The Coconino sun. [volume] (Flagstaff, Ariz.) 1891-1891, 1891-07-18
Washington Letter.
tFrom sxr Regular Correspondent,

treasury department. could De aooi-
lshed without injuring the public SER
vice and that million dollars q year
would be saved thereby, has raised q
commotion in the Government depart.
ments generally, and almost q panic
in she Treasury Department. The
official barnacles whose highest am
bition is to help some other official do
nothing and draw big salary for it,
are up in arms and declare that Secre-
tary Foster knows nothing about it,
and that more officials, not fewer, are
what is needed.
Not being familiar with the partic-
ular bureau referred to by Mr.. Foster,
it would be folly to say whether he is
right or wrong, but no business man
who is familiar with the general
methods of the Government derart.
ments can deny that, with the excep.
tion of half dozen bureaus, where the
work is peculiarly exacting-even in
those there arc drones by the score
there are throughout them all at least
two mea employed to do what one man
would do in private employ. Why
doesn't somebody reform these depart
ments, 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 DO.
litical influence, any many Of them
yeild q powerful social influence,
which is lever that never fails to
move things in Washington, and the
moment that any head of 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
fluences, and, being only human, he
soon give up the unequal fight.
The greatest object in 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
and most complicated and roundabout
ways, and the new clerks soon fall
into the habit Of doing as little as pos,
sible and at the same time complaining
of being over-worked, 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,
1898, every emp.oye Of the Govern
mont, high and low, should be changed.
The fossils would say that such q
change would stop the wheels Of the
Government machine, but it isn't true.
There is nothing in the administration
OF the affairs of this Government that
a good business man is not capable Of
undertaking without days propara.
ton. He wouldn't follow the anti.
quated methods of the fossils. but he
would introduce new and better meth
obs and put the departments upon the
s,me 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 Alliance is
constantly becoming more puzzling to
the politicians in the old parties, For
instance, a gentleman just returned
from business through Virginia, and
who is business man, not politician,
says: THE Democrats are going to
be surprised when the vote in Virginia
is counted at the next election The
Farmers Alliance and Republicans
have joined hands against the Demo
Gratis, and many Democrats, believing
that Cleveland will be the nominee Of
that party, have announced their in.
tention of joining tho new conbina-
tion, which will, in my opinion, elect
at least five members Of Congress and
its electoral ticket" This is indeed
news, for it had been generally sup.
posed that in all the Southern states
the Alliance and Democrats were
working together. although in some of
the states there is known to he con.
siderable friction.
The Chilian insursent steamer Itata,
which a few weeks ago caused de.
cided difference of opinion to be ex-
pressed in the Cabinet, is again the
subj ect 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 waters,
but on an official opinion of Attorney,
General Miller, backed up by the
active support Of Secretary Tracy, the
administration decided to 90 for the
steamer. Now it appears that the
chances favor the court deciding