Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1894-06-01
CHFESEPARING.
Hundred Of Government Employees
Discharged at Washington.
Thought This Show Of Economy Will Only Be
Temporary.

WAsHIsGToy, May 31.-[Spcciall -
The wall Of voc rises on all sides, for the
end Of the fiscal year approaches, work is
being cut down and departments consoli-
dated, end government employees arc dis
charged By scores and hundreds. First
went 700 at one sweep out of the govern
ment printing Office, and there was pause
for few days, but 1t is now understood
that at least 300 more must go, and those
among the least skilled. Ten days ago
Secretary Lamont announced that many
changes must be made in the war depart
ment at least as early as the 1st of July,
but a few days later he decided that the
change might as well begin now and give
the men time to secure other employment.
The Civil Service Commission.
In anticipation Of this change many
clerks with first class standing have Sc
cured transfers to other departments,
which relieved those departments Of any
necessity Of drawing on the civil service
commission, and that in its turn has
added to tho buzz in the house over this
much belaborcd body. In the quarter
master generals office the following
branches are to be consolidated: The
the clothing account with the clothing
supply branch, the barracks and quarters
with tho draftsman's branch, the trans
portation with tho account branch and
the inspection with the record and files
branch. Tho II branches in tho adjutant
generals Office viii be consolidated into
four, and throughout the departments
generally tho work will, as alleged, be
1v Dir CnI . 1,r
In the department of agriculture there
were when Secretary Morton took Office
2, 40 employees and one year later but
1,Sf0 n reduction OF CHS. In that part of
the work confined to this city $50 persons
were employed on March 4, 1898, where
at present are only 55S, tho reduction in
the pay roll amounting to nearly 81, 600
monthly. Colonel Carroll d. Wright has
also given out that the work of tho census
will be completed by July 1, except tabula-
ton of the vital statistics with population
and the figures on farms and mortgages.
These will be completed during July, and
only n few persons win be required after
that for proofrcading and revision, so at
least 800 employees Of that bureau will go
out ut the end of tho fiscal year and several
moro in July.
Chccseparing All Around.
In tho Office of tho supervising architect
of tho treasury there will also be general
overhauling with some consolidation of
branches, the abolition Of two divisions, a
reduction of annual salaries by some $780,
600 and u discharge of many employees
The experts who examined and reported
OH this Office are the same who made the
report in the offices of tho commissioner of
customs sprnpI rpnptrnl1p r and siyth
dtor for tho Dockcry commission, and tho
reductions made in those offices aggregated
1b7 employees and $500, 900 in salary
Adding these in the architects Office, tho
fiscal year shows reduction of III in tho
force Of the treasury department and $780,,
600 in salaries.
In tho pension Office the reduction Ia ex-
pected to bc slow and continuous for some
time, and there WILL of course, be the usual
spatting in and out of congress over this,
for there is no other department in which
tho political changes are watched with
such slceplcss jealousy. 1t may therefore
interest the public to know that this week
closes with 266 Democrats, l, 1G0 Republic
ans and All ladies in the classified service
of this Office, and that since Judge Lochren
took charge there have been 80 dismissals
''for cause" Adding tho chief officials
who come and go with the party in power
and II few scrubbcrs - boys and others
without politics--therc arc 1909 names
borne on tho rolls. OF the principal exam
liners throughout the country as Il whole
~ arc Democrats and As Republicans. All
this shows that in this one Office at least
civil service reform has como to stay, and
tho tenure OF tho employee is u little bet
ter If any Odds than that of an employee
in tho average business establishment. In
cidcntally it may be added that on tho 10Th
the civil service commission will hold an
examination for u list of cligiblcs for the
positions of supcrintcndents of stations,
fish culturists, messengers and statistical
flo agents in tho fish commission In ad
dition to tho ordinary branches of knowl
edge, the candidate will have to stand an
examination in bookkeeping and fish cul-
turc, 50 no great rush is anticipated.
Yet tho Gayetics Stiil Go On.
Although there are walls of woo, as
aforesaid, and every Washington boarding
house has some sad occupants the gayctics
of life go on SO far as is consistent with
tho season. Mrs. Cleveland and the chill
dron returned few days ago, and it is
now given out by authority that they will
remain at their suburban homo till con
grcss adjourns before going to Gray Gables,
which Is understood to imply that the
president looks for an early adjournment.
What Is given out us the last distinctively
diplomatic ENTHUSIASTICALLY also a
patriotic function-was that held mt the
Argentine legation by Minister and Sen
ora Zeballos in celebration Of tho eighty
fourth anniversary of the revolution which
led to the independence of the Argentine
Republic, The floral display is thought
to have been by far the finest of the season,
and, in addition to all the ladies and gentle
menof the diplomatic corps now in the city,
most of the ladies of the cabinet and
many of the senators wives and daughters
were present, besides others of eminence.
If anybody is interested in the people at
the other extreme of society, suffice it to
add that the latest information represents
Coxey's army as reduced to great straits
in their camp just northeast of the Dis
trict, living on dry bread and black coffee,
btlt still fpSolute tn remain till their lead