Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1872-11-28
scraping Off the Barnacles.

IF the telegraghie dispatch which ap-
pears In one of the morning papers, to
the effect that President Grant has re-
solved to give the appointment of post
master at Philadelphia to a deputy
postmaster, perfectly competent Off
Ger, and not to some favorite of the
managing politicians, be true, it will
be among the best news that has been
published for long while. It will
show, in the first place, that the Re
publican party is going to be faith full
to its promises of civil service reform;
and, in the second place, that the rule
of the barnacles, big and little, is COM
ing to an end.
The postmaSterShip at Philadelphia
it seems is vacant, and the politicians,
with their usual insolence, have as
sumed that the appointment of sue
cessOr belongs TO them, and not to Presi-
dent Grant, to whom the people have
given it in the Constitution. Instantly
a dozen of them, with Cameron at their
head, and Mayor Stokley, Governor
Hartranft and District Attorney Mann
at the tail, rush to Washington to ex-
ercise the privilege of the President, or
what is the same thing, dictate him
how he should perform the duty.
That the President should consent to
see them at alt, under the circumstanc-
es, is only another proof of his wonder
full forbearance and courtesy, or rather
Of the length of time a bad practice that
has long been established will survive.
The President did not close his door
upon these impertinent Intermediates,
as he had perfect right to do, seeing
that they called upon him to obtrude
advice instead of waiting until it was
asked for; but he did tell them frankly
that their mission was fruitless. 1t is
said in the report to which we refer,
thathis reply was that "the rules of the
civil service required him to promote
the Deputy Postmaster to the vacan-
ey, and not to go outside for some SER
viceable tool of Cameron or other
ring-master to reward. That Is what
we suggested the other day should he
done In this city in regard to the sur
veyorship, and we are glad to see the
President inclined to the course. The
time has come when he and every 9TH
or officer should cast off these pestifer-
Gus barnacles that cling to every success
full party. They are an iInpediment to
| it, source of corruption and weakness,
and the disgrace and degradation of our
whole system Of practical politics. We
are indebted. to it for the TWeeds,
Sweeneys and Fentons of this State,
and for the Camerons, MeCIures, and
Forneys of Pennsylvania, who In them
selves are men of little ability and less
virtue, bat who, by their cunning and
unscrupulousness in pulling wires, at.
tain a vaster influence than men of the
more exalted eapaeityand character.
No President was ever in better pO-
sition for releasing himself from such
excreSences than General Grant. He
has just been elected by a prodigious
majority because of the popular conf
dence In his honesty and viii, and in
spite of his party surroundings, which
have been in some respects unfortunate.
The people, North and South, say to
him, "Go ahead, according to your own
better instincts, which we believe to be
true! If. you distrust your Judgment
because Of your want of experience,
there are plenty of eminent, upright,
disinterested men, in each locality, to
| consult. Ask them what it is best to
do; but for the country sake and heav-
ems keep clear of those vulgar, self
seeking, infamous managers, who,
on the pretense of advising you, are
merely pushing their own fortunes or
those of some dependent" Those fel-
| lows have debased and robbed us long
enough; nearly the whole nation has
risen against them; and we demand OF
the Chief Executive that he should be-
gin at once to weed out the parasites.
IT iS no paSV work. re0uiFinO cOIIfaoro.
persistency and patience; but the gen
eral who has faced a more open though
not worse enemy, on score of battle
fields, will not, we think, shrink from
the encounter. p; " .-%i =