Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1894-05-01
NUMBER Is.

There l. one man who made bet
against Clcveland's election Ia 1899 the
terms of which were that II lIe lot be-
was ~ play the cornet for one year on
the streets and live on what be- received
for H. He seldom played over an hour
q day and was ~ generously rewarded
that he lived like prince There l. q
Frvnchman with a scheme for laying
out the Potomac fats In immens. flow.
sr beds II rc,l. white and blus. repre-
scnting the American fag. He also has
a scheme fOr new system Of sewerage.
the pip~ 20 h. above ground and paint
ed gurgcously in the national colorS Of
cOurso h. has bill which be- wants
congress % pass and has hammered
away for years making the lives ~ new
cnnHo-smen a burden iIe j. rally
something ~ am engineer and on other
subjects quite intelligent
A Fs,.rii. sa,J.st.
The commitio. ga elucatiOn and In.
bor suffer- most from these fellows. and
it, chief business Is Ia prevent them
from annoying other membcrS Hun.
drcds ~ bills arc brought 10 this com.
mittce almost every session. and " Il
worth noting that the most gorgeous
schemes arr generally scnt In by the sOr.
riest looking specimens ~ humanity,
and the balls calling for largest expondi.
tuT,s and promising mot wonderful ~
turns arv mostly by men who dwell In
a. cent lodging houses AMI gct their
meals by chance Even here, however.
there l. ch~cring evidence that Wash
ington l. no longer the crank heaven u
was from 1895 "a 1873 or little later.
In tho~o days the committees were sim.
Ily overwhelmed. aud n II was a time
of general uns.ttlement 10 old idcis AMI
ra.h experiments hearing wa given
a. everyday The great army ~ the
queer and crazy dcsccndcl uppn Wash.
ingt0n. and every valid attempt ai r.
form was made ridiculous by their eS.
trrme views Woman suffrage, Tor in
stance. became phra-o ~ cOnt"mp,
among congressman h.cau-s 0f the Wild
eyed creatures who uscd IL A. a starting
point to advucato polygamy. polyan.
dry. the agap.mono. the phalanstery and
other syst.ms - - called FREE love.
In view ~ her subsequent history u l.
curious to recall the addr-ss ~ Victoria
WODdhull before the senate judiciary
committee, the r~Pct with which shs
wa listened % and the high prai-e L.
slowed upun her production IN Ought
a. have b..n able. fur u Wa written hy
Theodore Tilton Inexperienced that
time put an cud to such hearings befur,
the committees
Inssn. on en-. >ubi.et
I.alnr reform was another victim oi
the excessive zoal ~ thu crank-. finan'
cial reform was simply laughed out %
court. The movement to put Gud In th'
constitution anil rccugniLe Christianity
by national law was - completely
crushed that IL l. only u late that any
CONGRESSMAN could L. found willing a.
listen to an argument ON u. Temperance
rform wa simply run In the ground.
hut ~ all the subjects on which thcr'
was discussion at that time none fur.
ni.ho,l the crank. with ~ yari"d and at.
tractiye a iield n the nern The future
historian will probably lay that th'
American Isople then went insane ga
that subject, A. the English did at one
time un ''pupish plots.
Bligb, to u gi,i,nsi. Reform.
The panic ~ 1873 Knocked the non
ssnse ont ~ most II ,hc-" p"oplc, and
the fearful scandals ~ that year and
the three following purified the moral
atmophrrc and gave new form in
Washington crankism Sinoe thor pear
ly all thc gr,at schemes have b"cn pro
jcrtel I'm aid ~ labor. and here agar
the cursa Of crankism cumos to blight
legitimate reform What ought to b.
done and might easily l. done to apT-si-c
the di-cntcniel to some extent II pre-
vented ly the moral cowar,lic" - mem.
i-rS who arr afraid ~ b-ing clas-s'l
with Wild eyed yisionarie~. and iet a
man make ever ~ mo.l,st q suggestion
alUut silver or incomes ur rduced tax