Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1886-10-22
OCR WASHINGTON LETTER.
Regular Correspondent.

iANAV 10 icuidI hdDlt. NoIlllIlS ilkc IL
has been seen for at least twenty years
A determined political struggle is go
| ing on in the different States, and the
Government clerk attends to his rou-
tine duties and is apparently no more
interested in the result of the election
than are the mechanics and trades-peo.
! pie of Washington. Heretofore it has
been their custom during political
contest to waste their time discussing
politics and to wager their money on
the result. 1t is doubtless q fact that
a majority OF the employees here secret
ly hope for Republican success; but
the day of their organizing campaign
clubs, contributing and begging
money, procuring cheap railroad rates
and leaving in body to stump and
vote early and often for the Republi-
can candidates in their several States,
is past. The country gains both in
the publication of politics and in se.
curing more and better work from
Government employees.
This is the time of year that Gcv-
ernment star route contracts are let
out. The reader will remember that
mail routes, except those by railroad
and steam, are called Star routes from
the fact that star was printed on all
mails carried by stage coach, horse
back or by n footman. There has
heretofore been much Just complaint
OF collusion between employees in the
Postoffice Department and certain
favored contractors. This year the
control of the bids were put in the
hands of Il committee of three, of
which Chief Clerk Nash of the Post
office Department, was the Chairman.
Mr.. Nash sent to New York and
purchased a trunk, a big solid fellow
that would make the average baggage
smasher weep with despair of ever con-
quering it. Upon this trunk was
placed lock to which there were fitted
three keys, each member of the COM
mittee being given possession of one
of them. The lock was SO arranged
that ,,o;thar ,,,o,,Lo, &c Xl.o ,,,~,~,;xx ~,
could open the trunk without the
other members knowing it. This
trunk was placed in locked room.
As fast rs the bids were received they
were locked up in the trunk in the
presence of all three of the committee
After the bids were opened not even
the most disappointed contractor CON-
planned that anybody had advance in
formation of their contents.
During the last week two Cabinet
meetings have been held. The ques-
tiOns discussed related to the surrender
of Geronimo and to the participation
Of Federal Office holders in obtrusive
and practical politics. If anybody is
harboring the notion that the Presi-
dent does not mean to exact obedi-
ence to his order prohibiting Office
holders from manipulating conven-
tions, they are probably of the class of
persons who will not admit that the
President is capable of sincerity, or OF
another class that unreasonably ex-
poets him to correct all offenses of a
partisan character by instinct, in
stead of waiting to have the facts in
each case laid before him for consider
alton and action. A number of cases
have been brought to his notice and
to the notice of the Cabinet, and it is
altogether likely that some of the more
prominent offenders will be reminded
of their offences in such a way as to
convince all the lesser ones that the
prohibitory order was issued in good
faith, and that it means all it says.
The Indian wholesale murderer,
Geronimo, continues to be serious
issue in the Cabinet and unless band
of patriotic lynchers shall put him out
of the way, he is likely to cause legal
and military casuists more trouble to
fix his international status than it
gave Gen. Miles to capture him. To a
man up a tree it looks like great
waste of learning on bad Indian.
Let it be assumed that Gen. Miles, in
order to arrest the playful Geronimo
in his pastime of murder and rapine,
promised him a wigwam on Fifth Av-
cnue or to make him Secretary of the
Interior. This promise would make it
none the less the Christian duty OF
Gen. Miles to brain Geronimo as soon
as he got his hands on him. Since
Gen. Miles failed in his Christian
duty it is the duty of the Government
to dispatch him without more ado.
The natives of India, when they want
to catch a man-eating tiger, make an
enticing trap bated with fresh meat
What would he thought of the heather
fools who would call this tiger trap
ping civilized war and treat it from an
international standpoint? As com
pared with Geronimo, a man-eating
tiger is an angel of mercy. Dem.
ABRAHAM 9. Hewitt has accepted
the nomination Of Tammany hall fol
mayor of New York. Col. Bob Inger-
coll favors the election of Henry
George, advising Republicans to sup
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