Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1892-10-27
From our regular Correspondent.l
Washington Letter.

WASHINGTON, ID. c., Oct H. 1892.
The Democrats are at one of their old
tricks. In every National campaign since
the first election of Lincoln, with the
single exception of Clevelands second
campaign. they have about this time, as
they viewed the signs Of defeat on every
side, began a concerted yell all along the
line about the activity of federal Office
holders In behalf of the Republican can
didates. As matter OF absolute fact
there never was campaign In which so
few federal officials took part as in the
present one, nor was there ever one in
which so many of them took an active
part as that of 1888, when Mr.. Cleveland
was President. The President, soon after
his denomination, made 1t plain to all his
subordnates, that while he did not wish
any man holding a federal Office to feel
that he thereby sacrificed any political
Privilege to which he should be entitled as
private citizen, he did wish to impress
upon every one of them that no public
duty must be neglected in order to do
political work, and that both the letter
and the spirit Of the civil service law
must be obeyed, and that his wishes have
been and are being respected Is shown by
the assertion VI the civil service commits
sion that there have been fewer complaints
Of violation or attempted violation of that
law in the present campaign than in any
since its adoption. SO much for that
Democratic lie
If Mr.. Blane's Ophir Farm speech was
as well received elsewhere as it was In
Washington 1t will certainly create lots of
Republican enthusiasm. Short as it was
1t had the ring of the old Blaine bugle
blast, so familiar to Republicans in every
campaign for quarter of century past,
and which may confidently be expected so
long as Mr.. Blaine lives James G. Blaine
is not fair weather Republican; nor is he
sulker or sore head. He is Republi-
can because he believes in the principles
Of the party and not because he or any
other man holds or does not hold Office
return to their Washington residence In
this connection it will he interesting to see
what construction those Democrats who
have so persistently maintained, without
the slightest foundation therefor, that the
President and Mr.. Blaine severed their
personal friendship when Mr.. Blaine re-
tired from the Cabinet, will put upon the
message Of sympathy for Mrs Harrison's
illness that Mr.. Blaine sent to the Pres-
dent. Your correspondent stated upon
positive knowledge at the time Mr. Blaine
left the Cabinet that there had never been
any personal disagreement between him
and the President. and the statement is
now reiterated.
The Presidents mail bag is unusually
big these days and the subject matter Of
most Of the communications is politics
Men who know exactly what the situation
Il in their respective localities are in CON
slant communication with the President
and they tell him frankly what the pros
poets are, thus keeping, as it were, his
finger upon the political pulse of the peo-
pie all the time. So much Of the Pres-
dents time is now spent at the bedside of
Mrs. Harrison who is slowly but surely
failing, that he finds the trained skill of
his private secretary, Elijah Halford, who
spent many years OF his life as man
aging editor, invaluable in handling and
Dp
pondence. The Republican prospect, as
shown by these letters, is bright and daily
becoming brighter; Republicans are fully
aroused 70 the necessity of keeping the
greatest period of prosperity in power,
and the overconfdence which prevented
earnest work in many sections early in
the campaign has given place to hard and
telling work, which will be kept up until
the victory is won The Presidents theory
has been from the first that it is better to
win by IS or so electoral votes than by
or 6, and that seems to be the idea upon
working, The Republican party always
wins when thoroughly aroused and it is
now thoroughly aroused.
The signing of the contract by Post
master General Wanamaker, under which
the International Navigation company is
authorized to maintain a semi weekly mail
service between New York and Europe, in
seven steamships of the first class, all
manned by American officers, all carrying
the American flag and all subject to the
control of the u. S. Government in case
of war, marks an era in our commercial
history, and it should not be forgotten
that the credit for the law which made
this contract possible belongs to the last
Republican Congress. The company
awarded this contract will have built at
once in American ship yards five of these
steamships, costing in round figures So
100000, the greater portion Of which will
be paid to American workngmen.