The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1895-07-05
Washington Letter.


From Our Regular Correspondent.
q WASHINGTON, July ]. The Democratic par
ty looks more like II winner Today than it has
at any time since the dlsasI ruus Congressional
election, last November. The country Is daily
becoming mort DrUSuerOuS, and, lust IS the
floating voters held The ID, n.ucrat.C prrty re-
spoiieblc Tor the lizard tint 81 u l,ru wefs.
natural consequence 81 The thIttI years vi Re
publican class legislation, the same class, Of
voters will next year give the Democrat { par
w credit for their Increased prosperity, and in
that they will tie right. The Treasury too, is
BEGINNING to feel The increase i'll tine roIIntry's
prosperity. The .\euueS Tor the month Of
June were S2,UOU,OU in excess OF the eXpendl-
lures something that has not occurred for quite
Il while before
But the principal reason why tie democratic
party is again looking like IA Winiiei, il that its
members are IN ali die. hons anIoilieink Lhelr
intention 10 get together. The sflif "htin
many toTesam aud others feared az II it:ilt ol
the silver night within The party liurs'miiI not
materialize, unless some of the shrewdest men
in the party are mistaken in their calculations
The fight isn't over by any means, but il Is ats
serted by prominent silver and AMI sill \ er
Democrats that il will be over when the Ma
tional Convention shall have acted upon II,
and that the platform adopted by that convcn-
ton and the national ticket nominated will be
loyalty supported by both silver and anti silver
Democrats. In other words, both sides Will
SIGHT to carry the convention, and will accept
the decision of the convention.
Another reason why the Democratic party
looks like winner may be found i'll existing
Republican dissensions The Republican par
ty in the great States of PennSy lVanla, Ohio
and New York is divided into two bitterly hos
tile camps, warning, not for II principle. but
for the supremacy OF personal bosses While
Democrats are hardly sanguine enough TO eX-
pect the fight between the Quay and anti-Q quay
factions in Pennsylvania to result i'll the cleo
toral vote of that state being cast for the Dem
cratic candidate, they certainly have good
reason to hope that the wIslngling between the
followers of Foraker and those of Sherman
anti-Platt Republicans in New York will result
in landing both OF these States i'll the Demo-
cratic column next year
Secretaries Smith, Morton and Herbert are
just at present the big three they being the
only members of the cabinet now i'll Washing
ton. Attorney General Harmon is expected
this week.
With the fiscal year. beginning today, many
changes provided for by Congress went into
effect i'll the departments. In addition To the
material reduction of force in the Pension VI
flee. seventy. six clerks in that office had their
salaries reduced i'll order to bring the salary
total inside of the appropriation.
My, what Splutter those lame ducks are
making in the pond OF the Coast and Geodetic
SURVEY, although General Dutfelds gun was
not very heavily charged: Every one who is
at all familiar with the different phases of Off
cial life in Washington has noted the air of
proprietorship which is assumed by many of
the men who are employed in the alleged sclen-
who draw salaries running from 50 900 to &c.
600 Il year. have been in Office from ten to forty
years, and are mostly well-to-do and some OF
them actually rich. The majority of them
come and go when they please and spend more
time working for private parties than they do
working for the government. They have sue
ceeded fairly well in the past in muzzllng criti-
tsm by calling the critics ignorant and accus-
ing them of being unable to appreciate or un-
derstand the Importance of the work done by
the scientific employees of the government,
but that cry is beginning to fail and criticisms
are becoming more frequent. But to return
to those lame ducks and their spluttering. In
accordance with authority conferred by the
last Congress, General Duffield, Superintendent
of the Coast and Ge2detic Survey, has reorgan-
lied that bureau. He dropped six employees.
two of whom had been in Office forty years, and
they and all their numerous social connections
have begun to yell as though somebody had
pulled the plug out of the bottom of the world
and that the whole business would be settled
on the muddy bottom of oblivion in few
hours. The scientific branches of the govern
ment are thoroughly alarmed to discover that
their employees do not own the whole outfit.
But the government still lives, and General
Duffield has no idea of apologiZIng to or OF re-
Installing anybody. He believes the changes
made were tor the good of the service, and he
ought to know. c. y. 5.