Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-11-07
rFRoM A STAFF CORRESPONDENT }

LFRoM STAFF CORRESPONDENT
WASHINGTON, November 6.-The defeat
of Foraker in Ohio, and the close vote and
possible defeat of the Republicans in Iowa,
came something after the fashion of thun-
der clap from clear sky to the Republicans
| in the Government service to-day. Little
! interest was manifested last evening, because
nearly everybody took it for granted that
Malone would be showed under and that
New York and New Jersey would go Dem
ocratic, and that Ohio and Iowa would be
Republican. So it looked up to midnight,
and everybody went home feeling they knew
just how things stood, and not until this
morning did the mass dream of the Water
loo that was in store for the grand old party.
Great was the discussion in the depart
ments to-day in regard to the result. Groups
of Republicans and groups of Democrats
could be found in the rooms and about the
corridors of the Government buildings at all
hours of the day, and the sincerest and prob
ably the correctest opinions heard anywhere
were from the bright people who make up
the world of the civil service.
THE TANTALIzING OPPOSITION.
The Democrats made no attempt to conceal
their joy. They were bold and tantalizing.
The burden of their congratulations was that
the people had already repudiated the Re
publican administration, and that in 1892
sure-enough Democrat would be elected, who
would make every Republican in the civil
service walk the plank.
Republican clerks and officials were in
tensely stirred by the offensive conduct of
the Democrats, and prayed harder than ever
for change of heart in the administration
which would embolden the President and
his Cabinet to root out of the civil service
the last one of the ex-rebels and heelers and
hangers-on of the Democratic party who fill
the departments.
"a party with such leadership is sure to
get worsted, said one of the cleverest clerks
of the Treasury Department to THE DIS
PATCH correspondent this afternoon. "Why
lot of the best positions in this department
are yet filled with Democrats, and the Bit
terest of their kind. Only few Republi-
can chiefs of divisions have been appointed.
The unclassihed service is Democratic all
round.
WHAT A CONTRAST.
"Before this time four years ago every chief
of division in this department, who was re-
moved at all, had been fired out.
"But that is not the worst of it. The lead
ers, while refusing to take any steps to
secure an honest vote in the South,
which would give several Southern
States to the party, dabble in all sorts
of side issues They firt with the whisky
men here and the temperance fanatics
there, and don't seem to know more than
child what to take hold of and what to
avoid. don't take much stock in Malone;
but the Republican party in Virginia would
be in the majority any day if the Federal
apf uRo 20 ,ko1o
sale suppression of the negro VOTE and sew
eral other Southern States would be added
to the Republican column. If the party
wants to hold the reins of government it
must leave all so-called moral issues and
take its stand on tariff for protection, the
abolition of internal revenue taxation, ex-
tension of foreign commerce, a sound none
tary policy, and grasp by the throat the
recreant South, which now suppresses the
rights of freemen more outrageously even
than when those freemen were slaves.
HIS RIP VAN wINKLEIsM.
''I hope the President will be walked from
his lethargy by the terrible blow the party
received yesterday, and act as though he
were a leader, and not merely lounger, at
$50, 900 a year, to meander through the green
fields and pleasant valleys and beside the
still waters, or lord of empire too great and
exclusive to come down to practical politics,
or to fool with any principle except that of
domestic tranquility and Little Lord Faun-
tleroydom. The President has appeared to
me to be in trance ever since the 4th of
March. He is a political somnambulist,
and, like his kind, he may wake to find
himself toppling on the outer edge of an
abyss"
The President had few callers to-day, but
was averse to saying anything for the public
on the subject of the elections. Cabinet and
other officials either would not talk or pre-
tended to be too busy. To one of his visitors,
however, President Harrison expressed him |
self more freely, and that visitor tells THE
DISPATCH correspondent that the President
does not admit for a moment that the Re-
publican failures we're induced in the |
taintest degree by dissatisfaction with the |
administration.
WHAT HARRISON SAYS.
''The disease was local." the President
said, sententiouslY, to his friend. 'In New |
York the Democratic machine was sure to |
win. in a state campaign and an off year. In |
Virginia it was suppressed vote and fac |
tional antagonism against General Malone. |
In Ohio it was tactional antagonism and op- |
position from the beer and liquor element, |
and in Iowa it was granger influence, and, |
to small extent factional differences. In |
all the States it was of-year Indifference and |
a disposition to seize the opportunity to fight |
domestic quarrels to finish.
'Oh, no, it was not IAN unsatisfactory ad- |
ministration.' We are too nearly in our in |
fancy as yet to be subjected to such drastic |
criticism"
MAY BENEFIT THE PARTY.
Professional politicians among the Re. |
publicans do not seem to be greatly alarmed |
by the outlook. They say the result will |
really strengthen the party, as without it |
there would have been a continuous indif- |
ference or overconfdence that might have |
extended its influence to other campaigns.
Some are inclined to think, however, that |
Pennsylvania should take warning from
Ohio, and heal factional differences before |
next year. As one Pennsylvania puts it, |
sit is warning from another world to Quay |
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