Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1885-04-10
Cream Of Current Comment al The National
Capitol,
Compiled for the HERALD.

WASHINGTON, April Sth, 1889.
When Congress adjourned on the
fourth of March Republican mem
bers of the House Of Representa-
tives scampered away like school
boys on a holiday. Republican
Senators were compelled to remain
during the extraordinary session of
the Senate which is always called
for purely Executive purposes at
the beginning of new admlnistra-
ton and usually lasts about one
month. Now that the extraordina-
~ session of the Senate has ended,
Republican Senators have nearly
all departed as did their brethren
of the House a month ago. Demo
cratic Senators and Representatives
are vet here in diminished force, all
seeking places for friends and near
ly all grumblcrs against the new
administration. Senators Vest and
Voorhees, are credited with curses
loud and deep at the neglect OF
Missouri and Indiana, and friends
of those gentlemen charge it all to
what they believe will be the short
lived influence of Secretary Bayard
with the President. Senators Beck
and Blackburn are also known to
feel considerable resentment, and
the President will have abundant
trouble with senators of his own
party next winter, long before the
Republicans shall have occasion TO
open the raking fire which they
doubtless have in store-that is if
they propose to maintain their par
ty organization.
-
To admirers of conservatism in
politics the showing of the first
month of the administration is
agreeable. Yet it must be remem-
bered that q Republican Senate
stood guard during the Executive
| session aud would have Immediate
! ly offered battle to the President
had there been displayed excessive
partisan zeal by the new admins
tration. Now that the restraining
influence of the Republican Senate
is withdrawn until December, we
shall have to await results. The
record shows that the nominations
for civil offices amounted in all to
125. OF this total, 7 are for cabinet
offices. There have been 10 changes
in the diplomatic service, out of a
list of 80 ministers and Z consuls
changed out of 1872. There have
been 8 new assistant secretaries
named, besides one to fill vacancy
| by death, and g heads of bureaus,
together with a few other changes
of importance in the departments.
| Out of about 60 U. s. marshals and
as many U. s. district attorneys,
there have been two or three
changes in each class, aud there
have been 5s new postmasters APP
pointed out of a total of 2,347 who
are nominated by the President and
confirmed by the Senate.
-
Thus the changes have relative,
| Iy been very few indeed. No doubt,
had Blaine been elected there would
have been quite rs many. 1t is not
pretended, of course, that many
others are not to follow, but from
the statistics pre- ented the admin
istration appears to incline to a
very moderate and conservative
policy. And the character of the
selections proves this as we'll as the
limited size of the list. The new
officials as q class are men of con.
servative tendencies, and not identi'
fed with active machine politics.
1t is a common complaint that the
workers have got left; and to
see how much ground there is for
their signs, one has only to turn to
the files of the newspapers, of the
dates Immediately following the