Mohave County miner., 1889-07-13
WASHINGTON LETTER.
Correspondence OF the MIsgR.

luO UOOA5 " thc SoSSsunVus sSHS
closed annually on June 20. and this
year the dats was looked forward 10 With
unusual interest. The .ofiice-seekers
about the hotel corridors spoke conf
IDENTIFY Of the changes that would take
place ''before July 1, anyhow" Despite
prediction to the contrary, the weighty
day has come and gone, and the number
Of departmental changes have been sur
prisingly few. The discharges were far
less numerous than even at the close OF
the first fiscal year OF Mr.. Cleyeland's
administration. To say that the office
seeker IL hot Is TO pnt it mildly, he IL
wild, and he Is not cheered by reading
the long lists Of new diplomats appointed.
"Pie," to the average ofiice-seeker, 10 TO
be found in appointment to offices in this
country and he is not to be confuted by
the appointment Of some wealthy gentle
man with his hair parted in the middle
TO be envoy extraordinary and minister
excrucistingly to the court Of Yarboo.
The regular ofiice-seeker shifts at the
other fellows appearance and snorts at
his alleged Republicanism. President
Harrison who has had pair Of eye teeth
cut, 30 far as the hungry are concerned,
anticipated the onslaught OF June 80, by
quietly stealing away to Baltimore during
the morning hours with the ostensible
purpose Of bringing home Mrs. Harrison.
The agricultural department since it
has beer raised to the dignity Of having
q representative in the cabinet is more
than ever tefore, the recipient OF the al
tentions Of cranky people everywhere,
who imagiI that the government could
issue enough money TO make all the
people rich and that the government that
would stock fish ponds could not, logic
ally, refuse TO stock farms The mail
received b, the agricultural department
contains daily thousand odd requests.
Everyone has heard Of the congressman,
who durin. the las. session, received a
letter from blundering constituent read
ing, "Please send me the agricultural de-
partment. And the congressman was
not bit 81 rprised, but said that he had
often expec ed that it would come to this
he had beei. asked for the department in
detail and now ne was not astonished to
be required 10 furnish the whole thing
And this re renitentai error oil this bucolc
correspondent is out-distanced by the ap-
peal Of hund reds OF people. ...a ...-
A man ne ir Mansfield, Ohio, modestly
takes the cake. He writes, 81 wish you
would send me at once, delivered te
Mansfield pair Of horses, two mules, q
yoke Of OAen, three Alderney cows ant
spring wagon and sulky plow. Also
some eeed, suppose there are othel
things You give, but won't bother yor
now. will zee Senator Sherman wher
! 60 to town If he is home. He is a great
friend Of mine. During the last election
he told nc that ! could have everythin.
in the agricultural department il wantet
it," The intelligent voter is c:eatur,
Of curious mental construction.
From over the sea, come occasionally
vague voices, with an idea that the agri
cultural department has general contro
Of land and water. An inventor in Bo
hsnia writes that he is much distressed
by the disaster in the Conemaugh valley
Incidentally, ke mentions that he has in
vented a means OF preventing sucl
foods, and that he would sell it to th'
Unitea States government for 5000
To show his sincerity he ADDS :hat .,.c.t h'
wants 10 payment until the utility Of tn
system is fully shown, and that if tn,
government is inclined to act iairly h
will sacrifice important interests ant
bring himself and his model to Americi
for inspection, for 5000.
What becomes Of all the inquiries pro
pounded to the various departments?
half are never answered. To reply to al
Of them would require much large
force than il at present employed. A larg
proportion Of the cranky correspondent
wish certain laws construed, work tina
the various bureaus are slow to engage il
when not necessary. Others ask 10
things that the village postmaster coul
tell them were unobtainable. A ma
writes TO the pension bureau to as
whether or not he is entitled to pensio
on account Of his nephew being killed il
service. Another wants to know il bi
crippled child as well as himself can dra,
pension. The questions asked the paten
Office by inventors and even lawyers ur
acquainted with the practice is bewildel
ing. The clerk softly tucks such lette
into the middle Of the papers in the cas-
to which it refers and says nothing ex
eept that he utters few low-muttere'
benedictions ON the writer.
The navy department has decided tha
to change all the flags now in use on wa
ships for flags bearing forty-two star
instead Of those having thirty-eigh
would be too expensive. So the buntin
will only be changed as it wears Out
The appearance Of the new flag is no
noticably different from the old. Tn
law about the flag is very indefinite. !
simply provides that il shall consist Q
thirteen alternate stripes Of red ant
white, with a white star for every stat
on blue field, for union.