The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-09-09
Disciplined hv snhalterns.

From all accounts the pension bureau
needs thorough overhauling A congress-
ional committee is now engaged in investi-
eating charges which member of the
House made against the commissioner of
pensions, but there is a widespread belief
that the committee is trying to save the
commissioner from the consequences of his
alleged wrong-doing, rather than to discover
whether the charges are true or not.
The Washington correspondent of the
leading republican organ asserts that some
of the subalterns of the pension bureau
manage that portion of the pension business
which comes under their supervision to suit
themselves, and in a way to bring their SUI
periors into disrepute with the veterans.
He says, for instance, that letters received
by the Secretary of the Interior and the
assistant secretary from veterans asking
about their claims, and which the secretary
and assistant secretary direct shall be an
swered at once, are deliberately neglected
for weeks and sometimes months.
From this it would seem that the sub
alterns, and not the Secretary of the In
terror and his chief assistant, are the ones
who run the pension bureau. And the sec
rotary and his chief assistant submit to this
sort of thing. It is said that these sub
alterns don't approve the course that the
secretary and his chief assistant pursue in
regard to many pension matters. and that
they take it upon themselves to discipline
them in the manner indicated.
And this is a specimen of the way great
branches of the government are managed
under republican rule. The chiefs either dc
not dare. or else they haven't the backbone,
to enforce their orders. They submit to
being run over, as it were, by $1,000 clerks,
and permit the public business to be con-
Quoted in a way which does not give salts
faction and which they do not approve.
The public business was conducted differ
emily when Mr. Cleveland was President
Tne employees of the different departments
not only discharged their duties in accord
ance with the directions given them, but
they were at their desks promptly at the
hour they were required to be there They
were not D oliticians who felt they had q
polical pull" and could, therefore, do Just
as they pleased.
Inc ueInocrdtlo papers, ever since this
administration has been in power, have
said that the public business was being
Loosely conducted. The republicans doubt
less thought that what these papers said
was without foundation, and was intended
only to create dissatisfaction with
the administration. Now that their
own papers are saying the same thing
they will admit doubtless that the criticism
of the democratic papers was not without
cause
The truth is the Republican party has
lost whatever moral stamina it may have
had once. The agents it employed to
get into power are the ones who have the
Offices, and these oticeholders, knowing how
corrupt the party is, do just about as they
please, because they know that they are
comparatively safs The people suffer for
their neglect of duty and thsir wrong
doing. The recent elections, however, show
that there is a growing desire for a change
in the control Of the government. When
the subalterns dictate TO the chiefs it is
time for chan ge