The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1897-04-02
LETTER FROM WASHINGTON


The wear aud tear Of the President
and Shoc-lcathcr is terrific. There
are $1,000 applications filed at the
Post-oitice Department for poSt-Otfices
| alone. and the other departments are
recording them at an average rate OF
/ 1000 a day. The civil service laws
seem to have NJ terr0rs for the hun
cry horde. But why should they
when the Republican party is playing
! the role Of ''Dr. Jekyll and Mr.. HYDE
in the civil service cOmedy-farce? In
their party platform they declare EN-.
phatically in favor of civil service re.
form. and selected a candidate for
President who has pledged himself in
favor Of the reform both before he
was President and since, and yet his
most faithful l%ieutenants in both
branches Of Congress and on the out
side are eXerting thcif utmost efforts
to overthrow the civil service rule in
order that their friends may receive
the twenty-five percent Of federal
offices now held by Democrats. Bar.
ring a few who are dependent upon
their situations for the support OF
large families the Democrats seem ed
tircly indifferent as to what course
the present administration may 0ur.
sue with reference to the small
amount of official pie they now con.
sumo. In fact they would prefer &c
see the whole thing wiped out, fol
they feel confident that it is only a
question of four years until a GENU.
me DEMOCRATIC President will be
elected, and if the so-callcd civil ser.
vice which only serves to protect Re
publiCans when Democrats are in
power is out Of the way, the Demo.
Gratis will have full sway four years
hence.
The system Of reductions and pro,
MOTIONS has already begun. Quite a
number Of Democrats in the severa.
department have already been re.
duCeG and their places filed by Repub-
leans, among them being J.. Q. G.
Lamar, Of Mississippi, from IL So 4
position to an 1880 ~clerkslip. Mr.
Lamar ought to be favored by The
federal government, because his father
was - justice Of the Supreme Court
ald well liked by the ItcJublIcau
leaders.
The tariff bill is making slow pro,
grcss IN the House. Up to Saturday
night only IA Of the 1872 pages Of the
,cgalizcd robbery bill had been dis.
posed Of, 1t is scheduled to rcac.,J the
Senate or Wednesday Of this week.
but at the present rate it will get
there y days later. However, it is
believed that the Republicans will
endcavOr to make a little better plO.
Ircss during the next few days. al
though the Democrats are warmly
cOntcstlng every inch Of the ground
and take advantage OF every OppOr
tunity 10 show the fallacy Of the svs
TEN Of taxing people prosperous. Tho
Republican party has been rcbuked
several times by the American people
for its protection ideas, and the
chances are that it will be more Sc
vcrely rcbukcd in the next elections,
because the rate Of taxation provided
for IN the pending bill is far in excess
of any previous law. The country adj
mitS that a high tariff will produc,
revenue and at the same time protect
certain wealthy individuals aud cor.
p'ihlio'IN, ohu tht touullg 10 hdiull
willing to pay a tax on almost every
article consumed by the producing
masses in order to provide revenue fol
an cXtravagant administration, and
protection for the already wealthy
classes.
1t would be a difficult matter &c
convince the intelligent w~age-carner
who receives the same salary under a
high tariff law that he does under
low tariff, that the tariff is not a tax,
when he must pay $50 under the higf
tariff law for a suit of clothes tina, Ne
can buy for $l5 under the low t&gin
law.
The Republicans have promised the
country prOspe ity and they are now
relying on the tariff to fulfill thcil
promise. But il S hard for the ia m.
err TO understand how he is to become
pTOspe u under 4 system of declin.
.ng prices for his cotton and corn,
dad Increased prices for the things he
has 10 %Duy-his clothing, shoes. farm
Implements, bagging, ties, groceries
nd everything he uses and consumes.
Ihe pending bill will become a law
ull'i iuh'iibe IN Sduillltu VI Uit
House and the Senate, but it vii.
poe . boone. ang to thc Republican
party.
The Republican leaders are very
much exercised over the future polit.
ical outlook. Every pressure possible
has been brought to bear to have
Hunter elected to the United States
Senate from Kentucky, with poor sue.
cess up to date, though they claim
they will yet succeed. Joe Blackburn
is Il great general and will soon have
old Kentucky back into the Demo.
cratic column.
President Mckinley and his cabinet
have been earnestly importuned to use
their influence to have the Republican
ticket elected at the coming municipal
election in Chicago, but for fear of
doing mor harm than good by their
interference they have only responded
iC an indirect way, and at present it
looks very much as though the Demo
Gratis will carry the day. The work.
ing people Of the country and es.