Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1893-03-31
WASHINGTON LETTER.

new administration, like q new broom,
sweeps clean, but the sweeping is only
Just begun, and there is so much rubbish
that needs sweeping INFO the refuse pile,
that it would be risky to predict the final
outcome of the sweeping. However, that
should not prevent credit being given for
what has been done; the promises OF
what will be done can wait. Few, if any,
practical men of affairs ever transacted
any business of magnitude with tie
Government without becoming convinced
that there was need of reform both 10 the
method and manner of doing businefs in
the Departments; that there was too
much red tape and too many employees.
1t was this sentiment that caused the
adoption Of an amendment to an appropri-
alton bill at the last session of Congress-,
appointing a JOINT Congressional com
miltee to investigate the departments and
report as to how the methods may be
improved and the number of employees re-
duced without detrment to the public
service. This sentiment has also been
adopted by the administration, and a
number of useless employees have already
been dismissed from the Treasury and
Agricultural Departments, and the prom
iso made that the sinecures and barnacles
are to be weeded cut in all the rest OF
them lust as fast as the heads of the de-
partments can locate them. What has
been done is a step in the right direction,
and if the administration will only keep
its promise to put the departments on q
purely business basis it Will deserve the
thanks of every tax payer in the land.
But it is no easy task, as those familiar
with the situation know, for the sinscures
and the barnacles are the very ones wi o
have the strongest "pull," both political
and social, and more than one admins
tration has failed in sincere attempts to
GUST them.
The daily scenes at the White House
are very amusing to the few who have
nothing at stake aud who don't care u
brass button who gets the plsms the fun
isn't so apparent to the walters and
hopers. To fully enjoy the thing enc
must have been here from the beginning
of the administration, when Senators and
REPRESENTATIVE stalked into the White
House with a sort Of PYe-got-to-have-'em
air. while their admiring constituents fol-
lowed with oh lam albright smile. SeN
eral attempts have been made to have
state delegations act in concert in recon-
mendIng men tor appointment, but all OF
them have been abandoned and it is now
a question of every Senator aud Member
getting whatever he can whether the
other fellow gets anything or not. The
applicants and their Congressional back
ers have all dropped their overconfdent
air and they now approach President
Cleveland IN a ase-may-I-have-it style
The last three weeks in Washington
ought to have convinced any outsider
who has been here of the folly of becom
ing an office seeker, but candor compels
me 20 say that they haven't, and that some
who we're at first merely Onlookers have
allowed themselves to become office
seekers.
The new order closing the offices Of the
Members of the Cabinet to the public on
Tuesdays and Fridays, the days on which
the Cabinet meets, is not popular, either
with Congressman, Office seekers or bust
ness men who wish TO see those gentle
men. On Mondays President Cleveland
sees no one, unless by special appoint
ment.
Senator Martin, of Kansas, says that
he has assurances that the populists OF
his state will be recognized IN the dis
tribution of federal patronage, notwith-
standing the popular impression to the
contrary.
The threat of the republican Senators
to resort to flibustering if the democrats
attempted to elect the officers nominated
By their caucus will, 1t is believed, result
in postponing the election of the officers
until the regular session. A number OF
Senators are not disposed to take part in
any controversy as they have made ar
rangements to leave town as soon as the
vote IS taken upon the question of seat
ing the appointed Senators, regardless OF
whether the Senate shall adjourn or re
main in session,
The old superstition about its being
"bad luck" for U. S. Senator to build a
house in Washington Is recalled by the
announcement that the elegant residence
erected by Senator Sawyer, Of Wisconsin,
not three years ago, has been leased for a
period OF six years beginning the first OF
next June to Senator Stockbridge, Of
Michigan, who is to keep mp the repairs,
pay the taxes, and pay an anDual rental
of So, $50, for it. The rent is considered
cheap as the House is valued at Sl25,OaO.
Those people who believe that the title
Ambassador" will add dignity and infu-
euce to American ministers abroad ought
to be happy, as. under law OF the last
Congress the President is authorized to
send ambassadors to such European conn
tries as send ambassadors to us, and
England and France have already pro-
noted their American ministers to am
bassadors. Wonder what old Ben Frank
lin and other sturdy American ministers
abroad in the early days of the Republic
would think Of this wrinkle
The single tax system was put in opera
ton ia HyattsvIlle, Prince George ceun-
ty, Nd, under the authority of an act
passed by the Maryland legislature last
year, This act purpOrted to repeal an
act passed two years before uE1er which