The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-01-25
WASHINGTON.
Marshall Cushing's Budget
Of Capital Gossip.
Defeated Democrats Want to Blame
the President.
Secretary Thurber and His Delicate
Duties-The Printing Office.


Special to The News.
WAsHINoToN, Jan. 25.--It is almost I'M
possible to overstate the disgust which
Democrats feel (but DO not, of course, ex-
press) for the President. Apparently
they respect him, sometimes they speak
affec tionately OF him as "Grover," but
underneath, the Democrats, almost WIN
out exception, are disgusted and sore.
The fact is that they attribute their
recent overwhelming defeat, ana
py that mean more especially the
cand idates who ran and the committee
men who had the campaigns to make,
more to the unpopularity OF MIR. Cleve-
land and his administration, and OF the
acts of the administration, than to any
other cause; for, as they argue, great
party may believe rever so strongly
IN some principle or supposed
principle that it follows, but
il the bitter personal feelings
which arise from q period OF hard times
or indeed if q general feeling of distrust
or disgust with the policy OF an admihis-
tration obtain, the mere matter OF plat
forms and principles doesn't count Tor the
moment. Yet there are many Democrats
who wonld today, out of their real judg-
inent, book Mr.. Cleveland against the
field for their Presidential nomination IN
'96.
There Is no denying either, and one
may say 1t in all kindness, that the dis
gust of the Democrats with Private Sec-
retary Thurber is very general. This gen.
tlemsn who came fresh from Michigan to
post which can certainly be made as i'm
portant rs any in the administration, II
1t is not 30 of itself, seemed overwhelmed
ct first with the sanctity OF his place, and
20 later on OF himself. He kept
people at distance, knew
nothing or pretended to know
nothing. He was in no sense the other
self OF the President, assisting him, doing
things that the President might not do,
or in short, exemplifying the value OF
private secretary. But hopes were ex-
pressed that Mr.. Thurber would improve.
For two years, however, he has not done
so He is just the same Parsons in
search of news. Senators, members
and others at the White House,
avoid him IL they can, which, OF course,
either adds to the burdens OF the Presi-
dent, or prevents the President from
keeping In touch, politically and socially,
with the great world outside, which is Of
30 much consequence, not merely to his
political success. but to his value as a
public officer. Thurber has failed in all
this, and his most lenient old-ti friends
admit 1t, much as they regret it.
The absence OF Speaker Crisp from the
chair seems to have been very convenient,
for 1t once 1t appeared that a com mbination
had been made by which few bills like
that appropriating money for new city
building for Chicago, and the Fithian free
ship bill, and the naval reorganization
bill, and other measures of the first con-
sequence should be put through.
OF course 1t cannot be said that all OF
these win go, but 1t would be a
natural thing, especially now that the
Speaker is away and the lines are loosened
little, II such combined efforts should be
made. 1t is really about the only way in
every day practice to accomplish any leg
islation whatever. Here is a certain i'm
portant interest which demands that q
given measure be Ipassed, but there are
other important interests, perhaps half
dozen, pressing just as hard. Evidently
these are not disposed to yield unless
they can be sure that justice is done to
them later on, SO the combination is made
and ii is urged that this thing should 90
first and that thing second, and so on.
So 1t Is about thousand times as easy to
defeat legislation as it is to pass it, for
iunumerable obstacles can be thrown i'm
the way; while to get thing through
measure must not only have sufficient
votes, which would seem to
DO the only requisite, but the various
committees and contending interests,
then the committee on rules, and then the
Speaker, must all be agreeable. While a
great deal of valuable legisls tion may be
defeated by utilizing these obstacles.
there are also means which are of great
value for Intercepting jobs OF all sorts.
There is q curious situation with regard
to the new Government Printing Office.
This, as you know, is the largest office OF
the kind in the world. Ordinarily two
thousand people are employed OF the
Government documents, the Congress.
ional Record and all that, but for
yssrs these workmen and work
women have occupied the dingiest and
most rickety old quarters imaginable ble.
In fact, boards OF experts have repeatedly
reported that the whole business is in
1.-THE