The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1886-11-13
From Washington.
From our Regular Correspondent
WAsurNoroN, Oct. Both, 1888

| IL Is remarkable but true IN u the uovern-
ment Offices of the United States, here and
elsewhere, with their 1870. 90 employees, are
going on in their work with industry and
regularity. This state Of things is unparal
lelcd. II had no existence except in the
dreams Of enthusiasts. But 10 make the
surprise more surprising, this reform has
been brought about by the unredeemed and
irredeemable, too utterly, uuspeakably bad
Democrats. Has the tongue of the radical ha-
ranguer lost its lubrici,y? Have the fctions
with which he was wont to rally the rdral
Republican become thresdbsre Why il
this thus' What mean these moss grown
s'umps, no longer pressed by the number
mines Of frontier BlainitesH Where is our
once untamed and rampant for bread and
butter Republican oratorical mendacitv !!
Come with me, reader, and you shall see
him. Here he sits in the Patent Ohico ex.
aiming an application for patent on a
churn, or hustle, or an improved baby walk
err. There he is in the Pension Office, hard
at legitimate work under Democratic Com
passed many more pension cases than any
Republican commissioner, and paid So ,0o0,-
600 more in p nsiOns than Republican Dud-
ley, his predecessor. You see him in the
Treasury Department, in the Land Office,
the Indian Office, the Post Office Depart
ment-everywhe hard at work. How tame
he looked. He will not hurt you. His ma
| ign energy is scorchei. There is a restless
pent up.ness about him. II seems abnormal
to him to be confined to honest work during
q political campaign, but he will get used TO
! 1t; Il will not kill him. BY and by the
novel idea that he is paid to work for the
United States, and not for the Republican
party, will take root in the worn soil Of his
moral sense. His inocuous political desuc.
,ude will he a blessing to the country.
What wonderful changes have taken place
In twenty months They have overcome us
like summer cloud, not dark and Porten.
tious, but big with salubrious showers.
Twenty months ago the property owners
in Washington were respondent II was
predicted that a Democratic President would
dismiss all the office holders, that FIVE thou
sand owners Of homes in Washington would
have to sell at loss and that a fall In rea'
estate would follow. The result has been
the reverse of that predicted. Instead of
wholesale dismissals. only the idle, the in
competent and the dissi pa,ed were cast out.
The health, the moral tone and efficiency of
tho public service were greatly improved
An improvement in real estate and in gener-
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 up.
on the ms and outs Of political parties. He
has become changed man--more respected
by others, having more respect for himself.
His credit is better, and now, instead Of sell.
ing his home, he holds it at higher price.
Hundreds who have heretofore rented prop.
crty or lived in boarding houses nre buying
and bunding. One more term Of honest
Democratic administration viii place the
national capital on the solid ground of as-
surel prosperity 1t will require another
term TO enable the tree Of political life
which Cleveland has planted and waterei to
take roo, and bear fruit Should Blaine or
Lrgno, or Sherman come in two years hence
it woan surely be uprooted.
believe that large majority OF office
holIefs here are no longer Republican.
They enjoy security nder civil service
reform that they have never known before,
and lhey are compelled to see the every day
improvements which the Cabinet officers md
The heads of divisions under Mr.. Cleveland
have introduced. They are made TO 10 more
work for tie Government, but they are no
longer required to do dirty and dishonest
work for the Republican party. They are
not harIasscd day and night With the rehcc-
ton hut unless they assist in the re election
OF this member Of congress or that senator
they vii, lose his influence and lose their
hrvli AMI batter