for these
places, but it has been the Presi-
dents idea to get good business men.
Such men come here occasionally
by the allurements of Office,
although they can do much better in
private life. For instance, the U. S.
Treasurer. Mr.. Jordan, has a stand
ing office in private life of exactly
double what he receives in his pres
ent official position. He is consider
ed, by the way, the ablest treasurer
that has filled that Office since it was
first created.
Secretary Lamar recently asked a
wealthy business man to hunt him up
a good business man for Chief CLERK
of the Interior Department. "How
much can You pay such MANI" in
quired the capitalist, who himself
employs about four hundred men.
twenty-five hundred dollars, re-
piled the Secretary. "Oh, said the
visitor, 81 cannot furnish him. 1 pay
$4,000 a year for the services Of
such q man as you have described. The
new administration has been fortu-
nate, however, in securing the ser
vices of man In Mhnm II Mnnll be