The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1879-10-23
Washington Letter.
[From our regular correspondent.l

WASHINGTON, d. c., OCT. 20, 1879.
The Ohio election has been the all
absorbing topic here for some days,
and it is interesting to note the vary
ing opinions as to its effect upon the
different presidential "booms." That
word is mlsnomer as applied to the
canvass of some of the candidates, but
it's what they all call it now. OF
course the Republicans are all gratified
with the result, but they don't all agree
as to who will reap the benefits, pros
pectively speaking, as it were. Secre-
tary Sherman returned home on We'd
nesday and, in the language of the
street gamins, "you bet' he's tickled.
He had sort of q reception at his
residence Wednesday evening to give
his friends chance to congratulate.
John evidently thinks that the sue
cess of Foster gives big boast to the
the other hand, a good many Repub-
Leans believe that it helps on the
Grant boom, and that the star of Ga
lena is in the ascendant. A diversity
of opinion is likewise entertained by
the Democrats. Very many pro-
claimed their satisfaction at the result,
it seeming to be rather widely accepted
that Ewing was not q traditional Dem
ocrat, and that his candidacy weak
ehed instead of strengthening the
party. Not q few expressed sincere
cbagrin at the defeat; but upon the
whole, beaten party seldom professed
such evident Indifference to the result
as the Democrats of Washington did
when it was settled beyond doubt
that both State and legislative tickets
had been captured by the enemy. AS
a matter of fact the result, or at least
expected here. Ohio is naturally a
Republican State, and the party could
not well afford to lose it this year.,
Some newspapers in discussing the
prospects of Thurman, Bayard and
Blaine as Presidential candidates have
stated that the road to the White
House is not through the Senate
Chamber, and that no United States
| Senator ever became President. The
truth is we have had at least nine
| President who were members of the
United States Senate, and with three
| Washington, Taylor and
| Grant-every one of the Presidents
had either passed through the House
or Senate. Adams was Vice President:
Jefferson, before he became President,
was Secretary of State and Vice Pres
ident; Madison had had term of
service in the House and had been
Secretary of State; Monroe had been
Senator, Secretary of State and For
eign Minister; Adams had had the
same experience; Jackson was mem
ber of the House. Senate and Foreign
r,,,
tor, Secretary of State, Vice President
and Foreign Minister; Harrison was a
member of the House and Vice -Presi-
dent; Polk was q member of the
House; Pierce Senator; Buchanan a
member of the House, Senator, Secre-
tary of State and Foreign Minister;
Lincoln member of the House;
Johnson a Representative, Senator
after he had been President and Vice
President; Grant even had been Secre-
tary of War, and Hayes was member
of the Lower House. With these
facts of history it would seem that any
member of Congress might be par
doned for having an ambition for the
Presidency.
The Post-office Department is max.
ing some lively times. In his war or
the lottery companies, and refusal tC
deliver mail to them, the Postmaster
General will be sustained by public
sentiment; but in one of his late or
ders about timperfectly addressed letters
Deacon Key has raised a very large
sized hornets nest about his ears. I'm
der this order all postmasters are for
hidden to forward letters not addressed
: to the exact designation of the post
office and State for which they are in
tended. A letter addressed to a certain
, number and street, New York city, o.
to Boston or Chicago, will not be for
} warded, but must be returned to tn,
; dead-letter office, or to the writer, if h
is known. The postal clerks know
! that Boston is in Massachusetts,, anC
, that Chicago is in Illinois; but Mr.
Key thinks it is better that they
} should assume not to know anythin:
: about it, and that the writer should b
+ punished for emitting to put the Stat
on his direction. Heretofore letters 81
5 addressed that the destination was wei
} understood have been sent along, bu
2 hereafter pOstmasters and clerks are t
p be just as ignorant as they can. TIL
e Post-office Department is maintaine
: for the convenience of the people, bu
= Mr.. Key thinks it is simply kept u
for himself and employees to draw thei
| SdiuTleS. IL uSeO W De tue DTlue Ol III
= Department that even badly or impel
fectly addressed letters promptly foun
their destination. Now the p. NJ. c
tlatters himself that it takes prett
smart man to so address a letter ths
the authorities can not find some e2
cuse for sending it to to the dead-lettt
office. 1t is stated that this new sy
n tenn causes the accumulation in sue
# offices as Boston and New York
e. from 500 to 900 letters per day. whic
n formerly there was no trouble in deli
v ering. BY the way, this reminds N
= of the singular history of a lettt
which, seven years ago, Mr.. Albro
Parsons, resident of ashville, Tenn
wrote to Miss Julia Mays, of Londo
England, which, from marks on Il
envelope, certainly reached Londo
J. On the 5th of last month it was four
" very mysteriously in a street lett
,e box in Louisville, KY. From tn
r. city the postmark being Nashville,
'p was sent to the dead-letter offiC
. where it was opened and returned
@. Nashville for delivery, with reque
IN for an explanation. The Nashvil
k postmaster, ascertaining that Mr.. Pa
sons was residing in Denver, sent Il
letter to him. He therefore got b
original manuscript seven years aft