The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1877-07-06
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.

completely demoralized your corre-
spondent and compelled rustication to
recuperate from the depression and
prOstration, hence our long silence.
Washington wears the same quiet look
which has characterized it since the in
auguratiOn, though its beautifully green
parks and shade trees give it touch of
nature particularly refreshing to one
who has been enjoying the pleasures of
the country among childhood and early
associations.
The great army of office-seekers has
departed, and our hotels are complain
ing of hard times, as well as tradesmen
and shop-keepers.
Uncle Sam has such tight grip upon
the treasures in his vaults and so little
appreciation of that sound Democratic
doctrine which urges the issuing of
greenbacks according to the wants of
the trade, that We here are as impecu-
nious as the denizens of your cities, and
in our distress we are devoutedly pray
ing for Watterson's army of 100000, or
few brigades of office-seekers, or the
convening of Congress, or a few more
printing money presses as means of re-
lief. Baltimore did little to relieve our
pecuniary necessities, though she sent
daily delegations for months to inter-
cede for her, to be appointed postmaster,
simply because when a BaItimorean
visits Washington he invariably sup
plies himself at home with penny gin
ger cakes, and in some extravagant
cases adds crackers and sardines, thereby
enabling him to avoid all expenditures
here for anything excepting our supe-
rior lager. Did he buy even our cheese
and biscuits, or even invest a quarter
for dinner at one of our third-class
hotels, the great dearth of money our
grocers and landlords complained of
would have been relieved, and these
Office-seekers would have rendered
due contributions to our exchequer.
1t is an i'll wind that blows no
good, and we naturally look to the
army of office-seekers to support our
hotels during the recess. But we are
sorely disappointed, so far as Baltimore
is concerned, for we venture to say that
not one Baltimorean out of hundred
who comes here invests beyond his
lager beer. He is essentially an econo-
mizer, and where he has no cousins to
stay with, comes fully armed with his
home eatables.
The silver question has become a
serious one to our politicians, and it is
being discussed in all its bearings by all
who have slightest interest in national
affairs. 1t is a settled point, we opine,
that the great mass of people, without
regard to party, are determined to have
remonitization of silver in some form
or other. But how far it shall go is the
moOted point. The President and Mr..
/ Sherman, his Secretary of the Treasury,
are both in favor of using silver pre-
cisely as greenbacks, and time may
even include customs which are now
excepted and thus fully remOnetize.
| But on this point the whole East may
resist and force a compromise question.
Men of ablest minds are arrayed against
each other upon it, and it is difficult in
/ the midst of so much theorizing to de-
| termine what is for the best. ANY
course would doubtless result in small
ill, that looked to the precious metals
as mediums of exchange. But those
who urge the government into erection
of printing mills in which greenbacks
can be made without limit, have GER
tainly little regard for the true interests
of the country, and would evidently de-
sire to have us in the condition of the
Confederacy when, during the last twelve
months Of its existence, it took a basket
of paper money to buy a pocketful of
marketing. In no contingency can we
have a great plethora of gold and silver
one that would work great injury to
commercial interests, as would unlim-
tied printing of paper money. Secre-
tary Sherman's acceptance of the BIZ
metallic currency to the extent of put
ting greenbacks and silver on the same
basis will undoubtedly go far toward
securing a compromise upon that
ground; hence our best minds here look
on the remonitization of silver in some
form as one of the first acts of Congress,
particularly so, shall the President rec
Ommend such legislation as now seems
likely. We rather think the President,
like all other Ohioans, has silver on
the brain, in spite of all the gold proph-
ylacties appearing in his letter of ac-
ceptance and similar early documents,
and we shall not be surprised should he
even eventually recommend payment of
customs duties in silver, as well as
deluge of that precious metal as pana-
cea for all our national ills. At home
the OhiOan includes silver in his pray
ers, and discusses it to the exclusion of
the crops and the weather and the health
of himself and family.
The President is rapidly falling into
line with his brethren as nearly as his
lack of praying ability permits. Like
all other politicians and business men,
he Deputies the devotions of his house
hold to his wife, and she, like other SEN
sible matroDs who have presided over
the White House, is too much oceu-
pied with our Washington society to
bother herself with such minor matters,
as single or bi-metallic standards. She
adds impetus to the temperance cause
by her example and name, and Mother
Grundy says even discountenances or
diDary gossips, and in every way pos
Ill l. It'd ~ Ill