St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1899-05-03
LETTER FROM WASHINGTON.
pro,.., .g,;nu Civil Service Reform.

rom inhicting myself on you and
your patient and long-sufering
readers should promote feeling OF
gratitude and relief in your noble
breasts, and possibly the intermls-
sion may have given you strength to
endure another dose. In any event,
please give me the credit Of sparing
you for time.
Washington is al its best now, al
though many Congressman are yet
here and the beef commission still
fingers. The scent of the masses of
flowers in which the city is buried
sort of alleviates and counteracts the
beef odor, however, and the town is
decidedly thing of beauty. From
the fifteenth of April till the first of
June, Washington is the most beau
tiful and desirable residence spot on
earth. About the middle Of June the
suns rays prevail to such an extent
that the nights are hot enough even
for good corn weather. You know
what that means. When the heat
begins to soften up the concrete and
take the paint off the bronze statues,
it is time to flee as a bird to the
mountains or s1ore and call for iced
ginger beer. But for the next six
weeks the city is bower of bloom,
the birds give continuous entertain
ment, the air is just the right size
and is filled with all the balm there
is in Gilead and over against cole
Virginny." Too bad, that in a few
short months the birds and flowers
will have had their day andthat the
town will be overfown by the usual
brand of Congress, isn't it?
So much for Washington these
days. Society has gone into its hole
and unlike the measley woodchuck,
will hibernate until fall. Several
Senators and members OF the House
are here yet, and many more are
continually coming and going. Their
chief business now is advising the
administration and telling the re-
porters which way the country is
drifting. Regardless of the social
and political stagnation, l have dis
covered a few facts regarding one or
two matters which may interest you.
A League of republican workers"
is about to be organized here, devo-
ted to the overthrow of what is
known as civil Service reform"
The membership roll has already
been signed by nearly three thousand
of the most prominent and influential
republicans of the city and it is pro-
posed to organize by the election Of
officers in about two weeks. 1t is
also proposed to organize in every
state in the union before the next
Congress meets in December. The
members believe that the admins
tration should prefer those who
made it and put it in power in th'
filing of public Offices, rather thar
those who worked and voted agains
it. You may call this the spoil
doctrine" or whatever you please
but the fact will remain that it
justice, fairness, decency and straigh
business. | tell you, my friends, tina
the nearer one gets to the insid
working of Civil Service, the more h
is convinced of the utter humbug an
hypocrisy of the whole system. 1t
swindle and fraud, the refuge {
holier than thou Mugwumpery an
the asylum of gang of politics
nondescripts. The commission en-
pioys force of some hundreds
professors and clerks whose so
business it is to squeesh those WI
have borne the heat and the burdt
of the day, and the government
which is the people-are paying
vast sum yearly for the maintenan
of this incubus. Five out OF evel
seven members of either House
Congress are heartily in favor of t
|, suppression Of this sham and if tn
| have the courage of their opinit
; and knowledge will certainly repe
i it at the next session.
{ 1t is the intention and determin
: ton OF this government to ann
d Cuba at the earliest practical
moment. ! have the best of reaso
for believing that the administrati
never will recognize Cuban COVER
ment. don't believe it possible
the Cubans to organize a COVE
ment which we would recogni
:, Whatever they do, we will find so
excuse for denying it's validity a