Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1889-11-15
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
WASHINGTON, D. c.,
Novamhor 10 1890

November IL, 1889.
Editor Regisser-The fight for the
Speakership of the House has opened,
the candidates all being on the ground
and each fighting hard to win. The
chances seem to be in favor OF Reed
of Maine, who has been the leader OF
the Republican minority for the past
six years. Mckinley of Ohio. who
stands as the champion OF high tariff,
has a large following, and is by long
odds the ablest candidate; but as the
West has three or four other aspirants
in the field the probabilities are that
the East, represented by Reed, will
carry off the prize. The other candi-
dates are Cannon of Illinois, Butter
worth of Ohio, Burroughs Of Michi-
gan, Henderson of Iowa, and several
others of lesser note.
Congress will meet very soon now,
and one of the first things the Repub
licans will want to do is the enactment
of a law governing elections in the
South. They say the vote of the
negro is not honestly counted, and
the government must see that it is
counted-that is if it is Republican
vote. If the negro is foolish enough
to vote the Democratic ticket he is
crazy, and a lunatic should not be
allowed to vote anyhow. This kind
of talk does not come alone from the
Forakers and Chambers and men of
that stamp, but from people who
have lived in the South long enough
to know better, and even some who
are native born.
The result of the electionin Virginia
and Maryland last week has made
these people wild, for many of them
thought that Malone would carry
Virginia, and the overwhelming defeat
he has met there has astounded them.
Then, too, the defeat Of Foraker in
Ohio and the election of Democratic
governor in Iowa for the first time in
thirty-five years is most disheartening,
to say nothing of the decreased ma
jority of the Republicans in Massa-
chusetts and the great increase in the
Democratic vote in New York and
New Jersey. Not only does the result
of the elections worry the Republican
party very much, but they are hope
lessly divided on the tariff question.
Many of their shrewdest leaders
think it good policy to make sweep
ing reductions in the tariff, but
large and influential portion of
that party has pledged itself never to
allow any abatement in taxation, and
to force such reduction at this time
would hopelessly divide the two wings
of the party Looking the field over,
Democrats cannot see anything but
the brightest prospects ahead, and
unless something unforeseen occurs,
the next House of Representatives
will be overwhelmingly Democratic.
The farming communities all over
the country are grooming under the
heavy burden of debt they carry with
no prospect of relief, and the natural
consequence will be they will turn
the Republican party out of power
the first chance they get. The present
administration has actually increased
the tariff on some goods by recent de-
cisions of the Secretary of the Treas
ury, and Senator Hoar said in an in
terview the other day that Congress
next winter would increase the tariff
all along the line-but he is likely to
change his mind when he reads the
election returns.
The president has amended the
civil service rules so that the names
of three candidates living along the
line of railroad on which a messenger
is to be appointed will be certified
when there is vacancy in the rail-
way mail service. The object in this
is to be sure and get good Republi-
can every time, for by this scheme the
local leaders know who has gone up
for examination and can notify the
head of the service who are members
of the G. o. p, and when the names
are certified by the Civil Service
Commission he can pick out Repub-
lican every time.
A West Virginia Republican asso-
citation was formed here the other
night by office holders residing in
Washington, with the following
officers: G.. w. a. Black, of Jefferson
county, president; J. w. DeGrange
of Berkeley county, vice-president;
G. NJ. Shinn, of Marion county, secre-
tary; Dominick Murray, of Ohio
county, treasurer.
Charles F. Trotter, of West Virginia,
has been appointed clerk in the
Signal Office at salary of 5000.