The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-11-16
RANDOM REMARKS.

There is a great demand in indianapolis just
now for the blue Book a small volume which
has a glittering fascination for the large and
growing class of men who have a reprehensible
ambition to become office-holders. General Cass
once said that office-seeking had become a ma
tional malady in America. With the change Of
federal administration which now seems prob
able, the malady has become an epidemic, and
nearly every man who ever carried a torchlight
in a Democratic procession is now bordering
over the blue Book" in search of
a desirable chice, the appointment to
which he will ask as a reward for
party featy. A score of other applicants will
probably want the same position, and will have
equal claims to recognition. The ravenous
crowd will be like a pack of hungry. barking
wolves, and the swarms that killed Harrison
outright, shortened the days of Taylor, and
gave Lincoln more trouble than the rebellion
itself, will besiege and beseech Cleveland with
unrelentlng and unmerciful herceness of greed
The motive that prompts this general scramble
is really a desire more than an ambition.
"Do you want a clerkF once asked an as
pirant for a situation of a dealer in pies.
"Why do you want to tend my standF' was the
inquiry of the pie-man.
Because" was the honest reply, I'm awfully
hungry.
And this is about the measure Of the mo-
tive interest that the Blue Book students have
in the Offices.
An assidious student of the Blue Book" is the
Honorable Sim Coy, who borrowed a copy from
Col. James H. Rice last week, and has since had
had it clasped over his face. The necessity of
spelling out the words and referring
to the dictionary for a knowledge of
their meaning has made the progress of his
studies slow and laborious. He has found atitle
and a salary, however, that he thinks would be
suitable to his craftsmanship. He wants to be
United States marshal of Indiana. The Honor
able Sim is a type of the statesman who labor
iously rises to prominence upon the merit of his
dement's. He has been in public life for many
years-as the proprietor of two saloons, known
by the d~ignifed names of 1.-THE Met and Sims
Place" He is the kind of a statesman who
would probably spell cat with a tx, and it is
doubtful if he would detect any difference be-
tween a United States marshai's commission
and a saloon license. 1t is thought that he has
formidable claims upon the favorable regard of
Mr.. Cleveland. He wears a No. Is collar.
Another statesman who has claim to honor
able recognition, is Hon. John Ferriter, aliaG
metropolitan Jack" He has found nothing il
the blue Book yet to which he would be will
ing to prostitute his abilities, but it is suggested
JldJ Ib ought 10 DC Senb dDrUdu Oh u perpetual
commission.
1t is said that Mr.. Hendricks has promised
four foreign appointments, upon the strength Of
assurances which were given him by Mr.. Cleve-
land at their conference shortly after the Chi
cago convention. He will exert his in
fuence with the administration in be-
half Of those who have shown them,
selves to be his steadfast friends, and
there are two newspaper men in Numerically
opposite parts of the State whom he has ex-
pressed a desire to handsomely reward for their
loyalty to him. When the boom for Mcdonald
last spring had developed into what it seemed
woul Id be a political cyclone, there were two
Democratic papers in Indiana that persistentiy
cried out for Hendricks and cried down Melon
aid. Mr. Hendricks has not forgotten the
friendly support which was given him by those
two papers, and it is stated, upon the authority
of a gentleman whose relations with HIM are Of
a confidential nature, that he has decided to rec
ommend j. G. Shanklin, the editorial writer of
the Evansville Courier, for consul-generaI
at Berlin, and Harry +. Francis, editor of the
Michigan City Dispatch, as consul at Havre.
Mr.. Shanklin spent several years in Berlin
before engaging In newspaper work, and he is
familiar with the language and laws of the coun-
try. Mr.. Francis has very pronounced French
tastes, and speaks the language with charming
naivete.
The Governors Office is the only one in which
the State election makes any notable change.
Colonel Gray, the Governor-elect, will be inaug-
urated on the second Monday in January. He
will move to The city, however, early next
month. His private secretary will be his son,
Pierre, who is a graduate of Asbury University,
and has been a law student in his fathers Office
at Union City.
There are some very surprising things to be
learned from the study of the statistics of the
State election. There are fifteen counties in
which a smaller vote was polled than in 1880.
There was a decrease in Boone of Al; Dearborn,
So; Franklin, 23l; Hendricks, 40; Jefferson, 16l;
Morgan, 1874; Owen, 68; Ripley, 1853; Scott, III
and Sullivan, 159. The largest decrease was in
Franklin, where 233 were lost in 1880 from the
number polled in 1876. In the eleven counties
named Republican gains were made in all ex-
cept Owen, Scott and Sullivan. In the last
named county there was a Democratic
gain of nearly 600. The largest in
crease over the vote or 1880 was
in Allen county. 1913; Adams, 629; ElkhArt,
882; Huntington. LOLA; Jay, 692; Lake, 1872;
Marion, 1907; st. Joseph, 1876; Upton, 534;
Vanderburg, 1,399, and Vigo 979. ce these
counties Democratic gains were made in Adams,
Allen, Huntington, Marion, st. Joseph and Tip
1880 over 1876 was 1928, less than half the num-
Der Of the increase over 1880, while in Vigo
county the gain was 400 larger il 1880 than in
1884. The total increase in the number of votes
between 1876 and 1880 was &c, 729, and between
1880 and 1854 it was "a, 352.