Omaha daily bee., 1893-11-12
THE OMAHA DAILY BEE SUNDAY NOVEMBER l.. lss-s1xrEEN PAGES

Lincoln. who used to prowl around Wash
ington at all hours Of the day and night,
alone, In the most dreldfsl days Of the re-
public, or Harrison, who had the nerve to
himself throw one crans gut Of the white
house, aud who almost daily walked over
any portion of Washington, were in the
white house now he would hote the change
in conditions ana either wear a coat of mail
or have a care about extj6s1 Ore to the new
army of insane villains which is terroriziug
the country. rio e.
sad-Eyed Re'ofm.
So common has become the violation Of
both the letter and the spirit of the civil
service law that IL is never noticed here.
In one day last week about fifty republican
clerks in one department were reduced in
rank and salary and rs many democrats pro-
NOTED to fill the vacancies. 1t was all done
10 punish representatives OF one party and
favor partisans IN the other party. 1t is es-
timated that there have been dismissed
from the classified service since the 4th of
last March over 400 republicans and not a
single democrat. In none of these viola
tions of the civil service law have there
been appeals to the civil service commission,
as that body is as impotent as a last years
birds nest.
Another Disaster Expected.
Every day there is expected to occur a
duplicate of the old Ford's theatcr catastro-
phe OF last July, wherein a number of clerks
in the adjutant generals Office were killed
and u large number severely injured by the
collapse of a weak old building where
hundreds of clerks were employed upon gov
ornment records. The government printing
office, an old shamble of a three-story build
ing III the eastern part of the city, is eX-
pected to collapse. If it falls it will likely
kill many times more persons than were
carried TO death by the Ford's theater acct
dent. There are employed IN the government
printing Office nearly 5000 persons. Upon
every floor there are hundreds of tons of heavy
materials and machinery. There are few
exits. Every time a heavy truck is run over
the floors the building shakes like an aspen
leaf. The other day the employees thought
the building was about to fall and there was
n scene which IN itself threatened many
lives. Congress has been quarrcling for five
years over the selection of a site for u new
government printing Office building.
Work OF II Washington Judge.
Washington has a police Judge who should
have a counterpart IN every city in this
country. Judge Miller has no friends to
favor and no enemies to punish. The conso-
quence is a model court. He probably haas
more horse sense than any Judge of his
rank in this country, and it will be strange
if his good sense and humanity and decency
| are not rewarded by promotion. But the
| Judge of n court in the District of Columbia
can afford to be an example, a model for
other tribunals of justice. He is appointed
for life, and he realizes that the protection
guaranteed him is for the purpose of in
surfing usefulness. Judge Miller has re-
! solved to ston the practice of wearing fire.
arms. He gives offenders the limit of the
law-ninety days-and the trial of the
guilty person is swift, the sentence sure and
its enforcement prompt.
Judge Miller has also started in to put a
stop to reckless shooting by policemen. 1t
has been the custom in Washington when a
prisoner attempts to escape for the police
man in charge to open a fusiladc in the pub
lie street. There will be no more of this
reckless artillery work. Judge Miller Is
: giving the limit of the law to every person
who carries a razor, and there being 10000
darkies in the District of Columbia he man
ages to keep the large work farm well culti-
waited by razor bearers. Without being a
reformer or p%reteuder Judge Miller Is strik-
ing terror to the popular ofenses to public
deceucieS. IL took him about two weeks to
rid Washington of the vulgar annoyances of
a large-army of dudes who stood around the
entrances to theaters and other public
places, smoking cigarettes and ogling women.
OF Interest TO Farm ers.
Three or four important reports from in
vestigating committees are expected shortly
after congress conveneS next month. One
Will be from the senate committee on agri-
culture, and it will attempt to explain the
growing depression IN agricultural products.
which has been noticed during the past ten
years. Chairman George of Mississippi
originated the idea. and his primary inten-
ton was TO simply ascertain what had
caused the depreciation in the price of cot
ton. lnasmuch as a decided majority of the
committee. including its chairman, favor the
unlimited coinage o. silver and contend that
the use of that metal as money has always
fixed prices for farm produce, it is likely tina
there will be some silver politics in the ma.
jority report.
Union Pacific Affairs.
The senate committee on Pacific railroads
will report through Chairman Brice a plan
for liquidating the immense financial obiiga
tions of the Union Pacific to the fedora
government. 1t is believed that a maiorit,
of the committee will favor either an extern.
sion of the Indebtedness for payment fal
into the next century, the outright cancella.
tion of the obligation or a copartnership ar
rangement whereby the government will
participate IN the management and receipts
OF the road.
To DO Away with Rod Tape.
A third interesting and important repor
will come from a JOINT committee of the twt
branches of ongres respecting a complet
reorganization of the executive department
OF the government. This involves the en-