Democratic Sentinel, Volume 9, Number 16, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 May 1885 — POLITICAL. [ARTICLE]

POLITICAL.

The Illinois Legislature has passed into the control of the Kepublicnns, J. W. Weaver having been elected Representative from the Thirty-fourth district by a majority of 306, to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Mr. Shaw. The district is naturally Democratic by 3,000 majority, and the result creates the greatest-surprise. A Republican scheme, secretly arranged, worked successfully. No Republican voters appeared at the polls until 4 o’clock p. m. of the day of election, and then surprised the Democrats by their numbers. The Democrats, thinking they had a sure thing with their 2,000 Democratic majority in the district, were simply caught napping by such shrewd and wily schemers as Daniel Shepard, “Long” Jones and Jake Wheeler, the political lieutenants of Gen. John A. Logan. When the late Representative Logan’s seat was to be filled in a Republican district no effort was made by tho Democrats to capture the election, although probably every politician In the 'State had an idea of the possibility of such a coup d’etat. It remained for the Republicans to take advantage of a similar opportunity in a Democratic district, nnd it seems that they laid their plans carefully and secretly, and accomplished the, to them, highly important, and, to the Democrats, disastrous result. Senator Cameron intends to take no part in the pending State contest in Pennsylvania. He has engaged quarters near Los Angeles, Cal., until November, and will remain there, hoping to recover his health. A. P. Swineford, of Marquette, Mioh., has been appointed Governor of Alaska. Mr. Swineford Is an ex-Mayor of Marquette, is editor of the Marquette Mining Journal, has served as a member of the Legislature of his State, and was a candidate for Lieutenant Governor two years ago. He was appointed State Inspector of Mines and Mining by Gov. Begole, of Michigan. A divorce on the ground of repeated acts of brutality has been obtained by the wife of Dr. Meire, of Colorado, recently appointed Consul at Nagasaki. As his selection was due to his wife’s relatives in Maryland, Secretary Bayard has determined to cancel the commission. The President has appointed W. A. Seay, of Louisiana, Minister to Bolivia; Albert D. Bissell, Collector of Customs at Buffalo; John H. Oberly, Indian School Superintendent; Lewis C. Bartlett, of Binghamton, Deputy Commissioner of Pensions; A. M. Kuhn, of Indiana, to be Surveyor of Customs for the Port of Indianapolis; Hamilton C. Jones, of North Carolina, to bo United States District Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Included in the Board of Visitors to West Point are Gen. Fltzbugta Lee, of Virginia,

and Dr. George L. Miller, of Nebraska. £ O. Graves, Assistant Treasurer of the United States, has been appointed Chief of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, and E. B. Ewing, of Missouri, will be Consul General al the City of Mexico. The President’s attention having been called to a bloodthirsty letter written by James Blackburn during the war, in which he desired to cut out the hearts and perform Other surgical operations on the Yankees, he made Inquiries about the authenticity of the letter. Mr. Blackburn admitted the authorship, and the President had bis appointment as Internal Revenue Collector revoked. He is a brother of Senator Blackburn. Mr. Leeper, the defeated Democratic candidate for the Legislature in the Thirtyfourth Illinois District, has decided to contest the election of Weaver to the House of Representatives, on the ground that lists of registered voters were not posted in accordance with law.