Milford chronicle., 1895-10-11
WASHINGTON LETTER.


When the manager of a big business es-
tablishment neglects his duties the bad ex-
ample is quickly followed by those of his
subordinates who have an opportunity to
do so This government is the biggest
establishment on this continent, and the
President is its general manage-mismana
ger he has been since March 4, 1893. AS
one gentleman put it in conversation to-
day, "this administration ought to be
known in history as one of vacation and
No reasonable person OBJ
iects to the President and members of the
Cabinet taking a vacation. just as most
other men do occasionally. but when there
is more time devoted to vacations than to
work it would seem to be time for Con-
gress to act, and to prescribe precisely the
time the President and members Of his
cabinet may take off and continue to draw
their pay. Take this year, for instance.
Mr.. Cleveland has been absent from Wash
ington more than half the tine, and about
the only member Of the Cabinet who has
not taken almost as much time away from
his duties is Secretary Morton and he has
probably remained in Washington more
because he could better follow his greatest
pleasure keeping himself before the pub
lie through newspaper interviews upon
finance and almost every other conceivable
subIect-here than when junketlng around
in some obscure part of the country. The
only reason that so little has been said
about this continuous absenteeiSm is that
most people have arrived at the conclusion
that the less time the President and mem
bers of his cabinet put in at their desk the
less harm will be done to the country's in'
teTest While that is largely true, they
should not be allowed to draw salaries for
doing nothing
One of the odd phases of the Maryland
campaign is that while the German Dem
oerats continue to assert that Mr. Cleve-
land wants the German ticket to be elected
Mr. Cleveland and all the members of his
cabinet maintain dead SILENCE on the SUBJ
iect. and the most prominent official that all
of the coaxing and begging of Senator
German and his friends has been able to
get upon the stump In Maryland was Dom
mic Murphy, a subordinate of the Commits
sioner of Pensions. Your correspondent
makes no pretense of being In the conf.
dencs of Mr. Cleveland, or of any msmber
of his Cabinet, but he knows that in the
past neither Mr.. Cleveland nor the mem
bers of his cabinet have hestated to speak
out in favor of the Democratic ticket in any
state where Il was thought such speech
would aid In bringing out the party vote
If they really wish German to win,why do
they not speak out for his ticket! Why
didn't the members of the Cabinet who re-
fused to make speeches for Germans
ticket temper that refusal with few words
in favor of the election of the ticket? The
answer to these questions may not be that
Mr.. Cleveland wishes the committee to be
defeated, but it certainly looks that way at
this writing.
Secretary Hoke Smith has gone to GeOr-
gla again. i Is said that ex-SpeakeF
Crisp's announcement, when he was in
Washington the other day, of his intention
to make some free silver speeches in Geor-
gia had something to do with the Secre-
tary's present trip.
1t is evident that the administration does
not feel anymore cordial toward Mr.. Cas-
tie, the new Hawaiian minister to the
United States, than it did towards his pre-
whose recall 1t so unjustly de
manded. Mr.. Castle arrived in Washing
ton a few days ago He called at the
State Department to see Secretary Olney
about arranging a date for officially pre-
senting his credentials When Mr. Cas-
lies card was taken in to Secretary OlneY
he sent word to him by a messenger that
he was. busy and could not see him, but
that he could call upon diplomatic day,
which is set apart for receiving all mem
bers of the diplomatic corps who care to
call upon the Secretary; but the calls upon
That day are as a rule more of social than
an official nature OF course the incident
was discussed by members of the diplo
matte corps and especially chuckled over
by those representing countries which are
in preventing the annexation of
Hawaii to the United States Mr.. Castle
IS one of the leading Hawaiian annexation
SIS, which of itself is sufficient reason for
The Cleveland administration to desire to
make things as unpleasant for him as pos
sible without openly insulting him There
S not another foreign minister in Washing
on who would have failed to see Mr. Olney |
had he called at the department under sim
lar circumstances,