The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-02-13
WASHINGTON.
Pleased at the Change of
Administration.
There Is Expectation Of Bet
ter Trade Locally.
Rents are Going Up, and So are
Champagne and Terrapin.

confidence In saying that the change VIII
be welcomed by majority Of the people Of
Washington. This Is a Democratic city, as
one would expect from its geographical To-
cation, many Of the inhabitants having
come hither from Virginia, Maryland and
other border or southern states. But Wash
ington always prefers Republican ad-
ministrntion. There Is no doubt about
this, and the fact is one Of the anomalies
of life at the national capital. The secret
of 1t lies in bGsincss considerations There
is no better settled tradition of the capital
than that Republican administration
makes good times in the political center of
the nation. Why this Is SO IL would not be
easy To explain, but all the business men
say 1t Is so, and we shall have to take their
word for it. Republican officials bring
more money 10 the city, they declare. The
guests who come here Curing Republican
administrations spend more money. The
Hitting population during Republican
regime rents better class of houses, pays
more money to the grocer, tho florist, the
Jeweler, the caterer, the wine merchant,
the carriage manufactures, and so on, and
so on, than the same population does under
a Democratic regime These business men
must know what they are talking about.
Hard Times.
Just now Washington Is smiling in an
ticipation of four years of Republican
rule. Rents are going up trifle, shop
Keepers are appearing more hopeful of the
future, unemployed people are thinking OF
the glad days when they will receive wages
every Saturday night. For several years
the times have been hard in Washington.
Ordinarily you would not think CONNER
cial depression would make much differ
ence In n city like this. There is little or
no manufacturing here. Commercial
houses arc almost wholly for local trade.
The government Is the great employer.
Hard as the times have been, notwithstand-
ing the 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 salaries, he has not cut off any en-
ployecs, he has not thrown any one out of
work. On the contrary, he has gradually
increased the number of hN .hands in the
great departments here, ana hundreds of
clerks have been promoted to higher rank
and better pay. Moreover, they have begun
to feel the more security in their places on
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 cconomized everywhere
Why they have done il don't suppose they
could themselves explain, but the fact re-
mains. 1t must lie sympathy. Social
writers tell us that when period Of hard
times strikes the country all classes Of peo-
pie economizc, whether there Is any ne
cessity for their doing so or not. They do
1t through sympathy, through timidity
which becomes contagious they do it, not
because they have not plenty of money,
but because they arc not making as large
profits as they once made. This il an un
fortunate tendency Of human nature for
IL only serves to intensity the difficulty un-
der which the mass of population labors in
a period Of industrial dullness. The true
patriot is the one who, having n surplus
In bank, is not afraid TO spend it Just as
he did i'm the better days.
No Market For Canvasbacks.
was talking the other day with a mer-
,hant who caters TO the fashionable trade
N game, delicacics and wines. "You new
n saw anything like tho dullncss that has
,ome over our trado during GRE last year OF
'wo, y he said. During the first year or
'wo of Mr. ClevelGnd's second administra.
ion we could sell a few barrels of terra
,in. We did find a market for canvas
)acks, and champagnes and other wines
vent pretty freely But Of late we have
lone nothing at all. / haven't sold but |
mo order of terrapin i'm three months, and |
hat was 10 you newspaper fellows for |
Tour annual dinner. The officials who |
iscd TO buy wine and ducks and terrapin |
laye been economizinQ ever since they saw |
he Democratic party wasn't going to get |
,ack into power. That you know, was |
ear ago, SO far as the present officials are |
oncerncd. They knew IL Mr.. Bryan won |
hey would have TO walk the plank just as |
{ Mr.. Mckinley was elected. So they |
tartcd in to try TO save something out of |
heir salaries. 1t may have been good |
hing for them, this early notice that they |
ad TO make hay while the sun was shin
ng, but IL was rough on our business
Speaking Of tcrrapin reminds me of
Colonel Bill Sterrett said the
ther day Colonel Bill is the brilliant
of Texas newspaper and
ne of the wittiest and most entertaining
len i'm Washington. when 1 came up
D this here capital TO live" he said, II
idn't know anything about terrapin.
ad heard Of IL, but didn't take any stock
, eating mud turtles in order TO get "a
limpsc Of heaven.
New Reform.
81 will ask congress for an npproprin-
on of 800, 600, p" continued Colonel Ster-
1T, land with this money will rig up n
,rrapin train. We will 60 through the
,untry, from place to plncc carrying with
: n dining carwcll stocked with diamond
icks and with good old madeira TO cook
iem In. IL n riot breaks out among the
ms culotte of Chicago, we will run out
lcrc and feed the leaders on tcrrapin for
few days. 1t will break up the worst
OF that every wns started and make social
formers of all the men who get n taste
it. IL tltre Is too much lynchinR down
my country, all we will have to do Is 70
IN down there and put few doses of ter
pin In the ringleadcrs, and they will at
lcc become imhucd with the divine prin.
pies Of brothcrly love. II the silver craze
rs to running too strong among my
lends ont on the Kansas prairics, we will
jcct tcrrapin into them In proper doses,
I'd the first thing you know the silver
NE W III bccomc thing OF the mast md |