Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1872-06-07
The Liberals and Their Reforms.


You Liberals say that you are for re-
form. Did you expect it to be put in
your Cincinnati platform? When the Re.
publican party said it was opposed to the
extension of slavery in the Territories, it
said so. When it said that it was opposed
to human slavery, it said so, and every
body understood what it meant. When
the Republicans said that the colored man
should go free and should be a soldier,
everybody comprehended tho declaration
When it said the colored man should vote,
the whole land knew what it meant
You say you are in favor of civil service
reform. So is everybody But what do
you mean by it q? 1t is well enough to say
that you are in favor of civil service re-
form, but you undertake a definition and
you land where Washington and JefIer-
son began. You have not added the
breadth of one hair to what we have al
ways said Honesty, fidelity and capac-
ity Why, everybody requires that.
You say, if the American people will
just elect Greeley for four years, you will
promise never to bore them with him
again Laughter But you do not even
propose to change the Constitution of the
United States in that respect. You have
not the courage to assert a solitary princi-
pie that you have learned outside of the
Republican party. You simply re.aflirm
the doctrines of the Republican party
You have behaved very well, and fell
pretty kindly toward you. For the last
twelve years you have done well with us.
| give you all thanks for that, but | tell
you when you attempt to set up concern
of your own, take the right to make fun
of it. On this question of civil service
reform, charge it upon you that you are
playing false. don't want to make you
mad, for | want you all to vote for me.
This act is the best thing you can do
You start out for civil service reform,
but, when we read your platform, we find
that you have omitted it. You are in
favor of civil service reform. What of
it? Everybody else has been so. You
say, go listen to the speeches of our great
men for our meaning. | read Senator
Trumbull's bill introduced a year ago.
That makes it penal offense for mem
Der of Congress to recommend any person
in the United States to the head of any
department, or to the President of the
United States, for any Office, be he ever so
decent or honest. And this is Judge
Trumbull's definition of his civil service
reform. Now you understand it.
The other day another distinguished
leader of the Liberal Republican column
went through Kansas, and for the first
time in American politics introduced the
spectrum, Governor Brown, while at
Topeka, took up the spectroscope to scan
civil serY1ce reform. He made long and
erudite speech. 1t fell like a dead weight
upon the people. l do not know anybody
who cap understand Sc So looking
through ithe lens, we see the llSnC loaeato
cd thnsl varionsly They believe that
their Senators have the right TO make re.
commendations to the President for
offices, AID they are glad when they do
make Recommendations Now, there is
candidate for Vice President, who gives
a spectroscopic analysis of civil service
reform, in which it seems that Judge
Trumbull comes in direct opposition to
his analysis and Interpretation. Where
such two great leaders do not agree, how
do you expect the American people to un-
derstand its Judge Trumbull saws il
should be penal ofiense to recommend
L have no personal feeling against him,
and have always respected him, and be.
lieved him to be man of great purity of
character And so far as Mr.. Brown is
concerned, / have no reason to believe
that he is not the same sort of man
Whether they would say as much of me
or not | cannot tell. i am to look into
their platform, and l find in this import
ant pdIIlCuldT, Juug6 lruInDull gives one
construction, and Mr.. Brown disagrees
with HIM and gives another. Then who
wonders that the people are confused
about it? There seems to be no sense or
honesty of purpose in it. So far as l
know, there has always been more civil
service reform about the Republican party
than anywhere else.
Judge Trumbull permitted himself to say
that all the eminent men in the Republi-
can party were going to Cincinnati, You
saw the kind of fellows that went from
Springfield. Bloomington and Chicago
laugh er and applauseL and while | will
do them the credit to say that they were
the best element at Cincinnati, | will
leave you to judge whether they are any
better than other people. They went
there fer civil service reform, forgetting
thar General Grant was the first President
who ever offered to give up all his patron
age as Executive, If by that means The |
civil service could be purified Great !
applause. He is the only man who ever
brought himself in direct antagonism with |
the leading men Of his party on that ac- !