St. Landry democrat., 1884-11-22
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From ong Regular Corresponding
Nov. 18th, 1884.


Now that the election of . Demo-
cratic president has opened new era
in public affairs, all eyes are turned to
the future and to Washington where
the reforms demanded in his election
will be worked out. The coming winter
will be the most interesting and exclt-
ing one at the National Capital that has
been known since the war. Prepara-
tion for the inauguration is already
afOot, and large number OF Demo-
cratic Clubs have engaged quarters at
the different hotels for the occasion. 1t
will doubtless be the grandest civic and
military pageant that has been seen on
q similar occasion. A large number OF
volunteer military organizations from
the southern states will take part in the
demonstration and the scorched party
that stole the presidency in 1876 will no
doubt howl and tear its hair over what
it will call an invasion of the Capital by
rebels.
The chief question of local interest is
how will the new order of things affect
4he city. There will no doubt be a
momentary stagnation and depression
IN all classes of local business. The
government will continue to disburse
its millions to it's army of employees. but
the employees will cease to spend this
money for anything but the necessaTies
of life. They will practice rigid econo-
INV and lay up a surplus for rainy day.
This will, of course, be ruiDous to the
retail dealers whose shelves have just
been filed with winter goods, but whose
floors are barren of buyers. The de-
spondencv of defeat has penetrated
every grade of the government service
and will induce economy everywhere.
.CIerks will wear old coats, hats and
.Dantaloons while lady clerks will turn
their old dresses and make over last
years bonnets.
But the Democrats will have to live IN
a,ouses and have other necessaries OF
life, and they will visit the Capital this
winter and attend the Inauguration
ceremonies in such numbers as were
never seen before. The money that
they will spend will in a measure com-
pensate for the enforced economy OF
government employees, and the principal
industry Of Washington, hotels and
boarding house keeping will not suffer'
The lot of Government clerk is not
a happy one. Iactually saw them turn
male and 60 home physically sick on the
night Of the election, but this was not
more because they feared they would
dose Office, than because they knew they
sEonld lose the money they had bet up
on the result. You would be astonished
TO know how many of them will De
ruined in this way. Many borrowed
money at and even 10 per cent. pei
month, and bet giving odds on Blaine
MANY who have been long in service
End that their lives have been wasted
and that they have lost that tide which
taken in its food leads on to tortunesS
while sitting at governments desk neg
,aeeting Uncle Sans work, or detlantlS
cheating him a la Dudley by doing Re
Dnblican campaign work while living on
mis- money. This class must go. Civi
service laws were made, in spirit al
least. for the punishment of these su'
nerservioeable patriots, and they shoule
he dismissed promptly on the 9th ol
March, 1885. The next class to be dis
o;ssed should be all the Malone Post
masters in Virginia. Their places Cal
p.e supplied instantly by the postmas
4exs they displaced when Malone made
his despicable bargain with the sanity
Garfield, trading his vote in the Senate
for the federal patronage OF Virginia
There are 81 900 post Offices in the Unit
IA States, but, in the most Of them
much more care and discrimination VII
~ reouired in making changes thar
should be practiced in Virginia. The
anDointment of Postmasters does no
eome under civil service rules, and there
wfll be no bar to the replacement o
Ahis class Of politicians by tlfose in ac
cord with the principles and policy OF !
mew non-sectional administration.
Tt,ev were discussing divorce.
ts,ca IaHv whose face eVlncG0 muci