ability be filled by
Democrats. The President will not put himself in the power of his
opponents. If he is to be held responsible for the administration
he must be permitted to choose his own assistants. This is too
plain to talk about. Let us give Mr. Cleveland a fair show--and
let us expect success instead of failure. I admit that many
Presidents have violated their promises. There seems to be something
in the atmosphere of Washington that breeds promise and prevents
performance. I suppose it is some kind of political malarial
microbe. I hope that some political Pasteur will, one of these
days, discover the real disease so that candidates can be vaccinated
during the campaign. Until them, presidential promises will be
liable to a discount.

_Question_. Is the Republican party dead?

_Answer_. My belief is that the next President will be a Republican,
and that both houses will be Republican in 1889. Mr. Blaine was
defeated by an accident--by the slip of another man's tongue. But
it matters little what party is in power if the Government is
administered upon correct principles, and if the Democracy adopt
the views of the Republicans and carry out Republican measures, it
may be that they can keep in power--otherwise--otherwise. If the
Democrats carry out real Democratic measures, then their defeat is
certain.

_Question_. Do you think that the era of good feeling between the
North and the South has set in with the appointment of ex-rebels
to the Cabinet?

_Answer_. The war is over. The South failed. The Nation succeeded.
We should stop talking about South and North. We are one people,
and whether we agree or disagree one destiny awaits us. We cannot
divide. We must live together. We must trust each other. Confidence
begets confidence. The whole country was responsible for slavery.
Slavery was rebellion. Slavery is dead--so is rebellion. Liberty
has united the country and there is more real union, national
sentiment to-day, North and South, than ever before.

_Question_. It is hinted that Mr. Tilden is really the power behind
the throne. Do you think so?

_Answer_. I guess nobody has taken the hint. Of course Mr. Tilden
has retired from politics. The probability is that many Democrats
ask his advice, and some rely on his judgment. He is regarded as
a piece of ancient wisdom--a phenomenal persistence of the Jeffersonian
type--the connecting link with the framers, founders and father