The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1877-10-20
WASHINGTON LETTER.
WASHINGTON, d. G., !
October 18th 1877.

The Ohio election is over. The tour
of Mr.. Hayes and his friends-more
shameless, under the circumstances than
any political event in orr history-has
had its proper, though not expected, re-
suit. The Southern Policy too, has
injured the Republican party. The
trickery of Stanley Matthews and Chars
ley Foster, last spring, has injured them
The course of Secretary Sherman has
injured them. Sham civil service re-
form, to carry out which 10 effort was
made, has injured them.
Ohio is the only state which has held
an election after fully endorsing Mr.
Hayes. Iowa, which refused to endorse,
Maine, which refused to endorse, have
held elections and have gone Republic
cam" 1t is noticeable that the Western
Reserve, that bulwark of stalwart Re-
publicanism in Ohio, shows Democratic
gains. These facts are mentioned mere
~ to show that it will not do for Hayes
or any other man in attempting to man.
age a party in his own interest to disre>
gard the history and traditions of the
party. The rebulSe just now is for Mess
srs. Hayes, Matthews, and the rest; the
lesson may be of value to our own party
and its leaders as well as to Republicans.
AS heretofore predicted in this cores
pondence Randall has far larger fol-
lowing for the Speak ership than any
other person. What effect on Milton
Sayler's chances the brilliant victory in
Ohio may have is yet to be seen, but
leaving out the possible effect of that af
fair, Randall has unquestionably clear
field. All attempts to combine the
votes of Cox, Blackburn and the rest
against him, have failed up to this
morning.
If Messrs Hayes and Evarts will
seize the moment of their defeat to de-
vote to the good of their country, they
can find work in the appointment of a
new man as Minister to Mexico. While
our relations with that Republic are in
an unsatisfactory condition, we have at
its Capital minister distasteful to the
head of the Mexican Government. If
the wish of the administration is really
for "peace at abroad and material prog
ress abroad" it can do nothing more eff
fective than to help to restore cordial
relations with Mexico in this and other
ways. Congress. too, has a duty to per-
form in this regard. 1t will be imports
ant to increase the regular army one of
the pleas being that a larger force will
be nedeed on the Mexican border. If
the administration is determined to have
war with Mexico there is certain
amount of reason in this. But evident.
ly the administration, Or some infiuntial
part of it wishes an increase of the army
as sort ofexcuse for aggressive proceed
ings which would bring ON such war
Gen. Meigs, in publishing his opinion
that the capitol is not fire proof dispels
one of the decisions which has existed
even among Washingtonians. Others
had said the same thing, but Gen. Meigs
who superintended a portion of the
work, believed, until he made an exam
ination, that it was fire-proof. He
found that the contractor, Instead of u.s.
ing the required substance in the roof,
had used highly inflamable substance,
and that under those parts of the roof
enormous quantities Of valuable books,
papecs, etc., are stored Congress will
undoubtedly take prompt steps to rem
edy the defects drought to light in all the
public buildings since the Patent Office
fire Rex.