The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1884-11-14
WASHINGTON LETTER.
(From our regular Correspondent


November Sth, 1884.
Now that the election is over all eyes
will be turned to Washington, where |
the results will be played out. In less
than one month Congress will convene;
in less than four months the new pres ,
ident will be lnaugurated, and if, as !
now seems probable, the new presi. /
dent shall be Cleveland, the occasion .
and crisis will be only less memorable
than was the Inauguration of Lincoln |
twenty-five years ago. The local revo- !
luton as far as Washington is concern
ed will be greater than then, for the
Capital twenty-five years ago was |
struggling village, it is now wealthy |
city. Then the official and clerical SER |
vices of the government were insignifi- !
cant, now they are twice as large and !
thrice as expensive as the civil service |
Of any other country.
The calamity of Cleveland's election |
has been dreaded ever since the even
ing of the fourth of November, but the |
fact was not generally believed until |
the morning of the seventh, when |
those who had hoped against hope felt |
themselves compelled to accept the |
unwelcome truth.
This is indeed dark day for the
country, and it is midnight for Wash.
ington. Thousands of government
clerks, skilled, faithful, and tried men,
many of them Union soldiers, realize
that they must yield their places to
hordes from the solid south. tits BAN
ishment from the Capitol they fought
to save. To many it means ruin, and
perhaps starvation for themselves and
families; for they have grown old in
the service, too old to commence life
anew. The gloom is profound and
wide spread; it can he read in the face
of ovory man, woman and child hUIc.
There is, of course, abundant talk about
the protection of civil service rules, but
it is noticeable that Republicans have
no faith in them, and that the Demo-
Gratis do not claim that they will be
carried out. Their favorite metaphor,
in speaking of the civil service estab-
lishment, is the Augean stables, and
they boldly proclaim that they will
clean it not with the toothbrush men,
toned by senator elect Payne, but
with pitchforks and wire broOms. Well,
they will find the establishment empty,
swept and garnished, but they will no
enter therein, than the condition of
that house will be seven times worse
imam IL ever was before.
An era of business depression may
now be expected to prevail in this city,
and good times will not probably re-
turn until the Republican party again
comes into power. Indeed the bust
ness depression is already apparent in
the stores here. Those in government
employ have already begun to econo-
mize and TO save money against the
,Io,- Of a.
themselves with crowded shelves but
without buyers.
The hotels and boarding houses, how
ever, will be crowded as full as ever.
The great, unwashed, hungry Demo-
cratic contingent has already begun to
make it's appearance in Washington,
and, before the Congressional session
is over, the city will swarm with such
a crowd as it has never known before. |
| we'll remember the army of bummers
that thronged the hotels one year ago,
when the prize was the pittance that
the Democratic House was able to dis |
pense. Imagine that crowd multiplied
by ten thousand, clamOring for Offices
of trust and responsibility. And they
will get the offices. Cleveland, no mat !
ter how good his individual intentions
and resolves may be, will be paralized
and powerless in this environment.
These men have made him president,
and they will make his presidency.
But perhaps ] am premature in my
gloomy auguries, for, ut this moment,
| hear that the National Republican
Committee have reclaimed New York
on later returns than were before them |
when they telegraphed Mr.. Blaine
concedIng the state to Cleveland. 1t
is evident that the official returns can
alone decide the question, and while |
it is folly to be elated with delusive
hope, it is natural to put off AZ long as
possible the day Of doom.