The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1893-05-18
DR.. THOMPSON REPIES.
4 GOOD RUN WOULD HAVE BEEN BET
TER THAN 4 BAD STAND
FAREWELL EHorHERGRAD,.
Sew Doctrine for Statesmen when yau
Can't Suppress Evil, HeIp it on--How
can Clerks help Mr.. Grady More Than
"Do-nothing Committees:''--Pubi Bus
mess ne elected for Private Jobs.


mess neglected for Private Jobs.
EDITOR OF THE CAUCAsIAS:-M,
I Grady is surprised that who am ..un
: der an obligation to construe word
and deeds in their most favorabI
light, granting honesty of purpos
= and good intentions to others.
should call public attention to hi
remarkable change of base in tn
matter of certain federal salaries.
too, am surprised, that one who ha
. been twice elevated into his presen
position by reason of the confidenc,
reposed III him by Alliancemen, an,
who made his last canvass withou
defending the principles of the ordeI
or advocating the platform on whicl
he was given the romiration and ac
cepted it, should seek to screen hi.
official acts from just criticism by
recltlng the terms of an obligation
In truth, how could Mr.. Grady sug,
gest with any degree Of accuracy
that | had not granted 'honesty OF
purpose and good Intentions 20 him
seeing that | had set forth, as philo.
sophically as | could devise, certain
principles tending to constrain other
men ''to construe words and deeds in
the most favorable light?" Certainly
your readers will recall that | said:
Every animal is the physiological
equation Of its environments. X !
There may be a man in the moon,
but he Is not like US because his sur
roundings are different.
These things being so by nature,
who shall blame Mr.. Grady for de-
monstrating, chameleon-like, the hue
of Washington City Democracy" In
deed, | thought | had built sort of
city Of refuge wherein | expected my
friend to find shelter and remain.
safe from the pursuit of the public
wrong. But despising my "favora-
BILE light" and magnanimous grant
OF 'hOnesty Of purpose" he has pre-
ferred to stand without the gate and
defend himself upon his own ground.
However rash his attempt at justifi-
cation may be thought, is now two
late for counsel or regrets. Look
ing the situation in the face, we can
only inquire whether good run
would not have been better than the
stand he has taken.
Mr.. Grady says: "Members who
have no clerks are prevented from
giving proper attention to the duties
for which they are supposed to have
been elected. The calls on them in
person and by letters for offices, new
mail routs, postoffices, seed, loans of
money, information on almost every
imaginable subject; 4 for
news and interviews by the array of
correspondents in the city, and par
ticularly in the Capitol, while the
two Houses are supposed to be at
work, not only render it impossible
for them to study and % understand
and lntelligently discuss the meas
ures the people are so much interest
ed in, but are fruitful cause of
what SO often blocks legislation,-
''no quorum" Evidently a choice
must be made between polite atten-
ton to individual jobs and the more
serious attention to the public bust
ness. The public business, it seems,
10 liz ACNbNN LoL ljIlN dlC JUS. Ht
public pays for service it never re-
ceives. Private individuals receive
the benefits Of the public expendi-
lures. Instead of doing honest serv-
Ice for the public who foots the bill.
it is the habit of congressman to
receive the puolic funds in considera-
tion of private jobs, performed with
the view to increasing their popu-
larity for another term They do
this even If it causes mo quorum
and the consequent neglect of pub
lie business, and the members re-
main too ignorant to understand
and intelligently discuss the meas
ures the people are so much inter
ested in" They are hirelings hold
ing their masters purse and work
ing for their own interest to the neg
lect of their masters welfare; men
who sell and take pay for what they
will not deliver, and have power to |
force you to pay more TO obtain what !
you have already paid for, a sort of
brigands ''for the public good" as
We shall presently see.
lone. result, says Mr.. Grady, sis
that every Congress takes the ex-
travigant appropriation bills of its
predecessor as its model and basis of
legislation, being unable to make
original Investigations, and often
afraid to make reductions, the re-
suits of which cannot be foreseen."
That is to say, members Of Congress
choose to be ignorant for revenue
and at the public's expense. There
comes also the suggestion that the
public have been fools at their own
expense for continuing such rep,e-
sentatives. You gather further that
the cry against Reeds Billion Dol
larism in the month of Democratic
Congressman was wholly lacking in
honesty of purpose and was ut
tered "for revenue only" There
can be no economy in expenditures
so long as public servants are too
much engrossed with private affairs
to attend to public business.
Il voted, says Mr.. Grady" to al
low members clerks, so that they may
serve their constituents more eff
GENTLY, and save the public money
py shoIteHIuS Inc SesSioHS Ol COuS-
ress. A small reduction in the num-
Der of days will save more than the
clerks will cost" In view Of the
service we receive, his first reason is
excellent. We need better service.
In view of the extravaganza of his
Congress, his second reason is un-
comm My good. We need economy.
But will the allowance for clerk hire
shorten the session and eonduce to
eeonomye Will it restrain members
from attending horse races, and pre-
vent them from spending so much
OF their time in their districts, work
IN for renominatione What is the
cost of the daily session exclusive of
the sums expended in annual salar-
les? Doesn't Mr.. Grady get the same