The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1886-09-23
WASHINGTON LETTER.
WAsnINaroN. Sept. rs. 1ss6

Since the cool weather of the last
week there has been noticeable re-
turn to Washington of its winter pOpu-
lation. From seaside and mountain,
Canada and Europe, the birds of pas
sage and pleasure now turn towards
this winter res ort, where they will bill
and coo, cackle and crow, strut and dis
play their brilliant plumage, make and
rob nests, or, ostrich like, conceal only
their heads. However, we stout it out.
we men are little breed, and the social
naturalist has no better field for his ia
vorite study than at the capitol of the
United States.
The President and Mrs. Cleveland are
not expected until next week, and they
will not live in their country home, as
has been reported, but will al once go
to the White House, which has been
put in readiness for them. The old
mansion has been freshly painted, and
the iron palings around the grounds
have received q coat of black paint, and
have been tipped with gold. The ex-
terror of the mansion looks newer than
when it was new, but the interior, am
told by connOisseurs, is not up to the
aesthetic, dudish standard OF the late
| administration. President Arthur, 1t
is said, succeeded in giving a certain
room a peculiar robins egg tint OF
| heavenly blueness that the present oc-
cupant of the White House cannot re-
peat. There is ne. u eitrying, we dem
Gratis are honest, but we cannot be
nice.
Washington has grown to be too large
| a city, there are too many national in
terests centered here for the Capitol to
| be dull even in the absence of the EX-
i n0nfiUn fha 10 hinat Gnm0FnsQ and the
LOBBY. A new public printer has just
taken charge of the Government print
ing office; an establishment that dwarfs
every other printing office in the world.
| Hundreds of employees are expecting
dismissal. The appropriations have
been cut down, there were too many on
the pay roll and they must go.
MIR. Benedict, the new public printer,
has already begun the work OF reform
ing many abuses which existed under
the administration of the Republican
incumbent. He has ordered an inVeA.
tory to be made of all the horses and
carriages, from which it is inferred that
he will commence at once to clean cut
the Augean stables. At present six
horses and as many vehicles are kept at
the expense of the Government, nearly
all of which can be dispensed with
without detriment to the service, They
will be sold at auction and the money
will be covered into the Treasury, and
these horses will no longer eat their
heads off at the expense of the tax-pay-
er. The Repu blicans will hiss at this as
little thing, but it is precisely this
economy in little things multiplied in
all the thousand offices of the Govern
ment that has enabled the present Dem
Ocratic administration to reduce the eX-
penses of the government during the
fiscal year ending June 80, 1886, to the
amount of $25,630,7S5. 1t should be re-
mem bered that this is the only entire
fiscal year in which the Democrats have
had entire charge of the government,
they have not got fully warmed up yet
, or cleared away the rubbish so as to
have complete elbow room, They will
do better next year.
The saving of money is not the only
gain. More work has been done, bet
ter work has been done in all the of
fees, while the character of the service
has been improved and elevated by dis
charging an idle, vagabOnd, intemper-
ate horde and appointing many clean EFF.
ficient and industrious employees. There
: is still much need of purging and puri-
ticatiOn i'll this direction, but enough
, has been already accomplished to give
hope for the future.
An instance occurred in the Treasury
Department last week which is illustra-
tive of the morale among the Presi-
| dents Democratic appOintees. During
the absence of Assistant Secretary
Thompson, his son, without his fathers
knowledge, passed a civil service ex-
animation and was appointed to place
! in the Treasury Department. The faith
J er knew nothing of the appointment
until young Thompson had been as
signed to his desk. Instead of congrat-
ulating the young man he told him that
there would be a suspicion that he Sc
cured the place through his fathers in,
: tlueDce, Young Mr.. Thompson there
upon handed in his resignation.
When Assistant Secretary Thompson
was asked about the matter he admitted
that the facts were as stated, and that
it was true that he had cOunseled his
son to decline the appointment. He
had not advised him to resign because
he doubted the honesty of the exami-
nation and report, but because he did
not wish to give the enemies of civil
service reform any grounds upon which
to assail the operation of the law. 81
am for civil service reform, and strong
er in my advocacy of it since ! have
been in Office than I was before, and
do not wish to afford any one chance
to suspect my devotion to it."