Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1893-06-01
THE STATE DEPARTMENT.
It Needs a Heroic and Systematic
House-C Cleaning.
Barnacles with Long Titles Who Consider
Themselves Better Than Other Ameri-
can Citizens-Secretary Gresham's
Commendable Course.
Especial Washington letter.

Especial Washington Letter.l
A shade of sadness, a blush of shame
must necessarily mantle the cheek of
every true American citizen who calls
upon the officials of the department of
state to transact public business. It is
q great misfortune and a crying shame
that the department which has con-
troll over our foreign affairs is SO imita-
tive of the alleged dignity in similar
departments of the old world.
Nearly ten years ago your CORE
spondent was government official in
the post Office department when Wal
ter Q. Gresham was postmaster gener-
al, and at that time it was my good
fortune to become pretty well &C
quainted with the man and his meth
DDS of executive administration. On
account of some of his peculiarities of
manner and of diction Gen. Gresham
was man with whom I could never
become particularly friendly; but for
>his high moral and official character,
for his absolute probity and patriotic
determination in every particular,
every one who comes in contact with
him officially has high admiration.
Consequently have no word of full
some fattery to offer concerning the
man, but have no hesitation in utter
ing encomiums upon the character of
the eminent gentleman who is now at
the head of the department of state.
Not for the purpose of turning out
one set of employees merely for the
sake of putting another set in, but to
satisfy himself as to the real efficiency
of the service, Gen. Gresham has de-
clared in the inner circle of few
friends who are near unto him that he
intends to entirely overhaul the de-
partment of state by a weeding-out
process which will be advantageously
applied by the infusion of new blood.
There is no doubt that such an infu-
sion is greatly needed and that proper
ly carried out it will prove not only
beneficial to the department, but will
add materially to the dignity of this
country in the eyes of diplomatic rep
resentatives of foreign countries
which have dealings with that execu-
tive branch of our government. It is
to be hoped that Secretary Gresham
will succeed in discovering all of the
useless toadies and peremptorily dis
pensing with their services. The am
bassadors, ENJOYS extraordinary, min
listers plenipotentiary and consul gen.
erals of the various nations of the
earth obtain a false impression con-
corning the official dignity of this
country by calling upon the depart
ment of state in business capacity in
our national capital; and yet that is
the only department ordinarily with
which they have any business transac-
tions. If they were to go to the de-
partment of justice, the treasury de-
partment, the post Office department,
the interior department or the agri-
cultural department., they would meet
with different class of representative
American citizens. In the. state de-
partment, however, they come in con-
tact with class of officials who are
dude-lile in every attitude and in
every utterance. These officials in
every way initiate, SO far as they can,
the nobility of England. Inasmuch as
they have erroneous impressions con-
corning the lordlings of the British
empire, as a general thing they are
more likely to be aping the manners of
the footmen and buffers of the noble
men than the noblemen themselves.
After the lapse of fully fifty years
the housekeeping process in the de-
partment of state is about to take
place. Heretofore it has been regarded
as good policy to retain in that par
ticular department all employees, and
consequently there has grown up in
this city within the sunset shadow of
the dome of the capitol an aristocracy
which is as false to the traditions of
the country as it is degrading to the
common and plain people of our nation.
Political changes in the executive head
ship of the government have heretofore
made no difference in the Office holding
class of the department of state. The
men who have received appointments in
that particular department have been
regarded especially fortunate because
their places have been regarded as life