Evening star., 1934-08-26
Fifty Years Ago
In The Star

The presidential campaign Of 1884
was one OF the liveliest and most
., bitterly contested
campaign SLOW in American his
In Starting tory. but 1t started
of slowly. as the
following in The Star Of August ~,
1884, indicates: --s
"The campaign managers admit
that the presidential canvass has been
dull and spiritless so far, but they
promise q lively change about the first
of next month. But the managers
are not alone to blame for the apathy
prevailing. The active cooperation
Of the masses is required to make an
animated campaign, and it Is plain
that there is unusual indifference
among the people to political matters.
This Is, no doubt, due in part 70 the
fact that there is no paramount issue
dividing parties. The country Is
tranquil and ordinarily prosperous,
Notwithstanding an occasional Wall
Street furry and tightneSs Of money.
With regard to administrative policy,
there is no great difference between
the two leading parties. Except that
the Republican platform can be con-
Strued to lean q little more 70 pro-
lection than the Democratic, there Is
no material difference. But, as to
that, both platforms are so adapted as
to admit Of a somewhat elastic con-
struction to suit the views Of different
localities. The old familiar campaign
cry that unless this party or the other
succeeds the country is bound TO go
to ruin has lost its force. Nobody
believes anything of the kind. In fact,
the political contests of the past quar-
ter Of a century have been waged with
such intensity that a reaction seems
to have set in. The great body e
voters cannot be wrought up and
swayed any longer by the feryid ap-
peals Of party orators and organs. It
begins to look now as IL there win be
less noise and more thinking in this
canvass than formerly"
&*
Whether or not the electric light
viii eventually supersede gas for street
lighting purposes" says
Electrlc The Star Of August 29,
Tiob+s 1884, '"it is certain that
the method now employed
for that purpose on Pennsylvania
avenue is very far from being salts
factory either as an Illuminating
agent or in its effects upon the eyes
of those subjected to its intense glare.
Upon the roadway the light is stronger
than need be and of such a quality
that one would suppose it has been
invented and employed solely in the
interest Of oculists, since It's eject
must in a little while tell most
on the eyesight of all who
are obliged to use that thoroughfare
after night. And yet the sidewalk,
while light is nearly as essential as
on q carriageway. is not reached by
the rays of the elevated rejecting
lights on account Of the thick foliage
The consequence is that foot paSsen-
gers meeting on the sidewalk are
unable to recognize each other and
it often happens that collisions occur
for want Of sufficient light to see those
from another direction
The gas furnished by the gas COM
pany has not been as good as it ought
to be and the public will not regret
seeing it supplanted by a better sub
stitute; but, poor as 1t is, the gas Is
still immeasurably preferable to the
electric light now employed in its
place. The objections to the latter
are 50 many and so great and they
were 50 manifest from the start that
there seems to be no good reason for
allowing the experiment to be con-
ttnued." - 80