The Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1885-1886, 1885-10-13
SHtNGTON LETTER.

WAsnfNGroN, b. G., Oct. 10 1885.
To those who cannot sleep of nights
lest Mr. Cleveland should fall into the
hands of the mugwumps, it may be said
that the President has not indicated by
word or deed that he intends doing any
thing of the kind. There is one thing.
however, that the President has deter
mined upon. and that is that the spoils
element in the Democratic party shall
not get the upper hand or get into a
position by which they will be enabled to
dictate to him. 1t is this determination
that has antagonIzcd so many Of the
spois seekers who make the mistake of
barating the President for the one great
feature that creates the excellence of his
administration lie is the President of
the people, and not of the faction vino
suppose that he is simply sent to Wash,
ington to dole out the Offices. He has
been elected by the people to exercise his
great office in the improvement IF the
public service and thus promote the pub
lie welfare. He said just this before he
was voted for by the people. and why
should it he expected that he should
change Ii the great democratic party
cannot accept him us its leader with the
admirable purposes that he has set out
to accomplish, it were better that it
should disband, and organize under any
platform that eliminates patriotism and
deccncy, to adopt the despicable motto
of the spokesman.
Washington is about to put ON her best
bib and tucker to receive in suitable
manner the man who was mainly inslru>
mental in making the city the most beats
tiful and attractive in the world. When
Boss Shepherd was at the head of atluis
in the District of Columbia, he was boss
with all that the name implies. He struck
out with II determination to make Waeh>
ington what the capital of big country
should be, the pride, of the American
people and the envy of foreign visitors,
and how thoroughly he has done the work
the streets and parks and general appear
ance of the city ahundantly demonstrate
1t mattcrcd not that Shepherd practically
impoverished the taxpayer of the District
in the grading and Improvement of the
streets. by the eXtravaGant prices that he
paid for both labor and material, for
property was enhanced in value to that
astonishing degree that turned the tide
of better feeling against Shepherd to one
of absolute admiration. The government
pays one half of the tax levy of the city
while the citizens pay the other half and
little more, because that for gas and
water is levied directly upon the consum-
er at exorbitant rates. From 1868 to 1874
while Shephe rd was in the vigor of his
administration, he expended about thirty
one millions of dollars in bringing Wasa>
ington out of its poor estate as swamp
and n malarial swamp at that, so that be
side the extraordinary advances 10 tha walls
ne of the real estate of the city there was
Il corresponding increase i'll the healtl,ful-
ness as well as cleanliness of its popula--
ton. When the Potomac flats shall have
been deepeued and the sewerage of the
city completed as it is now proposed To
complete 1t, there is no reason why
Washington should not show rs clean a
bit OF freedom from mortality as any city
in the United States, for all of which she
stands indebted to Boss Shepherd
The prospect that the occupation Of
the compositor and consequent dictatiou
of typographical unions will be gone. is
promised by the appearance OF machine
which is capable of setting type and ster>
eotyping the matter as il goes along. The
instrument has not yet been put into pubs
lie exhibition but it is said that it works
admirably. A company of newspaper cap
italists at any rate have become so thor
oughly convinced of its utility. that they
have agreed to invest = quarter of Il mill
ion dollars, making thorough experiments
with it. The machine does away Fith
compositors,, it dispenses with stem srs-