Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1893-05-19
NATIONAL CAPITAL.
STILL STAYING THE
PHlLISTlNES.

Cold Comfort for office Seekers
The Weather Bureau Invcstiga-
ton "Leave.Of.Absen Scam
dal-A Search Light 10 He Turned
OH the n. v. Custom HOuSe-Pen-
sion Frauds Early Session OF
Congress Suggested.
(From our Regular Corrcspondence,l
WASHINGTON, ID. c., May 12, 1898.
President Cleveland has this week
been able to devote more of his time
to important public matters than in
any single week since his Inaugural
ton, owing to his having stopped the
practice of granting personal inter-
views to applicants for Presidential
positions; but it has been just the re-
verse with members of his cabinet !;
they have had SO many callers that
they have had to devote almost their
entire time to them, and unless there
is &" let up" they will be compelled to
follow the Presidents example and
decline seeing applicants for office.
Those who pretend to be shocked at
what they are pleased to call the
Presidents innovation have short
memories. as he did precisely the
same thing in October, 1885. Itwould
be advantageous to applicants for
places if members of the cabinet
would also refuse to see applicants, for
then they would have chance to
look over the papers on file and make
recommendations to the President,
thus Fastening appointments. 1t is
because Republicans know this that
they are trying so hard to create. a
public sentiment in favor of I'M
limited personal interviews; the
longer the heads OF the departments
are kept away from the papers on file,
by callers. the longer the big Offices
will be filled by Republicans.
The Weather Bureau investigation
has closed and Gen. Colby is now Mt
work on the testimony, upon which
his report will be based. What that
report will recommend your CORE
spondent has no means of knowing,
but the evidence will certainly justify
u general shake-up of the bureau from
top to bottom, and it is altogether
probable that Secretary Morton will
see that it gets it. While nothing a5-
sOlutely criminal was proven against
prominent officials, a state of affairs
was shown to exist that calls loudly
for a change.
Secretary Herbert has correct and
thoroughly Democratic ideas about
the relations that should exist between
naval officers and the U. S. Govern
ment, as his order that no more leaves
Of absence be granted naval officers
for the purpose of allowing them to
enter private employ fully proves.
This practice, like many other ques.
tionable ones. is of Republican origin,
and has grown into almost Il scandal.
Under it naval officers who have ac-
quired special knowledge along certain
lines after long study. at government
expense. have secured leaves OF alb
sence; in some cases for as long as
four years, on twO-thirds 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 Depart.
ment. Secretary Herbert says that
hereafter when any naval officer de-
sires to accept private employment he
must resign his commission before
doing 80, and every good Democrat
will say amen!
So many complaints of one kind
and another have been received by
Secretary Carlisle about the methods
and the administration of the New
York custOm-house that he has de-
termined to have it thoroughly in.
vestigated from top to bottom, and
has selected the following gentlemen
to do it: ex-Secretary Fairchild, of
New York city; Hon. Daniel Magone,
of Ogdensburg, N. V, and Hon. Poin-
dexter Dunn, or Arkansas.
1t is significant that upon the very
day Judge Lochren, the new Commis-
sioner of Pensions, took personal
charge Of the Pension Bureau that
frauds aggregating 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.
X. Drewry, of Norfolk, Va. That
hundreds of similar cases will be I'M
earthed is the general 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
correctness OF that opinion.
A number of prominent Democrats,
headed by Representative Bynum, of
Indiana. are endeavOring to persuade
Cleveland to call the extra session in
June, instead of September. The ar
gument of these gentlemen is that
September is the most unhealthy
month in the year in Washington,
malaria being worse than at any other
time. They say that if Congress
comes together in June the House
can perfect its organization and the
committees get down to work before
the hottest weather of the summer
comes and then a recess can he taken
to the first OF October, escaping the
malarial season.
Dem.