Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1892-12-05
THE CAPITOL.
Office Holders Contemplate
Exodus of March 4.
For Personal Reasons the Prospect
Of a Change in Administration


WAsnIseroN. Dee. 4--in other cities
and communities an election such As this
country had three weeks ago is some
what of q comedy. In Washington it is
! a tragedy. You have no idea of the
days and nights Of anxiety passed il.
thousands of homes in this capital just
before election. Everyitem Of news or
gossip bearing upon the probable result
| was devoured and discussed here as no
wheree else in the land. Even the women
and children were in painful suspense.
and many and bitter were the tears when
it became known that the opposition had
| trinmphed and the Republicans We're to
J go out of power.
| Except in few instances the result of
the election had small personal or family
! significance in other communities. Here
/ the future. the welfare and the dearest
| hopes of thousands of families were
| threatened. The election was to decide
| whether as many as 5000 families We're
| to remain in Washington, the most de-
| lightful city in America 10 live in, or
whether they were to pack up and move
away on four months notice. A few
| thousand votes more or less in certain
states meant JOY or despair to many
| thousands of women and children in this
city-homes to continue peaceful and
prosperous or be broken up by removal.
prosperity TO be continued or rudely in
terrupted, social pleasures to go on for
years or come suddenly to an end.
thousand and one plans of husband, wife
| or children to be carried on serenely OIL
be rudely shattered and confused.
The day after election there was
noticeable diminution Of the school at
tendance in Washington. At first the
teachers were at a loss to account for it:
but when they saw some of their little
girl pupils weeping, and learned that
the tears were those of sympathy with
mamma-''ulamma feels SO bad because
we have to move away from Washing
ton; she cried all the morning"-they
understood that other pupils had re-
manned at home to mourn. 1t was a sad
day in the schools, as at the homes. Il
The mothers at home said it was
shame they had to go away from Wash |
ington just rs they We're so nicely set |
tied, and cried; the little girls at school |
won the sympathy of all their mates by |
telling how dreadfully they felt at the
prospect of having to go back to tho
horrid old school in Ohio, in New York |
or wherever it was they had come from
when their papas found employment
with Uncle Sam.
In thousands Of other homes the pangs
of uncertainty were added and are still
added to the other sorrows. While $500
or 5000 families knew the day after
election it would be necessary for them
to pack mp next March, from 1000 or
5000 families are to this day sitting on
the anxious seat, not quite sure whether
they will have to go or not. "Shall we
be able to keep our place after the Demo
Gratis come in? Or will they turn us ont
to the tune
"Grover, Grover.
Four more years Of Grover
Out they GO. in we CO.
Then we'll be in clover"
II the people of Washington could have |
their way about it there would never be |
"a change of administration. Washing
ton is always for the ''ins" and against |
the "outs," irrespective of politics. 1t is |
easy to see why Of course all who art |
i'll Office want TO remain in. That is nat |
ural and human. But the same feeling |
extends to that larger part of the com
munity which does not hold office. |
Tradesmen do not want their customers |
90 fyr /
not be successful in the scramble for |
new ones Landlords do not like to lose |
their tenants. nor lawyers their clients, |
nor physicians and dentists their pa
tients, nor neighbors their friends. nor |
best fellows their best girls. Yet the |
people have so willed it at the ballot box, |
and 'out they go; in we GO
Since election l have heard mssic |
teacher talk of committing suicide or
going back to Europe Or doing some |
other rash thing because all his pupils |
were going to leave town next spring. |
A pretty girl of my acquaintance has
sore and heavy heart because she has to /
remove to California in three months, |
leaving behind her young man who |
may or may not have the nerve to fol- |
low her. though if he doesn't promise
10 denounce him as poor and miserable |
specimen of his sex.
Then think of the servants who are |
troubled because their good mistresses
and masters are going away. Even more |
distressing is the sorrow of the house 1
holders whose servants, having other Of |
fers, left the day after election. Said q |
Dupont circle woman, with moist EYES:
Il can't get servant for love or money. |
They all seem to know we have to break |
mp next March. and they don't want to |
work for family that can keep them |
such short time" Worse still. if pos
sible, are the boarding house keepers. |
They are wailing about the roomers and
the boarders they are to lose. and vexing |
their poor brains over the question |
whether they shall be able to get good |
roomers and boarders to take the places
of those who must go.
The tradesmen are in a peck of trou-
bic 100. They worry not only about the
prospective loss of customers. but tile
loss Of bills If the truth must be told,
a good many ef our officials live beyond |
their incomes in Washington. Coming |
here for "A few years they naturally want |
to make the most of their opportunities, /
They want good houses, servants, social /
display and carriages. They can't do
much in this line on 81. 600 or 81 600 a /
year. as l know very we'll The result
is they fall behind in their bills with the
butcher and the baker. The butcher
and the baker and the grocer carry them
along. not wanting to lose their trade /
and expecting them TO pay some time. |
But here comes this horrid election and
upsets all calculations.
The time has come to restrict credit
and pay mp. The family Of the seven
teenth auditor is panied to discover that i
since election their grocer has changed /
his plan Of doing business and rea!fy /
must have cash in advance The ninth i
assistant secretary of the exterior de-
partment is called on by the real estate
agent and informed politely bat firmly |
that the rent must be paid promptly I
hereafter. | have heard it estimated +
that the tradesmen of Washington viii
lose half million dollars in unpaid ac-
counts as result of the election. HUI
man nature is pretty much the same the /
world over, and there is among every
class OF people and in every community
q percentagewho have the dissgreeable
habit Of leaving town without thinking