Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1886-10-01
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
Regular Correspondent.
WASHINGTON. Sent 12 lSSf

turn to Washington of its winter pop
ulation. From seaside and mountain,
Canada and Europe the birds of pas
sage and pleasure now turn towards
this winter resort where they will bill
and coo, cackle and crow, strut and
display 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 favorite study than at the
capital 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
at once go to the White House, which
has been put in readiness for them.
The old mansion has been freshly
painted, and the iron palngs around
the grounds have received a coat of
black paint, and have been tipped
with gold. The exterior of the man
sion looks newer than when it was
new, but the interior, l am told by
connoisseurs, is not up to the aesthtic,
dudish standard of the late admins
tration. President Arthur, it is said.
succeeded in giving a certain room a
peculiar robins egg tint of heavenly
blueness that the present occupant of
the White House cannot repeat.
There is no use trying, We Democrats
are honest, but we cannot be nice.
Washington has grown to be too
large city, there are too many ma
tional interests centered here for the
Capital to be dull even in the alb
sence of the Executive, the Cabinet,
Congress, and the lobby. A new Pub
lie Printer has just taken charge Of
the Government printing Office; an
establishment that dwarfs every other
printing Office in the world. Hun
dreds OF employees are expecting dis
missal. The appropriations have been
cut down, there were too many on
the pay roll and they must go.
Mr.. Benedict, the new Public Prin-
ter, has already begun the work of re-
forming many abuses which existed
under the administration of the Re-
publican incumbent. He has ordered
an inventory to be made of all the
horses and carriages, from which it is
inferred .that he will commence at
once TO clean out 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 COW
cred into the Treasury, and these
horses will no longer eat their heads
off at the expense of the tax payer.
The Republicans will hiss at this as a
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
Democratic Administrator to reduce
the expenses of the Government dur
ing the fiscal year ending June 3Oth,
1886, to the amount of $35 $780, 1856.
1t should be remembered 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 COM
plete elbow room. They will do bet
ter next year.
The saving of money is not the
only gain. More work has been done,
better work has been done in all the
offices, while the character of the SER
vice has been improved and elevated
by discharging an idle, vagabond, in
temperate horde and appointing may
clean, efficient, and industrious en-
ployes. There is still much need of
purging and publication in this di-
rection, but enough has been already
accomplished to give hope for the
future
An incident occurred in the Treas
ury Department last week which is
illustrative OF the morals among the
Presidents Democratic appointees.
During the absence Of Assistant Sec
retary Thompson, his son, without his
fathers knowledge, passed civil SER
vice examination and was appointed
to place in the Treasury Depart
ment. The father knew nothing of
the appointment until young Thomp-
son had been assigned to his desk.
Instead of congratulating the young
man he told him that there would be
a suspicion that he secured the place
through his fathers influence. Young
Mr.. Thompson thereupon handed in
his resignation. When Assistant Sec
retary 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 de
cline the appointment. He had not
advised him to resign because he
doubted the honesty of the examina-
ton and report; but because he did
not wish to give the enemies Of civil
carvIoo rQfOrno anv nrnnpdo unnn