The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1876-10-19

been plundered, its official service de-
based, and its credit imperiled. 1t was
a declaration of war against those who
held the balance of power in both po-
litical parties. 1t asked authority to
name commission of four to investigate
tile management of the canals for the
preceding ten years. The commission
was granted, though the Legislature con-
tanned in both branches many of the
most notorious contractors and jobbers
This message produced profound i'm
preston wherever it was read. 1t was
the first time these plunderers of the
Treasury had been arraigned before the
bar of public opinion. 1t carried dismay
into their ranks and destroyed the sem,
blance of any defense.
The Chairman of that Commission
was the Hon, John Bigelow, who had had
large experience in our public affairs
abroad, first as Consul, then as Minister
to France. He and his associates were
aboyeal suspicion of unfairness. Accom-
panied by the best engineers and experts,
the investigation was most thorough
along the entire line of the canal from
Albany to Buffalo. Its reports were
given from time to time in the summer
of 1875. This laborious work was finally
completed and given to the Legislature of
1876, fully sustaining the Governors ex-
posure. 1t destroyed the political power
of the Ring, and completely arrested the
| fraudulent expenditures on the canals.
Besides this important result, by the
discreet use of the veto power, the Gov
ernor reduced the State.expenditure in
the first year of his administration, about
two millions and three-quarters,- from
$15, ,727 900 in 1874, to $13,000,000 in
1875. By the same policy, this ex-
penditure at the end of 1876 will be re-
duced to nearly $1,000, 900, and at the
expiration of the next succeeding year
to about So, 100000.
In this contest of nearly five years,
with the city and State rings, Governor
Tlden has concentrated the exhaustive
labor of more than a score of years of
the average men in official life. His
practical and very often his profound
thought has been wisely wrought into
much of the remedial and protective
legislation of the two last years. His
persistence in the contest, and its gratify-
ing results have awakened the whole
country to a sense of the pressing need
of administrative reform in all the States
and. in every department of the Federal
service. Baptized into the fire and blood
of the battles through which he has
passed, he has become to the people of
the whole nation the living exponent OF
this truth. And as the standard bearer
in this cause, it should be remembered
he has behind him State, embracing
one-eighth of the population of the
Union, and possessing nearly half its
wealth.
Never in the history of our Federal
Government, he declares, was the neces=
sity for high moral standard in the
public service so imperative. In the
rapid development of the great resources
of the country in the last quarter CEN
tury; in the wonderful growth of its
productive industry; in its vast accumu.
lation of wealth, and especially in the
enormous increase of the national debt
incident to great civil war and the ex.
pansion of the currency to meet this ex.
igency; speculation in every description
of values-in the business and trade o.
the country, in its gold, its currency and
securities became the rule instead of the
exception. The habit becsme infectious
and at length, epidemic in every depart
ment of the government service-Mu
nicipal, State, and. Federal. 1t ha'
stimulated extravaganza in living, moi
only among the people, but everywhere
in the personal Of the civil service, unit
the habit of economy, the simplicity
frugality and purity of the early periot
of our polical existence is rarely found
The conditions of the life and habits o
the people and of this service must b,
greatly reformed, if not wholly changed
if we would bring back the nation to it
early purity. By this process, and thi
alone, can we in his view, save the gov
ernment from premature decay. Thes
: views have underlaid and shaped hi
, course as Governor. If elected to tn
} Chief Magistracy of the nation, indie
) pendent of all partisan interests, tn
) purity and the mortal standards of hi
administration will be paramount TO al