Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1886-10-01
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.

ocratic Cabinet officers have been
wise enough to retain. 1t is an
open secret here that the employees
do all the intricate and delicate
work of the government, and that
in nothing requiring either judg-
ment or faesse are the recently ap'
pointed Democratic employees call
ed upon or trusted.
Mr.. Cleveland is if possible more
unwieldy than ever since his sum
mer outing. He got out of the cars
and into his carriage at the station
with pOnderous difficulty; when he
got to the White House he was
quick to seek his bed, and he seems
little inclined to 20 to work again
and sign his name to the many pa
pers which have accumulated on
his desk. lie spent a good part OF
the first day after his return at his
new country home, whittier he was
accompanied By Mrs. Cleveland and
Mrs. Folsom. The country house
is being thoroughly reconstructed,
and its barn like JeiiersOnian sim
plicity is yielding to modern canons
of architectural common sense and
beauty. | think there is but little
donbt that Mr.. Cleveland intends
TO spend the evening of his life at
"Pretty Prospect as the place has
been christened. But there is Just
as little doubt that he hopes to
have another term IN the White
House. 1t is only necessary 10
scrutinize his appointments, the
measures he approves as well as
those he vetoes, to see that his pol
I
lev is to make himself solid in New
York and IN the South. There Is
annie time for him to blunder dur
ing the two and half remaining
wears ofhis term, but mediOcrlty is
less liable to slip than is genius
The probability is that Mr.. Cleve-
land will be as strong before the
next Democratic nominating con-
vention as he was before the last.
But will the famished Democrats,
now hopeless of loaves and fishes,
again open their barrels and poll
their votes? 1t is too early, how
ever. to talk about presidential can
didates and my excuse for men
tioning it must be that the subject
is omnipresent in the air OF Wash
ington. ApropOs Of the air, 1t Is
quite cool and bracing at present,
and the absent summer jewellers at
seaside and mountain are fast re-
turning to the city. But little has
been done during the summer to-
wards improving the streets, parks,
and public buildings of the Capital.
The penny wise, pound foolish poll
cy of the party in power Will soon
reduce this beautiful city to its ante
bellum dilapidation. The stagna-
ton is felt even in private enter
prises. The houses that are now
building are cheap and common as
compared with those which have
gone up during the last decade
In their desperate effort to display
a reduced budget on the hastings
the Democrats have deprived the
Capital and the country of the nee
essarIes Of life.
1t is too early in the season to
expect anything of interest in the
political or social world. Nothing
is going on in the departments
Not half the cabinet officers have
returned from their protracted sum
mer vacation. At the cabinet meet
ing which will be held early next
week the cabinet officers in several
departments will be represented by
their assistants. 1t seems to be
still unsettled whether or not Mr..
Manning will resume charge Of the
Treasury department. 1t is be-
lieved by these best informed that
he will come to Washington about
the first of October and with the
help of his assistants conduct the
affairs of the Department. There is
no question about his mental con-
dition being entirely unimpalred
and the only trace of his recent ILL
ness that remains is the slight halt
in his step that will probably ney-
er be cured.
One of the first questions to be
considered in Cabinet session will
be the disposal Of the arch fend,
Geronimo. Gen. Mines official re-
port of the surrender as it is call
ed, has not been made public, and
there is a general impression that
the willy cut.throat has received
promises Of pr, lection and immt-
nity from death. If there ever was
an occasion and a subject for lynch
law we have it in this unspeakable
monster.
a reporter on the Jersey City
EreAiRg JOWRql named Lenhart