The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1876-10-06
srOcIaI lIorald oorrespoAaencel

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Cofax, Thebes and Palmyra, and, II
the shadow OF events are not mlsinter-
preted the entire gang that has fol
years wasted rare opportunities, abused
high trusts, and turned the temple of Il
nation into den of thieves, will soon
swell the procession. Meanwhile IL
Washington in mourning for her ru-
ined favOritesp "No, she will laugh
and toy with every new conner. Not n
tear more for winter, u smile less for
summer" She has too long played
the part of SphynN In political aud
fashionable dramas to he raptured
or alavmed mt anything that
can happen. But ii Is different with
that organization known as the party.
The possibility, not to say probability,
of change in the administration, has
caused great perturbation In the Re-
publican dOve.Cntea. and the change
would, without doubt, create great
revolution in the official life of Wash.
ingtOn. The strenuous efforts made
10y the thousands of government
clerks here, their dOclity under ille-
gal taxation, and their patience in
lNbbIg NV lllNAl W. ~ h'N ~
the Republican campaign organiAa-
tions, all show how painfully anxious
they are about the result, They are to
be pitied, for many Of them have
bought houses aud married wives, and
have business and social relations that
depend upon tlimsy tenure OF office.
Then there ARE contractors who have
waxed fat 10y furnishing the depart
ments stationery, furniture, wagons,
ships-the thousand aud one articles,
from pin to u steam engine, that "A
government spending, wasting hun
drcds OF millions annually will buy.
There arc also II horde of landlords,
headed by Boss Shepard, who build
cheap houses and rent them to the de-
partments for nj least double the rent
that they could secure from any other
source. All these are perturbed, for
the contractor or landlord has his paid
agents IA clerks, chiefs OF oureauX, or,
as has been proved In more than one
| Instance, In the Cabinet, and n change
will be disastrous to them. Heaven
send M Hercules to cleanse these
stables No one can know their
stencil until he has lived In WASH
ington.
Perhaps the meanest campaign
trickery TO which an administration
ever stopped IL to retard business In the
government offices and attribute the
delay, in their printed official docu-
ments, to the reduction Of the clerical
force by the Inst Congress. 1t is Il fact
patent to any one who will take the
trouble to examine, and known to
thousands who are acquainted with Of.
fetal life and routine In Washington,
that the clerical force, Notwithstanding
the incompetency and inetliciency OF
the political beats aud lubbers (which
1t IL largely composed, IL still quite suf-
icient to execute promptly all official
business, and has abundant time to
spare for Republican campaign work
beside.
In ali the letters now sent from the
patent office il printed conspicuously
Ia red ink words to this effect: lowing
to the reduction In the force ordered
by Congress, at its last session, applica-
tons for patents cannot now be acted
upon with the usual promptness. This
Is nothing more nor less than II false
hood In statement, and u campaign
document in design, and 1t Is quite as
mean and more insidous than the eff
fort of superservieeable postmasters In
standing envelopes with the words :
"VCte for Hayes and Wheeler" The
only division of the patent office force
whose reduction would cause delays In
allowing patents is that Of examiners,
and not one of them has been dis.
charged, only few messengers and a
number Of female copysts.
Gen. Babcock's trial for completely
In the safe burglary conspiracy, which
has been going on for two weeks will
be concluded to-day, and the case VIII
20 to the jury. There is little doubt
that he will be acquitted. The pros O.
cution, though ably conducted by Mr..
Riddle, has weak case. If General
Babcocl had anything to do with the
burglary, he has made 1t impossible to
produce respectable evidence OF the
fact, and, the hypothesis of his crimi-
nal connection with Harrington in
q matter, or of his criminal knowl
edge after the fact, has not been clear
~ proved. He has been very ably
defended by Judge Fullerton, the
same who conducted the defence In
the Beecher trial. A verdict of acquit-
al Or n hung jury has been from the
first, foregone result, considering the
stuff that the packed district juries
are composed Of That over exalted
heritage of trial by jury has nowhere
been brought into greater contemp
than at the seat Of the national gov
eminent. The principal wtnes!
against BabcOck, Is the recent Chic
of the Secret Service, Hiram G. Whit
ley, whose evidence Ia vitiated by 1
number OF proven perjuries. Wher
1t Ia remem bered that this person hai
long been the petted instrument o
the administration, and that he ant
his emlssaries have been frequently IL
the South, rs one of them, Michae
Hayes testified on the stand. to WORE
up the outrages, and that his methods
were "lying and duplicity," we are
introduced to some OF the bidder
springs aud majors of the party o
"moral ideas" MS well as to the sour
ces from which their apostles, Bout
well and Morton, draw their insplra
ton. Q. A. s.