Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1886-11-26
Ot X WASHINGTON LETTER.
Regular Correspondent.

ScntatlNcS are coming III from their re-
cent battle fields. A few members
elect of the Fifticth Congress are here
too, and have visited the House just to
see how it looks. A lively time is ex-
pectcd from now until the first Mon
day in December, when Congress
meets. Members who arc not re-elect-
cd will be trying to get their best
work i'll shape, great deal of wire
pulling will be going on, and the ses-
sion is expected to open up actively
whether much business will be accom-
plished or not.
Democratic Senators express them
selves as thoroughly satisfied with the
outcome of the elections, and consider
the party in good shape for 1888.
They agree that the Democrats did
not go to the polls as they might have
done, but where the Democratic vote
came out, the Democratic party more
than held its own. They retain a
good working majority in the House,
and i'll States where the Legislatures
have to elect new Senators the effect
of the elections will reduce, if not re-
verse, the Republican majority in the
United States Senate.
Should it prove true that the DEM
ocrats have captured the Legislatures
of New Jersey, Indiana, and Califor-
MIA, us is now believed, the Republi-
cans in the Senate in the next Con-
grcss, will hold the majority only by
the dangerously narrow margin Of
two. These will be Senator Riddle
berger of Virginia and probably Van
Wyck of Nebraska, neither of whom
are i'll harmony with the Republicans,
and both of whom are uncertainties
when it comes to voting.
But however this may be, there is no
disappointment among Democratic
politicians with the campaign. They
expect nothing better in an off year,
and the few Democratic loses are in
no wise prophetic of defeat in 1888.
On the contrary, it is thought, they
will serve Il good purpose in showing
the necessity of organization and har-
monious action in the next Prcsiden-
tial battle.
The Republican press, in its deter
mination to condemn everything I'M
der the new Administration, has ut
fercd great deal of abuse about the
manner in which Commissioner Sparks
has managed the affairs of the Land
Office. They have expatiatcd on the
outrageous hardships he has imposed
upon the honest settler" upon the
public domain, and the vast injury he
has done to the present Administra-
ton 10y his policy. A most significant
answer to these charges came through
the last weeks elections. In the very
States and Territories where the ef-
fects of Mr. Sparks decisions and rul-
ings are particularly and Immediately
felt there were remarkable and unex-
pected Democratic gains, and the vot-
ing was done by these same much in
jured "hOncst settlers"
Another excellent record OF retrench-
ment comes from Il Government bu-
reau since it went into Democratic
hands. 1t is that of Engraving and
Printing, where all the paper money,
all the postage stamps, and all the
stamps of every kind used by the Gov
ernment are made The total ex-
penses of this bureau are more than
100000 less this year than last, and
less than i'll any year since 1878. The
same work is accomplished with a
greatly reduced force of employees, 1913
persons having been discharged since
March, 1885. The amount saved from
their salaries and for labor and other
expenses, makes an aggregate saving
of $lS2, ,7S5, which will be returned to
the Treasury unused.
The President is at work on his
message now, and will decline to re-
ceive any more promiscuOus private
callers until Congress meets. When
he alluded, in Boston, to the "silly,
mean, and cowardly lies that are
found every day in the columns of
certain newspapers, which violate
every instinct of American manliness,"
he had reference to the barbarous
gossip which deluges the occupants OF
the White House. The allegation of
the Tribune that, What CALLED him
was the public criticism of his official
acts" was quite unfair and untruth-
iul. Mr.. Cleveland has never objected
to any sort of criticism of his official
acts, whether decent or otherwise.
What has disgusted him is the de-
termination, of what he carefully
calls Z" certain newspapers" that he
shall not have any private or domestic
life of his own; that the walls of his
home shall be of glass, and that all
that transpires behind them shall be
reported in some form, if not correctly,
than invented. His utterancc will
probably not do any good, for the
" certain newspapers" to which he
alludes live on fictitious sensations,
and would cease to exist if they were
to sustain. Dem.
FULLY 100 babies have been named
Grover Cleveland.