The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1893-06-15
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
From our Regular Corn espondent.)
WASHINGTON, June ID, '93.

There is innocent blood on the
head of that intangible power known
as the Government of the United
States. Widows and the orphans
weep for the husbands and fathers
sacrificed on the altar of legislative
economy and administrative disre-
gard. Over the whole Capital city
there is mourning for the dead.
sympathy for the injured. Of all
the horrible occurrences which this
city has experienced none approach
the awful catastrophe which but a
few days ago startled the public
pulse. The falling of the floors of
a Government structure in which
nearly five hundred government
employees was at work is one of
those happenings that discourage
descriptive effort. But the damage
has been done. the crime consum-
mated, and now comes the question
of responsibility. For several years
there has practically been but one
opinion as to the safety of the build
ing used for the Pension and Record
Division of the War Department.
and yet men and desks and file
cabinets were crowded INTO it until
every available foot of space was
utilized. Again and again has Con-
gress been appealed to for the relief
which a few wisely expended dollars
would bring, over and over have
properly-fearful clerks made public
their only too-well grounded proph-
ecies of disaster. And the petitions
have never received moments at
tentlon from those to whom they
were addressed. 1t was a motor
iously unhealthy and rotten shell,
utterly unfit for habitation, but the
economists ears were stopped up
with sophistries and their judgment
warped by the instincts of cheap
demagoguery. Yet the calamity of
the present may be repeated to-mor-
row in some one of the other Gov
eminent rookeries in this city.
In another building in this city
owned by the United States govern
ment are huddled together in a
shameful manner 2,7O0 beings, one
third of whom are females. This
building is VIGOROUSLY unsafe and
time and time again the attention
of those high in authority and re-
sponsibile for the condition of af-
fairs has been called to it, and time
and time again have those author
tiles, none less than the Congress of
the United States, cast aside the
words of warning and appeal so
earnestly made. This building is
the government printing office, the
greatest in the world, and unques-
tlonably the least secure. 1t needed
not the appalling disaster, of last
week, disaster which shocked the
whole civilized world, to bring home
to those compelled to labor in this
building the lesson of the catastro-
phe. For not day of years past
has come and gone that has not
brought to those employees of this
great government the realization
of how near they stand to death by
falling walls.
Among the Democrats who stand
around the hotels and look and
long and dream of fat-salaried sine
cures that never come their is criti-
cism of every department of the ad,
mlnistration save one. That de-
partment is the Department of the
Treasury. They love Mr.. Carlisle
for corpses he has made. The
merry whir of the ak in the vast
building is music to them. They
buoy themselves with the belief that
the splendid Carlislean example
must in time prove catching.
The Russian extraditlon treaty,
which has been the subject of nego-
tiation between the two contracting
parties for more than SIX years, has
at last been formally proclaimed,
and will henceforth be the law of
the land. 1t will go into effect
June "a. 1t is asserted by State
Department officials that the treaty
is similar in scope to all our recent
extradition treaties, though it is ad-
mltted that in practice the admin
istration of the articles may have a
different result in view the essential
difference between the judicial sys-
TENS of the two countries.
Mrs. Cleveland will leave the city
in fortnight to open the summer
home at Buzzard's Bay, where she
will spend portion of the season.
alternating between that resort and
the country place on the Woodley
road just outside the city, of which
she has so recently taken possession.
Upon first moving into the latter
place the President and Mrs. Cleve-
land had concluded to spend the
Il