Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1891-07-16
WASHINGTON LETTER.
from on Regular Correspondent.

Treasury department could be anol-
ished without injuring the public SER
vice and that q million dollars a year
would be saved thereby, has raised a
eommotion IN the government depart
ments generally, and almost a panic
in the the Treasury department. The
official barnacles whose highest am
bitioa is to help some other official do
nothing and draw big salary for 1t,
are up in arms and declaring that
Secretary Foster knows nothing about
it and that more officials not fewer
are what is needed.
Not being familiar with the particu-
lar bureaux referred to by MIR. Foster,
it would be folly to say whether he is
right or wrong, but no business man
who Is familiar with the general meth
DDS of the government departments
can deny that with the exception of
half dozen bureaux where the work
Is peculiarly exactlng in those
there are drones by the score-there
are throughout them all at least two
men employed to do what one man
would do in private employ. Why
doesn't somebody reform these de-
partments7 the reader naturally asks.
The task is too great for any one man.
Every one of these thousands of hang
ers on to the government teat has pol
itical influence, and many of them
WELD a powerful social influence,
which is a lever that never fails to
move things in Washington, and the
moment that any head of a depart
ment lets it be known that he thinks
of putting his department on a strictly
business basis he is overwhelmed with
obstacles placed by these various IN
fuences, and being only human, he
soon gives up the unequal fight.
The greatest object III life of the old
fossils who have for years controlled
the routine work of the departments
is to drill the new clerks that come in
from time to time into their methods
Of doing everything by the slowest
and most complicated and roundabout
ways, and the new clerks soon fall in
to the hebit of doing as little as pos
sIble and at the same time complain
ing of being overworked, just as the
old ones do. While it would involve
many individual hardships it would
be the best thing that could happen
for the country at large if, when the
next President comes in on March 4,
'93, every employee of the government
high and low should be changed.
The fossils would say that such a
change would stop the wheels of the
government machine, but it isn't true.
There is nothing In the administra-
ton of the affairs of this government
that a good business man is not capa-
BILE of undertaking without a days
preparation. He wouldn't follow the
antiqusted methods of the fossils, but
he would introduce new and better
methods and put the department up
on the same footing as large private
business establishments which would
save many millions now wasted and
at the same time greatly expediate
the public business.
The news that is being received
here concerning the Farmers ALI
ance is constantly becoming more
puzzling to the politicians in the old
parties. For instance, a gentleman
Just returned from a business trip
through Virginia, and who is a bust
ness man, not a politician, says: The
democrats are going to be surprised
when the vote IN Virginia is counted
at the next election. The Farmers
Alliance and the republicans have
Joined hands against the democrats
and many democrats believing that
Cleveland will be the nominee of that
party have announced their intention
of joining the new combination, which
will, in my opinion, elect at least five
members of congess and It's electoral
ticket" This is indeed news for 1t
had been generally supposed that in
all the southern states the Alliance
and the democrats were working to-
gether, although in some of the states
there is known to be considerable
friction.
The Gillian insurgent steamer, TIA
ia, which few weeks ago caused a
decided difference of opinion to be
expressed in the Cabinet, is again the
subject of contention in official circles
Mr.. Blaine from the first advised
against pursuing the Itata on the
ground that we had no right to inter
fere with her outside of our own wat
ers, but on an official opinion Of At
torney- General Miller, backed up by
the active support Of SecretaryT n = racy,
the administration decided to go for
the steamer. Now 1t appears that the
chances favor the court deciding
against our right to hold the Itata
and the opinion is expressed that
should such be the deciRic-,n and the
insurgents l..--.lately succeed IN get
TN control of the Gillian govern
ment we Will be called upon to pay q
big indemnity for having taken the
Itata and brought her back to Sar
lnionn There are some nice points