Waterbury evening Democrat., 1894-11-30
EVE OF THE SESSION.
ArYariety OF Views Concerning the Re-
cent Elections Government Finances.i
Wonders of the Modern War Vessel.
Chance For Trouble.
Especial Correspondenee.l


Chance For Trouble.
Especial Correspondence
WASHINGTON, Nov. aT.-Tho city is all
a-buzz with preparations for tho short ses-
sion of congress. At each department the
word is that tho secretary can see no one,
as he is preparing his report. The chief
clerks and heads of divisions are scarcely
less busy, and oven the lowest class clerks
put on an air of profound absorption in
labor. At the capitol n small regiment of
men are at work renovating everything,
and all the hotels and boarding houses
have n general dir of expectancy. Even
the Washington darkies have shaken off
their summer listlessness and taken ON
that easily recognized but indesc-ibablc
look which shows an expectation of jobs
and liberal tips. Nearly all the lately de-
feated congressman arc here and singular
ly free spoken in explaining their respec-
tive defeats. The fact that they differ as
widely as Bob Ingersoll and the late DIR.
McCosh makes their talk none the less
interesting, but two points are of peculiar
interest. The cuckoos and eastern DEM
ocrats agree that the failure of the party
TO support the president and stand up for
sound money caused it, while nearly all
the Others maintain that the party went
too far in that direction, especially in hos
tility to silver.
The Stay at Homes Did 1t.
On one point all are agreed-that the
stay ut homes did it. In Michigan, Texas
and North Carolina the complaint is idcn-
teal. No section can -eproach another,
and the beauty OF it is that every fellow
finds in this conclusive proof of the cor
rectncss of his own explanation. Some of
the figures are indeed startling. In one
4. 81.
Gratis polled but 3, 52I votes against 10, o3S
two years ago and in another 4, 2I5 against
1864. 1t is already apparent also that
there will be more contested seats in the
next house than in any previous one, rs
some 90 notices are already filed, and Mt
Republican headquarters they expect at
least 90 more. In fact, whole state dele
cations in the south will probably be con-
tested. Mr.. Frederic C. Waite, special
| agent in charge of the statistics of true
wealth for the eleventh census, has made
n table and analysis OF our elections for 90
years, and his conclusion is that in 1892 Mt
least l 200, 600 Republicans staid away
from the polls, while this year one-third of
all the legal voters rcfrained, his general
| conclusion being that nobody knows the
| present real strength Of the parties, and
neither is there any way to arrive at It
| from the returns since lSSS.
| Government Finances
Although the main facts in the business
| of each department are published month
| ly, yet there arc continual changes OF some
| interest, and most of all in the treasury
| department, especially in the personnel.
| There are today even 1, 100 persons en-
ploycd in the treasury, of whom !, G25 are
| ladies OF the total. =, SIS are in the CLASH
| fed service, and only 63 were disabled by
sickness Mt the close OF last week. OF tho
! Ill H. 81 afNsrN
| service and therefore subject to removal,
| which II u beautiful illustration of how
| rapidly the civil service system Is crystal
lizing the personnel of the departments
or, rs some would say, putting II ON a
truly Chinese basis By operation Of tho
| Dockcry bill the number of employees for
the current year will be reduced at least
200 and the amount paid in salaries about
$3.50, 900. Salaries of all grades below heads
of divisions removable ut will range from
SG2o to 81, 500 From all of which tho
| citizen can gain some idea OF how big n
| job it is to run the finances of big gov
eminent.
Civil service and Salaries.
The sugar bounty division of the treas
ury is pronounced functus ofiicio. which
is law Latin for played out" Nevcrthc.
less there are nearly $3.50. 600 stil due rs
bounty on sugar produced and reported
! lNlOIN Aug % NllCil lut How INV
| went into force. Tho law Is SO explicit
that there is no room for a liberal construc-
ton. and So this money cannot be paid
| without II special act OF congress, although
il is admittedly due and might legally
have been paid before Aug. IS on the
standing appropriation. Just at present
the employees in this branch are enjoying
n r,Hst, but in n short time all Of them will
go on the income tax work, and moro will
/ 10, l-l H., a Of NJ
force has neither Increased nor diminished
since 1856, and the DOckcry bill does not
affect this department in any way what
ever. As foreign ministers cOnsuls and
commercial agents are not considered en-.
ployees OF this department. the whole
number, from Secretary Gresham down 10
the spittoon cleaner, is only 81, and of all
these only five are subject to appointment
and removal by the president at will. The
number so appointed and removable was
/ down to Oct. %, when the president
last order put messengers and watchmcn
and some others under civil service rules.
In addition to the five. however, six Others
are subject to the will of their immediate
chiefs. In the force Of So clerks there is
now one vacancy, which is soon to IN
filed under civil service rules. II any
man thinks that we have n very expensive
state department, he ought to examine the
list Of these clerks and their duties and
salaries Here are men who can read two
or three languages and are familiar with
the details of some branch of our diplo
macy, and yet are working for from 81,
600 to 81, 500 per year, and there arc minOl
places where the salaries are much less
though it certainly seems to an outsider
as il unusual quickncss and business abil
ity were required.
Price of Effective Navy.
The navy department always abound:
in interest, and every day brings some
thing new. At this writing the United
States has Il warships in commission anC
active service, IL under construction anC
Is in ordinary or loaned To the naval mill
tia of the states. OF the Is, some arc laiC
, up for lack of the full complement of men
. and in case of necessity could be put IL
commission at once, and n few because
they need repairs. One third of the IS arr
just now in the James river. near Rich
mond. So far rs facts and figures are al
, lowed to go out in advance of the regular
. report, the indications arc that Messrs
Boutellc and Cummings will have n dea
of fresh and interesting matter for thci
annual speeches on the navy. Perhaps tn,
, most startling statement will be on tn,
increased and rapidly increasing ncccssi
! ties for repairs. In view of the figures tn,
l popular opinion that a now ship is to meek
, no repairs for several years is about a
wide of the truth rs any current opinion
about government. In truth, the modern
I war vessel Is, despite the difference in siz
D of the parts, about 40 times as delicate
, | mechanism ms N yntch and at least sCVcI