The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-05-09
A. BOWL OF VIVID VERDURE
WASHINGTON UNDER THE BALMY
ATMOSPHERE OF SPRING.

ing MODIFY the Hush Tor OmceS-1he
President Polite and Treats All
With COnsideratiOn-Spea Reed
and His GaveI.
Washington, May s.-The long winter
has gone The month of blossoms has re-
turned. Washington is again one great
bowl of vivid verdure. Its soft, balmy at
mosphere is once more ladened with per-
fume Its magnolia and tulip trees are
in bloom. Its newly leafed trees again
shadow it's smooth avenues, and it's parks
and circles are freshened with roses and
beds OF rare flowers.
All is life and animation. Sparrows
twitter in the marble plinths of the Co
rinthian columns adjoining the capitol,
and robins dart here and there over the
bright green sWard below the marble es-
panade. The aeodan notes of the red
winged blackbird float above the botanic
garden, and the hoarse cawing of crows
is heard as they wing their fight from
their feeding grounds along the East Po-
tomac to their roosts in Virginia. Grim
beetles, uglier than helgramites, fly to the
city from neighboring swamps and encir-
Gle the electric lights at night, casting ON
inous shadows over the pavements.
Natures spring awakening spurs wheel
men to renewed activity. With 300 miles
of asphalt and macadamized roads at their
command, they shoot over the ground
like swallows on the wing. Girls and
boys, women and men, they troop around
the street corners in platoons and divts-
ions At night from the plateau at the
capitol their tiny lights CLEAN in all d.
rections. They sprinkle Pennsylvania
avenue like fire flies. Its sidewalks are
rfNr1r hzr 10
brilliancy of the electric light; delicate
tracery, Inning every fresh twig and leaf
in the foliage above.
Nor is nature alone animated. Up
from the south, east and west springs the
office-seeker. Like the swamp beetle, he
has seen the effulgence of electric lights
reflected on the sky, and he is here cir
cling around the flame, singing his wings
He makes fully as much noise as the
crows and blackbirds, and is quite as ac-
tive as the robin and sparrow in gather
ing straws to thatch his nest. Yet his
presence has not restored the era of pros
perity. The ominous sign, Furnished
rooms to let" is more thickly sown than
ever. There are more houses to let and
for sale to-day in Washington than ever
before The offlce-seeker is poor. Fifty
cents a night seems to be his limit A few
of the wealthy are quartered at the hotels,
which are full to overlooking, but the vast
majority are seeking the cheapest lodg-
ings.
Most of the choice places are already
pre- empted, and there appear to be no
others. The civil service law stands like
a stone wall confronting the army of place
hunters They cannot get over 1t, under
it. or around it. They must drive them
selves against it. At places the wall is
weak, and appears to be giving away. The
most of these weak places are said 10 be
fat
itjsrn under the late administration held
high revel The first beneficiary is the
union soldier, who was sent to the rear
months ago under various guiseS and pre-
texts. He is again marching to the front,
and resuming his place in line.
Things are different in the navy depart
ment. There Gov. Long of Massachusetts
presides with true dignity, attending to
the duties devolved upon him. undisturb-
ed by the splashing in the pool of politics.
With the apostle of civil service as his as
sistant, the rules are not apt to be dis
turbed or the law violated.
In the war department Gov. Alger of
Michigan receives his friends with urbane
smiles. He has a trusty lieutenant in the
Hon. George d. Meikeljohn, late a MEM
Der of congress from Nebraska. A popu-
lar man in the House, Meikeljohn is par
ticularly acceptable to members of con-
gress who have dealings with the war de-
partment. The plums in this department,
however, are very few, and are mostly
gathered by ARMY officers.
Grim John Sherman, patient, tenacious
and brainy, sits upon the tripod in the
state department. The smaller consulates,
which were formerly perquisites of the
Secretary of State, are now choice TIL
bits of civil service reform. Where va
cancies occur. under President Cleve>
lands order Of 1896, they are filed either
ars hcfd do
persons who have been in the service
have preference. New applicants are ex-
amined in the state department with spe-
cial reference to their fitness for the Of
fee 1t IS under cover of these examina>
tons that the spoilsmen may gather
small harvest.
In the department of justice spring
opens brightly for Mr.. Joseph McKenna,
the Attorney General. Here the places are
very few indeed. The new Attorney Cen
eral is greeted by scores of his late con,
gressional associates, and they always
leave him with a CHEEKY feeling The
spoilsmen besiege him night and day, with
varying results.
Cornelius n. Bliss, with Gladsonian
face, occupies a corner of the patent Of
fee building as Secretary of the Interior.
The rush upon him for places has been
Unprecedented. Under his predecessors,
Georgians had overrun the department.
and were I'm a strong majority. The con-
ditons it is said, warranted extreme
changes. A score of old soldiers have
been restored. and the wedding process
sim continues. Calm and thoughtful the
New York merchant has proved patient
listener, but he seems sadly oSt of place
in the department OF the interior. Inc
crowd of applicants, however, has been
very importunate, and he has been COM
PEELED 60 close his doors at p. m.
Across the street Postmaster General
Gary is enthroned. He is the only cabinet
officer with four assistants and he needs
them all. This is the busiest of all the de-
partments Postmasters throughout the
country of every grade are being changed
quietly and expeditously, all under the
operation Of an order made during Mr..
Cleve.ands first administration. 1t gives
each postmaster a four-years' term, from
the lowest 10 the highest. The ante-room
OF the Postmaster General Is filled with
congressman from the rural districts, all.
of course. intensely interested In the sue
cess OF his administration. In an adioln-
ing room will be found their clerks. copy
ing the list OF the postmasters In each dis
trict, paying special attention to the date