Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1892-10-24
WASHINGTON LETTER.


Washington, Oct. II, 1892.
The democrats are at one of their
old tricks. In every national cam
paign since the first election of Lin
coin, with the single exception of
Cleveland's second campaign, they
have about this time, as they viewed
the signs of defeat on every side, be-
gan concerted yell all along the line
about the activity of federal Office
holders in behalf of the republican
candidates. AS matter of absolute
fact there never was a 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 re nomi-
nation, made it plain to all his subor-
dinates that while he did not wish
any man holding federal office to
feel that he hereby sacrificed any po-
litical privilege to which he should be
entitled as private citizen, he did
wish to impress upon everyone of
them that no public dnty must be
neglected in order to do political
work, and that both the letter and
spirit of the civil service law must be
obeyed, and that his wishes have been
and are being respected is shown by
the assertion of the civil service COM
mission that there have been fewer
complaints of violation or attempted
violation of that law in the present
campaign than in any since its adop-
ton. So much for that democratic
lie.
If Mr.. Blaine's Ophir farm speech
was as we'll received elsewhere as it
was in Washington it will certainly
create lots of republican enthusiasm.
Short as it was it had the ring of the
old bugal blast, SO familiar to republi-
cans in every campaign for quarter
of century past, and which may con-
fidently be expected SO long as Mr..
Blaine lives. James G. Blaine is not
a fair weather republican; nor is he
sulker or sore head. He is repub-
lican because he believes in the prin-
ciples of the party and not because he
or any other man holds or does not
hold Office.
Mr.. Blaine and his family will this
week return to their Washington
residence. In this connection it will
be interesting to see what construc-
ton those democrats who have SO
persistantly maintained, without the
slightest foundation therefor, that the
president and Mr.. Blaine severed
their personal friendship when Mr..
Blaine retired from the Cabinet, will
put upon the message of sympathy
for Mrs Harrison's illness that Mr.. /
Blaine sent to the president. Your
correspondent stated upon positive
knowledge at the time Mr.. Blaine left |
the Cabinet thas there had never been |
any personal disagreement between
he and the president, and the state
ment is now reiterated.
The presidents mail bag is unusual
" big these days and the subject mat
ter of most of the communications
is politics. Men who know exactly |
what the situation is in their respec-
tive localities are in constant COM
munication 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 people all the time. So much of /
presidents time is now spent at the |
bed side of Mrs. Harrison who is slow
ly but surely failing, that he finds the
Elijah Halford, who spent many years
of his life as managing editor, in
valuable in handling and digesting this
enormous political correspondence. |
The republican prospect, as shown by /
these letters, is bright and daily be-
coming brighter; republicans are full
ly aroused to the necessity of keeping
the party which has given the coun-
try it's greatest period of prosperity in
power, and the over confidence which
prevented earnest work in many sec
tions 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 which republicans everywhere
are now 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
nnnonanu is authorized to maintain q |