Fair play., 1893-05-20

Washington Letter.

i'"cn able I" dcv"l" more ot lis llu"
. g." inP"rtaG; Huhl.c u3attcr~ than lu
an -ing.e week since Ii, inun4ura-
iion, owing to hi having stopped tur
I practice "t 2'au'in@ p"r-"A.u inter
! views 10 applicant, Ter Presidential
/ positions: bul /; las been iu-t the re-
v"rst ith members # liz cabinet
/ they have had - many callers thnl
! ihcy have had to devote almost thcif
cutirc time 10 them, and unless there
j. let up they will be compelled
! +" fai."w lie Presidents example and
decline s'cing applicants for Office
! fhu-c who iireitDh to bc shocked al
/ what they are pic3>ud To cu.t the
/ Pre- ~ident- innovation have short
| memories, a. he did precisely The
,tIre thing IN October, 1885. II
you'd he advantageous TO applicants
| for places il members OF the cabinet
| wou.t also refuse to see applicants,
! i'l 'bNit iIitN Npli'i lIdN L - 'i!iftt W
| look over the papers Oh file aad make
recommendation 10 the President,
thus Fastening appointments. 1t i
because republicans know this that
| they are Try ing 50 hard 10 create -
! public sentiment in favor of unlimited
personal interviews the longer the
heads Of the departments are kept
away from the papers Oh file, b.
| callers, the longer the big offices will
be filled by republicans. See!
The Weather Bureau Investigation
has closed and Gen. Colby is now Al
| work on the testimony, upon which
his report will be based. What that
! report will recommend your corrcs-
| pondent has no means of knowing.
but the evidence will certainly JUSTLY
Il general shake up of the bureau
ircm top 10 bottom, aud it Is alto
gether probable that Secretary
Murion viii see that il gets it.
While nothing absolutely criminal
was proven against prominent oili
| cials, II state of affairs was shown to
exist that calls loudly for change
Secretary Herbert has correct and
thoroughly democratic ideas about
the relations that should exist be
tween naval officers and the L. S
Government, as hls order that no
more leaves of absence be granted
naval officers Tor the purpose of al
lowing them to enter private employ
fully proves. This practice, Ike
many other questionable ones, is of
republican origin. and has grown
officers who have acquired special
knowledge along certain lines after
long study, at government expense,
have secured leaves of absence, in
some cases for rs long As four years,
on two-lhirds pay, in order that they
might sell their special knowledge to
the highest bidder among those TO
whom it would be most valuable
the contractors who do business with
the Navy department. Secretary
Herbert says that hereafter when any
naval officer desires 10 accept private
employment he must resign his COM
mission before doing so, and every
good democrat will say amen
So many complaints of one kind
and another have been received 10y
Secretary Carlisle about the methods
aud the administration of the New
York custom-house that lie has de.
termined to have it thoroughly iuvrs-
tigated from top to bottom, aud has
selected the following gentlemen to
do 1t ex-Secretary Fairchild, of New
York city; Hon. Daniel Magone, OF
Ogdensburg. n. V, and Hon. Poin-
dexter Dunn, of Arkansas.
1t is significant that upon the very
day Judge Lochren, the new Com
missioner of Pensions, took personal
charge of the Pension Bureau iha,
frauds aggregstiug something like
100000 should have been exposed
And still more significant IS the fact
that all of these frauds obtained pen
sions through single attorney-W.
r. Drewry, of Norfolk, Va. Thar
hundreds of similar cases will he un
earthed is the genera! belief here
Judge Lochren Is of the opinion that
the amount paid out for pensions can
be largely reduced without depriving
any man of what is justly and legally
his and without changing the laws.
and he proposes to demonstrate the
cUrrectncs, of that opinion.
4 number of prominent demo
Gratis, headed by Represrnia,iv"
Bynum, of Indiana, are rnleavoring
to persuade President Cleveland tn
call the extra session Ill June, in
stead of September. The argument
of these gentlemen Is that Septtnber
is the most unhealthy month in the
year in Washington. malaria bring
worse than at any other time. They
say that If Congress comes together
in Jnne the House can perfect its or
gauization and The committees get
down 10 work before the hotte-;
weather of the summer comes and
then recess can be tsken 10 the first
Of October, escaping the malarial
season. -.>.