Year: 1877

Last week we published a letter
from Col. Boynton, Washington CORES
pondent OF the Cincinnati Gazette. Here
We give letter from Washington by Mr..
Smalley. the able correspondent of the
y Y. Tribune. These letters give a
pretty fair idea Of the feeling at head
quarters:


WASHINGTON. Oct. II People who are
not active politicians, aud who only tnkr
a mild interest in the result of
'l-Ct ons when they think there are no
great principles at stake, can hardly
Imagine how disturbed the Republican
Congress men lrel nbouJ the triumph OF
the Democrats IN ONO. Many OF them
nave become wOlui JeremiAhs. propesy-
iug the utter downipll and complete rum
OF their party. aud tue certain victory OF
their opponents. not only In 1850, but in
all ut the subsequent elections TO the
end of the century. They magnify u
Democratic majority OF twrniy-odd thou
sand in a State peculiarly tickle in its
politics and in n time Of exceptional apa-
Thy, into terrible handwriting on the
wall, ioreIeiling their obstruction. Of
cOurse they will get over these "dolelul
dumps after a while, but now they are
ia the depths of them, they are interest.
ing subjects tor the journalists spectre.
scope. They lack moral Drawn and bone
They are altogether too sensitive. The
Democratic party has taken defeat piled
on defeat Tor nearly twenty years, and
after each successive butf.ting il has
come up smiling aud resolute for the
next contest; but the moment the Re-
publicans fear they are gong to lose
their hold on the General Government
lh+y have no more cOHrage than the sea
lick man when he imaginrs the whole
universe is out OF gear and is d-voting
us energies to making him uncomforta.
BILE


Most OF the disheartened Congressman
charge the whole blame of the deirat
upon the President Some dwell upon
the Southern policy as the chief cause.
and all say the Civil Service order hurt
the party badly. Among those who talk
mast about the effect Of the Presidents
course toward the South there are three
kinds OF opinion, some members think
ing that his course was wrong. and ought
not to have been pursued, others hold.
ing that IL was an unfortunate necessity
and still others maintaIng il was right,
a. we'll AS inevitable, and that although
its effect upon the party was to weaken it
at first. any other course would have in
jured it far more The first class of m, n
are sad aud mad both. The second are
lad, but not mad And the third,
though by no means glad, are ia a state
of pbilosophlc equanimity. They say
that the military rpoch in the South had
to pass away. and that IL was lar better
for n Republican President to cut il
short than for the Republican party to
seek to prolong it. and finally to he
driven from power Oh that issue. They
further say that it is inevitable that
many honest and Jealous Republicans
should feel dissatisfied about the Presi
dents action. but that the edge OF their
resentment will be iast dullrd by time
aud reflection.


On the question of the wisdom of the
! Civil Service order. there is much less
q ference OF opinion. That il WAS bad
policy to issue such a sweeping order, all
| Republican Senators and Representa-
tivrs with whom | have talked agree
Some think the order was wrong in prin.
cipl-, Others say il goes in the right di.
rrction, but goes altogether too tar. All
that Was necessary was tor the President
10 remove Otfice-holders who were max
| ing themselves obnoxious by managing Z



teat the popular will. A lew examples
OF this kind would have moderated the
partisan Zeal OF the whole body of Fed
ersl appointees. With all the talk oi
the past ten years about Civil Service
reform. IL is plain that the average Re-
publican Congressman is not much adj
vauced beyond the old idea that the
offices are the chief incentives to political
strife, and that those who have got them
have rs good a right TO fight to keep
possession as those who are out of place
have to fight to get in. According to
this view, It is absurd To say that a man
may struggle for years to get an office,
but as soon as he succeeds he must re
train from all Efforts To defeat the men
who are trying tn drive him out. Ii is
OF course an Oversrrained construction oil
the order 10 cay that il prohibits office
holders from being active ior their party
at elections, but the effect of il as shown
in Ohio, is that a postmaster, or other
official, who is forbidden to serve on q
town or county committee, is not dis
posed TO exert himself at the polls
hear a goo deal OF criticism OF the gen
eral policy Of the Administration in re