Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-02-15
Pleased at the Coming Change
Of Administration.
Rents Are Going Up and So Are
Champagne and Terrapin.


confidence in saying that. the change vii
be welcomed by n majority Of the people o
Washington This Is q Democratic city, a
one would expect from its geographical 10
/ cation, many Of the Inhabitants hayin,
come hithcr from Virginia, Maryland nm
| other border or southern states But Wash
ington always prefers Republican nd
| ministntior There is no doubt ab0ti
| this, and the fact is one Of the anOmalic
| of life ut tho national capital The secrc
| of II lies In business considerations Their
Is no better settled tradition Of tho capita
| than that u Republican administration
makes gdbd times in the political center o
| the nation. Why this 4, so it would not b
| easy TO explain, but all the business IllcI
| say 1t is 10, and VIC shall have to take thci
| word for II. Republican officials brinf
more money to the city, they declare. Tn
guests who come here during Republican
| administrations spend mere money. Tn,
fitting population during Republican
regime rents IA better class Of houses, pay
more money To the grocer, the florist. tn.
| jewclcr, tho caterer. the wine merchant
| the carriage manufacturer, and so Oh ana
so on, than the same population docs under
Democratic regime. These business mel
must know what they are talking abont.
Hard Times.
just now Washington is smiling in an
ticipa,ion Of four years Of Republican rule
Rents are going up triflc, shopkccpcr.
arc arrcaripg more hopeful Of the future.
unemployed people are thinking Of the GLAD
days when they will receive wages ever,
Saturday night. For several years tn.
times have hccn hard in Washington. Or.
dinarily you would not think commercial
depression would make much difference In
a city like this. There is little or no man.
ufacturing here. Commercial houses art
almost wholly for local trade. The govern
mcnt Is the great employer. Hard as tho
times have been, notwithstanding tn,
number Of closed factory doors and REDUCED
lists Of employees in commercial and Other
establishments throughout the country
Uncle Sam has not neglected TO pay sal
aries, he has not cut of any employees, hi
has not thrown any ono out Of work. Or
the contrary, he has gradually increased
the number Of his hands in the great dc
partmcnts here, and hundreds Of clerks
have been promoted to higher rank ane
better pay. Moreover. they have begun I,
feel the more security in their places OF
account OF the spread of civil service no
tions
Yet the government clerks of Washing
ton have economical in their expenditures
just as people have economical every
where. Why they have done it ] dom,
suppose they could themselves explain.
but the fact remains. 1t must be sympa
thy. Social writer's tell us that when
period of hard times strikes the country
all classes Of people economize, whether
there is any necessity for their doing so OF
not. They do it through sympathy,
through timidity which becomes conta
gious; they do it not because they have
not plenty of money, but because they art
not making as large profits as they once
made. This is an unfortunate tendency
of human nature, for it only serves to in
tensify the difficulty under which thu
mass Of population labors in period OF
industrial dullncss. The true patriot is
the one who. having II surplus in bank, is
not afraid to spend it just rs he did in the
better days.
No Market For Canvasbacks.
I was talking the other day with q mer
chant who caters to the fashionable trade
in game, dclicacies and wines. "You new.
or saw anything like the dizziness that has
come over our trade during the last ycaI
or two" he said. During the first year
or two of Mr.. Clevelant's second admins
tration VIC could sell few barrels of terra
pin. We did End market for canvas
backs, and champagncs and other wines
went pretty freely. But of late we have
done nothing OF all. I have sold but
one order Of tcrrapin in three months, anG
that was TO you newspaper fellows fol
your annual dinner. The officials who
used TO buy wine ard ducks and terrapil
have Eecn cconomizing ever since they saw
the Democratic party wasn't going to gel
back into power. That. you know, was q
year ago, SO far as the present officials arr
concerned. They knew if Mr.. Bryan wor
they would have to walk the plank Just as
if Mr. Mckinley was elected. So they
started in TO try 10 save something out Of
their salaries. 1t may have been gooc
thing for them, this early notice that they
had TO make hay while the sun was shin
ing, but it was rough on our business. "
Speaking Of tcrrapin reminds me Of
something Colonel Bill Stcrrett said tn.
other day. Colonel Bill is the brilliant cor
respondent Of a Texas newspaper and one
of the wittiest and most entertaining mer
in Washington. when came up to this
here capital to live he said, 81 didn't
know anything about tcrrapin had
heard of it, nut didn't take any stock ir
eating mud turtles in order to get glimpss
of heaven.
A New Reform.
Il will ask congress for an appropriation
of 500, C00," continued Colonel Sterrett
land with this money will rig up a ter
rspin train. Wewill go through the coun
try, from place to place, carrying with u.