LATEST AMERICAN GOSSIP.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XIX, Issue 6566, 2 December 1882, Page 1 (Supplement)

LATEST AMERICAN GOSSIP.

Ifroh oub special correspondent.] San Francisco, October 21. THE COMIXG ELECTION. is the time draws near for the State and luuicipal election, the excitement grows ositively terrific. The Republican Party re by no means working with unanimity his year, as of old. The State ticket, which -as elected almost entirely by the Hailroad laehiuists, was voted almost straight— uite so iu many wards—but in regard to be Municipal election there has been much, racticusness displayed. The Convention plit and became two parties—the "Bluffers" ud the " Duffera"—who posed in session sr a considerable time, finally coining toether with a snap. But the Republicans re not in the ascendant, and it looks as if he Democracy would carry the State, lbtit they are against the Sunday Law, •hieh is an important plank in the Reublican platform. But what does a platnrm signify when men who are' elected 3rget their pledges as easily as though they ad never made them ? 1 here is, in fact, 0 difference between the issues of both nrties. Place aud power are what oth are seeking, though, if the Democrats .in, being new brooms, who have had no how for twenty yeare, the probability is hey will sweep beautifully clean, at l2ast for . time. Several other tickets are put up. 'here is a Prohibition ticket, also a Greenlackers'. Tiie latter has no show whatever ; he former will be detrimental to the Remi.lieans, as taking so many votes from hem. Therefore, under all these circumtauces, the Democratic Party have the best how. There is also an Independent ticket, villi one or two good 'iien running for Raiload Commissioner and Board of Equiliatiou. Men to fill these posts, honest and rue, are sadly wanted, otherwise the raiload will still hold its own, and rule as yranically as of yore. The whole town is liven over to politics. The streets are iterally alive all night. So, between the oniet and the election campaien, night is timed inlo day, while sore heads prevail luring Sc I's reign. We seem never to be reefrom i lectioueei ing, and the brief reign of mr rulers seems an act of utter absurdity, inee they r.o sooner become intimately icquainted with their duties than, heigh, iresto ! they are deposed. Seme come in for 1 second aud even a third term, but these ire the exceptions to the general rule. The iva! [M.pers are full of the most vituperative natter, nor are they particular as to diction H" afrai.l of calling a spade a spaile. GOVERNMENT FRAUDS. Going back to politics, or rather politi;ians, for a moment, let me illustrate by .1 iingle instance the frauds which are prac.iocJ upon the Government by its einployi'-s. A prominent Government officer called the jthe" day upon a friend of his and mine. " Do you want to make some money, Dick ?"' :;e raid. Dick said, "Certainly; I am .lever backward in raking in all the cash I ;an "Well, there are some new contracts to be made,' , aaiil the tempter ; " bid ten per cent, lower than what your poods jost yrw, .-.ml yon will l.e the contractor eiif.rf-c.-n." "Still, I do not s>e where the niciiey conn's in," said Dk-k. " lii this ur.y. I am in charge of these accounts. Send in two hundred dollars' \roith of goods, ■nil make your bill out for a thousand doll,i I will endorse it, and von will recoiv.; the-cash." " Think you for the point, but 1 cm not making money that w.iy," said honest Dkk. This is merely a saniple of how things are run in Government departments on this side of the water. VIOLA IN LITIGATION. Miss Viola Pierey, aged two years, has create'! more excitement in Court circles I ■.r.c-nn tiie Justice's Court—than many an adult. In fact, pretty Viola is the loadstar of attraction at present, the coinut and polities notwithstanding. The young lady is tin', daughter of mi actor, who had achieved some fame, and who, three vears ago, lnsrried the daughter of a wealthy man named Dunphy. of this city. The brie'f lur.rrit.-1l life cf this happy couple was, in its details, quite a romanee,"and the end is not yet, buinj; "continued 7, in the person of Viola. Airs. Piercy died in giving birth to the little one r.ow in the cmliraue of the law, and llr. .Tiercy, whose grief was j n - for the loss of the fair young wife, ilk-el a very fuw months after. Viola had bi.en placed with her maternal grandpar.ri, Mr. Dunphy, who has another pretty daughter in the person, of His* .lane, who, as mint to little Viola, has performed :i mother's part towards her for two years. lint now come the Piercy faction, rind claim the child. An elaborate trial continued in the Court for three weeks, and the end is not yet. Much vituperation on the part of counsel has gone on, and the animus of the respective grandparents has been remarkable. 11 rand papa senior electrified the Court and his own people by stoutly declaring thiit be thought Viola ought to reni.iin with grandpapa Dunphy. sineo &he was born iu his and heretofore brought up therein, having been willed to them as it were, by the dsail father. Tbi.s honest, outspoken opinion from the lips of tho adversary's head of the family was productive of a flcTod of tears from hia own people, who were naturally disgusted and dismayed at the turn such an opinion gave to affairs. Viola's aunts and -ancles on the Piercy side

wept abundantly, and the counsel for the other side went on to endeavour to prove the insanity of the dead father, who had, in his full senses, awarded his child to the keeping of her mother's kinsmen, -while on bis death-bed, when labouring in the last throes, he had requested the child might be sent to his mother. Meanwhile, Viola is happy in her utter unconsciousness, and thrives with her pretty aunt Jane regardless of the dictum of judge or jury. The pretty little thing has made a sensation which will give her an almoEt lifelong reputation. .No settlement of the knotty point has as yet been arrived at. LADY OFFICIALS. There is always a war of some kind or another going on between those members of society who wear petticoats. How glad the men must feel when they proudly write their names Jack and Tom instead of Maud and Mary. These men go through life without the civil fights that overthrow the equilibrium of women all through life. There are a number of ladies employed in the Government offices as clerks, who, of course, get into office by reason of the influence they possess. The ladies are put into the offices, aud then the opposing faction sets to work to environ their own influence with smiles and wiles to get those in put out in their favour. This happens every day. A man who has a desire to benefit some needy woman will offer his vote to an incoming candidate with this proviso, that he gets a place for his lady friend if the candidate is elected. Lately there has buen quite a war—and a vigorous one—about the " schoolmarms," many of whom marry some impecunious individual for the sake of procuring a husband, who on his side marries to be supported by his loving fair. Indignation has reached a high pitch on this point, and deservedly, as there are ecores of young girl 3 who are out of bread, while those teachers who have a good position marry and retain their position instead of going home and making their husbands support them. There has been quite a furore over this matter before the School Board, and doubtless the result will be beneficial. When the teachers marry now-a-days they conceal the fact as long as possible, fearing to lose their position. Still, as there are two sides to every question, it is a debateable point whether, for the weal of the children, settled down married women are not more worthy of places as teachers than frivolous girls, who are always on the hunt for a spouse. For my part, I say give me the married woman. In the Mint the "influences" brought to bear are productive of gross abuses. For instance, there is a lady now in the filing department who has no loss than six grownup sons, all of whom make a good living. Truly it is disgraceful in these young men to allow their mother to work. Yet there she is. The Superintendent of the Mint dismissed her once, but Washington influence was brought to bear, and she was reinstated, having a Senator at her back, The way it is done is as follows :—A big man—say a Senator—goes to the Master of the Mint. "I want to put in a lady," he says. The Master opens the list-book, plaee3 it before him, and says, " Who shall be put out to make room ?" The Senator looks down the names, and, after being told who has put in each lady, he selects the protegiS of the least influential man, and that woman goes out. As to merit or capability, those qualifications are nowhere at all. It depends entirely upon your political friends. There is now a woman in the Mint who, a few months ago, had a stand-up fight with another woman, and who stabbed her opponent with her scizzors, and, though the disgraceful facts were aired in the papers, and a police court trial took place, the belligerent female still holds her own, and is likely to continue in office, because of her "influence." Silvkb Pen.