The herald., 1893-02-16
LIT US RETURN TO REPUBLICAN SIM
PLICITY-A NEEDED CHANGE.

~ ic. JUST Us Woll bHdt LQ0 American
people should give passing notice to a
phase of official life at Washington
which has been brought to the FORE
ground by Mr.. Clevelsnd's efforts to get
a cabinet that will suit him. 1t is said
that the president.elect first rendered
the position of secretary of state to Mr..
Bayard, who held that portfolio under
the first Cleveland administration. The
Delaware statesman is alleged, on what
appears to be pretty good authority, to
have declined the Office on the groun d
that he was too poor to accept it; in
other words, that the secretary of state
is obliged to maintain a scale of per-
sonal expenditure which his (Bayard's)
purse could not afford. This action of
Mr.. Bayard's brings very forcibly to
mind the fact that life at Washington
has become frightfully expensive
OF late years. 1t is high time
that reform in the line of gen.
uine republican democratic simple
ity should be insugurated at that
place. Mr.. Cleveland's secretary of state,
who has a number of accomplished
daughters, doubtless recalls with hor-
ror what it costs to keep up the fashion
able pace in that whirlpool OF dissipa-
tion and folly. The case is not much
improved when it comes to Judge Gres-
ham, who seems to have accepted the
exalted post that Mr.. Bayard declined.
This distinguished gentleman is not sup
posed to be any better supplied with
this worlds goods than Mr.. Bsyard.
But he is not, at least, in the plight OF
the burnt child that breads the FIRE, and
then he may not have a fashionable
family. Discriminating people will pity
Judge Gresham when he gets an estab-
lishment under way in Washington COM
mensurate with the dignity of the secrs-
tary of state of the United States. To
borrow popular phrase, he will have
to look two ways for Sunday when it
comes to entertaining foreign diplomats
and the dilettanfe of Washington society.
His salary will be a mere drop in the
bucket.
And this brings us to phase of the
matter which, in republic, ought to be
restricted to the secretary of state.
This official is expected to entertain
literally. In this year of grace 1898
that necessarily means the expenditure
of large sums OF money. Why should
this all come from the privy purse of
the secretary? To insist that it should
do SO is to make it exigent that only
rich men should be appointed secretary
of state. We do not think that the
American people have yet reached that
stage. There ought to be reasonable
sum appropriated yearly for the social
expenses of the state department. The
enhanced outlays of the White House
arising from the duty of entertaining
are met indirectly. There are many
special appropriations that amount
yearly to a very large sum, and which
practically leave the president in pos-
session Of his salary.
When, during Grants first term, the
salary of the president was doubled,
being advanced from $25, 5000 year to
$4,000, that of all the cabinet officers
should have been doubled, and the Sec
retary of state should have been put on
the same footing of the president as to
extras, on the distinct and tenable
ground that he is necessarily put to
great expense in maintaining the dig
nifty of his country. and that that posi-.
ton ought not to be forced into the
exclusive occupancy OF rich men. The
people would approve the change.