The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1886-01-16
ID AaagErsE,FsaeN E.HgTT.E1g.
MAsnrSuroN. gan. s. 1856.

From our Regular Correspondent
/ The recently scattered Congress i
together again. The organization d
the House has been completed By tlls
announcement Of the standing com
mittees, and both branches have set
itled down to a solid six months ses
sion.
The Speaker Of the House is at lasi
through with his delicate and difficult
work Of committee making. He has
been subjected to very heavy pressure,
and has had quite hard tiaae over
some Of the popular places. The pres
sure has been much worse than 1t was
two years ago, some of the new mem
bers beng particularly unreasonable
IN their demands. Almost every man
called for a craftsmanship and certain
new members asked that old and ex
periemced Congressman be made to
stand aside for them.
Speaker Carlisle looks pale and care
worn, and the strain Of hisrecent task
has left other physical marks upon
him. Many questions important and
grave to the people of the United
States viii be considered by the COM
mittees he has inst arranged. He
made them up after mature delibcra-
tion, solely withregard to the inter
ests Of the country, aud with refer
enoe to maturing legislation and Sc
curing favorable hearing on the floor
of the House. Certain members are
disappointed with the assignments
they have received, of course, hilt
their irritation will subside as the ses-
sion progresses. Mr.. Carlisls's work
conmends itself as a whole tofthose
who realize his difficulties in trying to
please three hundred men whose abil-
tiles and opinions differ widely on
many questions, and whose egotism
and ambition are unparalleled. Posi-
bly, he has made some mistakes, but
evenlhis political enemies coucede that.
his Judgment is excellent, and that
his motives are pure. One thing, at
least, is certain. Nc committee has
been made for any iguoble purpose,
as has been the case often in the last
quarter of a century. Nor will there
be that trading of chairnIanships, for
personal interests, that there has been
in the past.
The unusual Importance attached to
the formation of the committees tins
year greatly increased the Speakers
work and added to his trying perpIex-
tiles. He worked day and night while
Congress was enjoying the holidays
Indeed MIR Carlisls has as much in
dHstry as President Cleveland, and he
is equally unremitting in giving his
attention wholly to business. Like
the President, too, he is rarely seen
ont in society.
Secretary Manning is another hard
worker. No one unfamiliar with the
details of the Treasury Department
can have any idea of the immense
amount of mere routine work he takes
nPon himself Most of this work he
could intrGst to a subordinate as his
did, bnt he prefers to.
look after his own responsibilities.
Unlike the President and speaker of
the House, Mr.. Manning likes society,
dinner parties, and he ex-
poets to entertain extensively this
winter.
Under the new regime there is
much stricter enforcement of Depart
ment rules. Clerks are required 10 be
at their desks now by 8 o'clock in the
morning, and they are not permitted
to leave them until the clock strikes
four in the afternoon. In the Treasury
note is made of any vio-
lation Of these rules, and tardy clerks
are required to report the time of
their arrival to the Chief clerk. Con-
sequently Treasury employees are kept
in state of perturbation from the
time they awake every morning until
they get into the department safely
on time. The Government gets a good
deal more work for the money it paws
them. When these niles went into
effect the daily average of tardycelerks
at the Treasury was over two hun
dred. Now, outaof about two thons-
and employees, the average of dein-
guents is from six to ten, though. ec-
easionally the record isrentirely clear.
There is steady removal going on
in the Departments here, and scarcely
a day passes without some rdisplace-
ment of Republicans and appointment
of Democrats to fill their places. Still.
the ineumbents hope to be retained,
hope in spite of everything and with
such menaeing examples daily before.
their eyes. ''There wiIlInot be one of
you fellows left in two years from
now" said a Republican senator to a
Department clerk recently. And there
was much truth in his remark. All
idle and inefficient employees will go
in tha paskrsp s1f time