St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1886-11-20
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From Our Regular Correspondent.

From Our Regular Correspondent.
WASHINGTON, Nov. 9th, 1886.
The recent elections have caused
great surprise in political circles il
Washington. 1t will be necessary to &c
back to the year 1874 to find anything
comparable in interest to the upheava
in Congressional districts in many OF
the States this year. The control OF the
fiftieth Congress should have been Sc.
cured by the party opposed to the ad.
ADMINISTRATION, according to the law OF
political forces, and following the al
most unbroken line of precedent in oul
political history. But the fact is that
the Democrats in spite of losses sutfi-
cient to have given the Republicans the
majority, have yet made gains in snch
unlocked for places, as to retain control
of the House.
The orderly and peaceful manner too
IN which the elections were conducted
in the Southern States, with here and
there Republican gains in Congressman
in that section, ought to bury forever
the last tattered remnant of the bloody
shirt. Not single complaint of intim-
idation or violence has come from any
district and Messrs. Blaine's and SIer-
mans occupation is consequently gone.
Politicians here are still talking about
the result of the elections, and it is
interesting to hear their varions COM
ments. They all agree that politics are
uncertain. Some attribute Democratic
losses to the fact that Democrats have
not enough Offices under the Admins
tration, while others hold that il they
had gotten fewer offices they would
have elected more Congressman. This
last idea is upon the ground that it is
impossible to dispense patronage to the
satisfaction of everybody. The only
way to be without enemies is to be
without power. The man who has no
favors to give makes no enemies; but
he cannot bestow patronage Oh the few
without making enemies Of the many
who expect and are disappointed.
Another common explanation of the
apathy among Democratic voters is that
they thought they had so sure thing
of it that they abstained from voting.
The latter is Speaker Carlisle's opinion
with regard to his own case. He says
he has frequently warned his cons;it-
uents that they would waken up some
fine morning and find some one else
elected to Congress in his place all on |
account Of their staying away from the
polls. "They seem to think" he added,
'that am sure to be elected whether
anybody votes for me ornot." 1t must be
gratifying to the Speaker to know of
the sentiments expressed by Republic.
cans as well as Democrats when it was
believed that he had been defeated
Even ultra Republicans here acknowl-
edged that his loss to Congress would
be a national calamity. He is such
broad, high-minded statesman that his
political enemies cannot fail to respect
and revere him as an exemplar. While
he is straight out, consistent party
man, he deals honestly and fairly with
his opponents and all they have even
dared to charge against him was the
crime of being Democrat.
Although a speaker for the tiftietb
Congress will not be chosen for more
than year, the canvass for it will &C.
lively begin at the approaching session
and consequently it is subject of i'm
mediate interest. As the Democrats
will have safe working majority in
that Congress tits certain Tom Reed,
the Republican leader from Maine, will
not name its committees as was pre-
licted before the official counts came in.
Amid their losses the friends of "Free
Trade" take some consolation from the
fact that one Of the most eminent OF all
the revenues reformers has received an
endorsement at the hands of tile people
of New York of which any man has
reason to feel proud. L. is to be regret
ed that such man as Abram s. Hewitt
should be lost to the House of Repre-
He was especially distin-
,uished for his clear and practical |
news and for bis readiness to accept
reasonable concessions from opponents.
Mr.. Hewitt will not resign his seat 5
n Congress until some time in January,
nd he hopes even before that time to
ccomplish something towards much
eeded legislation. The result of the
n