The Dalles daily chronicle. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1890-1948, 1892-12-13
FROM THE CAPITAL.
President Elect Cleveland SGnSihly Con-
tnues Secluded.
HAS TOO MANY LETTERS now.
Nine -Tenths of all Communications are
From Office Seekers.
rHR AWAITING HOPE DEFERRED
when she Heart slckens VIII be Con-
tent with Much LesseRed
Ambitions---etc.
Special to THE CHKoEIcLE.]

Special to The CHRoEIcLE]
Washington, Dec. 9.-President-elect
Cleveland very sensibly continues to
seclude himself from the public in as
great degree as possible, but he can not
close the mails against his voluntary
correspondents. From this time until
his Inauguration Mr.. Cleveland's mail,
notwithstanding his recent protest, will
probably average at least 1900 letters
daily. That was about the number
President Harrison received from i'm
inediately after his election, and it
jumped to 1000 per diem after his ar
rival at the White House. About nine
tenths of all such communications are
from office-seekers. The balance con-
veys, mostly, advice and suggestions,
offer congratulations and give warnings,
friendly and otherwise.
AS is customary at such times, people
are now taking pen in hand'' to address
the president-elect by post. Whenever
a change of ad ministration occurs a sort
of fever for office-seeking becomes epi-
demic among the people. For months
after Mr.. Cleveland assumes his high Of
fee the time of his private secretary will
be chiefly occupied with receiving appli
cations for positions under the govern
ment, and the ante-room of the White
House will be crowded at all hours with
congressman and others eager to secure
plump OF patronage. The very hungry
and very thirsty" will swarm upon
Washington like grasshoppers upon a
green vegetable patch. All of them will
reach here in high, confidence of securit-
ing appointments to their liking. and
nIne-tenths of them will finally go away
disappointed after eating out their hearts
with waiting aud nope deferred.
The great majority of those who do
succeed will be obliged to be content
with positions much lower in the pub
lie service than they had expected to
secure. In numerous instances indi-
viduals of some local distinction, who
had journeyed here with aspirations for
posts of high honor and emolument
under one administration or another,
have been thankful to get situations
dc hhCccChSOIc ia GLC DdFG-
ments. History in this matter repeats
itself every time one political party goes
out and another comes in. Those who
fail, as their, money runs low, drift out
of the hotels into the boarding houses,
finally falling back on the cheap lodging
houses. Last scene of all, which so
often ends this sad, eventful history, is
the appeal addressed by the disap-
pointed office-seeker to his congressman
for loan to pay his car-fare home.
Undoubtedly these place-hunte,s are
mostly people of some Importance where
they live; but the lever for holding
public office attacks them, and they
abandon everything else to pursue the
delusive phantom. If they capture it,
the glamour of the life holds them so
that they are never satisfied to abandon
it. If they fail, as SO many do, they too
often become soured misanthropes,
brooding constantly over what "might
| have been.;'