St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1886-11-13
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From Our Regular Correspondent.
WASHINGTON, Oct. 3Oth, 18s

States, here and elsewhere, with their
100000 employees, are going on in their
work with industry and regularity.
This State of things is unparalleled.
. 1t has had no existence except in the
dreams of enthusiasts But to make
form has been brought about by the
eunredeemed and irredeemable, too ut
terly unspeakably bad Democrats. Has
the tongue of Radical haranguer lost
its lubricityF Have the fictions with
which he was wont to rally the rural
republican become threadbare 7 Why
is this thus? What mean these moss
grown stumps, no longer pressed by
the mum Der mines of frontier Blaineites
Where is our once untamed and ram
pant for bread and butter Republican
oratorical mendacity9 Come with me
reader, and you shall see him. Here he
sits in the Patent Office examining an
application for patent on a churn or
hustle or an improved baby walker.
There he is in the Pension Office, hard
at legitimate work under Democratic
Commissioner Black, who with small
ler force passed many more pension
cases than any Republican commits
sioner, and paid $8,000,O00 more in pen
sons than Republican Dudley, his pre-
decessor You see bim in the Treasury
Department, in the Land Office, the
Indian Office, the Post Office Depart
ment-everywhere hard at work. How
tame he looks. He will not hurt you.
His malign energy is scotched. There
is restless pent-up-ness about him.
1t seems abnormal to him to be confined
TO honest work during political CAM
paign, but he will get used to it; it will
not kill him. By and by the novel
idea that he is paid to work for the
United States and not for the Republi-
can party will take root in the worn
soil Of his moral sense. His inocuous
political desuetude will be blessing
to the country.
What wonderful changes have taken
place in twenty months They have |
overcome us like summer cloud, not
dark and potentious, but big with salu-
brious showers.
Twenty months ago, the property |
owners in Washington were despon-
dent. 1t was predicted that a Demo
cratic President would dismiss all the
office holders, that five thousand owners
of homes in Washington would have
to sell at loss, and that fall in real
estate would follow. The result has
been the reverse of that predicted.
Instead of wholesale dismissals, only
the idle, the incompetent and the dissi
pated were cast out. The health, the
moral tone and efficiency of the public
service was greatly improved. An i'm
provement in real estate and in gene
raj business followed as natural re-
suit. The Government employe and
his dependents, who compose fully one
half the population of Washington, no
longer feel that their living depends
upon political service. or upon the ins
aud outs of political parties. He has
become changed man-more respec-
ted by others, having more respect for
himself. His credit is better, and now,
instead of selling his home, he holds it
at a higher price. Hundreds who have
heretofore rented property or lived in ,
boarding houses, are buying and build {
ing. One more term of honest Demo- !:
cratic Administration will place the
Capital on the solid ground of I
assured prosperity. 1t will require 9
another term to enable the tree of poll : :
5ical life which Cleveland has planted I
md watered, TO take root and bear g
sruit. Should Blaine or Logan OF Sher- !,
man come in two years hence, it would !
surely be uprooted S
/ believe that a large majority of E
,ffice holders here are no longer Re- !.
publican. They enjoy security under =
,ivil service reform that they have
never known before, and they are COM
,elled to see every day the improve !. T.
nents which the Cabinet officers and +.
he heads of divisions under Mr.. Cleve- d
and have introduced. They are made o
o do more work for the government, 4
,ut they are no longer required to do P
lirty and dishonest work for the Re- y
'ublican party. They are not harrassed =, y,
lay and night with the reflection that q
nless they assist in the reelection of to
his member of Congress or that Sena- A
or, they will lose his influence, and fl
n \ IN