Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1881-01-28

crossed with heavy and responsible matters.
Senator Davis occupies proud and envia-
BILE position in the Senate, and in all proba-
bility does more than any other member in
that body in shaping the substantial legisla-
ton of the country.
1t seems to be definitely settled that Sena-
tor Blaine is to be the premier of the nation
under the Garfield administration. Blaine,
it is said, has been a failure as Senator.
He cannot hold his own with experienced
men in the discussion of questions. He is
not lawyer nor a financial scholar, and he
hardly ever takes up question of affairs
but involves himself, feels ridiculous and
drops out. Hence he wants to get into the
administration. He has an immense &C
quaintance and great popularity. 1t is
thought that if Blaine had been more con-
fident of his business capacity and had
asked for the Treasury Department, New
York could then have taken the State De-
partment and the honors would have been
easy. But Blaine seems doubtful of his ca
pacity TO handle the department Of finance,
he evidently does not want so much none
tary responsibility. To take anything less
than Treasury or State Department would
be below his grade. The Blaine element in
Washington fully expects Garfield to be
opposed by the Conklingites, and the fight
is probable. Conkling is unpopular, bat on
the score of ability is one Of the three or
four great men in the Senate who have kept
it to its work and upheld the standard of the
Republican party-he relies on himself, and
his plans are generally subtle and concealed.
Blaine himself and his more discreet friends
admit that Conkling is to be consulted in
the New York appointments, but they do
not concede to him either the Treasury De-
partment or Post Office. They are willing
that he shall have the Attorney General or
the Navy. Under these circumstances the
appointment of Mr. Blaine as Secretary of
State and the refusal of the Treasury to the
Conkling faction, now practically settled,
are political actions Of very great signifi-
canoe. 1t means that the Garfield admins
tration will be Blaine administration. But
that means anti Grant and nti-Conkling.
That means feud within the party COM
pared with which the Hayes episode will
fade into insignifcance. Beneath all the
political intrigues, plots and counter-plots,
at the bottom of every political action or
speculation, behind every pretense or pro-
fession of virtue or fairness, lies one idea, one
thought, one aim and one an5ition-tltat is
1884. Garfield is thorough politician. He
is man of great intellect, great ambition,
and great experience, and it is said he
desires to be his own successor--if so,
the power of party machinery, in unison
with the enormous patronage of the admin
istration, is sufficient to insure a re-nomina-
ton if the President acts in harmony with
his party.
Nothing need now prevent the prompt
passage of the apportionment bill. The facts
are before Congress upon which the appor-
tionment is to be made, but five congress
sional weeks remain to this Congress, and
there should be no delay in the preparation
and enactment of bill apportioning the
Members of Congress among the several
States. 1t is understood that the ratio OF
representation will be about one represen-
tative to 100000 of population. This will
give a membership OF about three hundred
Mr. Cox's bill proposes three hundred and
one members There are two States whose
population would not entite them to a
representative in the House upon this basis
of Nevada is $1,000, that of Delaware 146,-
900.
The progress Of the several appropriation
bills through the House and Senate is strong
y indicative that we shall have no extra
session of Congress, which will be joy for
the many employees Of the House.
We have just left the room of the Com
mttee on Postroads and Railways, where we
listened for an hour to conversation OF
some distinguished and prominent capitalists
over the proposed road from Baltimore to
Cincinnati. The indications are that this
road will be built Upon very close ex-
animation of the line of the proposed road
as laid down on map which they had with
them, we discovered, and indeed we were
told, that the road would tap the Metropo-
Titan Branch at Gaithersburg. Hurrah for
Gaithersburg! what brilliant future she
has before her. Who will now hesitate to
predict that in few years she will become
the metropolitan as well as the cosmopolitan
city of the county.
The Capitol is crowded every day with
visitors, most of them strangers who have
come to remain until after the 4th of March
From all accounts the Inauguration will be
one of the most brilliant and imposing since
the formation of the government
The night is far gone, and we are weary.
Silence is brooding over the city and in the
house, silence and sleep. Darkness is over
the earth-darkness and rest Here and
there through the broken clouds CLEANS a
stairway it watch over the rest and peace
of the readers Of the SENTINEL.