New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1877-05-12
CIVIL SERVICE REFORM.
, LITER FROM GAIL HAMILTON.

,,op,I ASPECTS or SUCH ASSERTIONS.
-. ydftor Of The Tribune.
70 re- The lourth portrait which propose to hang
po,,cs' Gallery is that of The Chicago Tribune.
,ot Give the exact date of the photograph, but
IS when personal feeling was at high-water
!, 1875 and different members Of tho same po-
I,ertv were striving to make each his own candi-
80. the nominee of the approaching Cincinnati Con-
-',op AZ that time The CkioEgo Tribune published
,ssnh,oiued satemout-publishedi II in its editorial
',,,ons as absolute Truth, without qualification OF
.aostion. thus putting its distinguished and per-
~ should add, venerable editor, Mr. Joseph
Mill member of the late Civil Service Co!umis-
IN the very foreground as the author, OF at
- the responsible indoTscr. of the statement
u.rois what Mr.. Medill published;
~, pl,irc was born and raised Roman Catholic. His
naots we're Irish Catholics aud decent people His
gSSsrs and sisters Catholics now. HIS excellent
a Ispahe wife one and the children are being
49, hi that faith. Mr.. j. G. Blaine alone OF the whole
t-5iy connection is NOS an adnerent OF the " Mother
is:b Bu he belongs TO no Christian denomination
s5 While not a Catholic can hardly be called Prot
..epf " at faith he may nnay ole IN cannot be pre-
T.ed except by analogy, and consideration Of the
b aud strength Of mothers religious incubation on
setlls mind aud heart
AZ the time Of The Chicago TibuRGs publication of
,,st deyout little moTsel of religious biography Mr..
rlsiue vas-Eheal QWaniam BtHtdtas G6 ITO apron
mt candidate for the nomination of the Cincinnati
Conveution How far he was in advance of all other
candidates NAV he judged from the fact that he en-
tered the balloting with than one-third of oh
,hs votes and considerably more than twice the
,rmber cast for any other candidate, and that dur
inc the seven ballots he received more than the num-
ber required for nomination. How far lac was in ad-
vance Of Tie Chicago TibanGS candidate may be
indeed los the fact that he entered the first ballot
with nearly three times rs many votes, and came
ont of the seventh and last ballot with more than
sixteen times as many votes as that candidate.
This was O state Of things hard 20 be borne II
would not only Justify but require the most strcnu-
cus eyerious ON the part Of The Chicago Tribune to
hiring the fortunes of its candidate abreast with
those of IFS formidable rival No one could blame it
far any amount of honorable cudeayor There were
immense odds TO be overcome and the time was
short The religious element las already entered,
and threatens still further entrance as a powerful
factor into our electoral problem. ProtcstantS have
n deep distrust of Catholicism IN respect of It's
assumed authority over civic Si5irs. Catholics hold
not only their faith hut their poty, with jealous
tepacitv II Mr.. Blaine were a Catholic, born and
bred in that faith rearing his children in IT, ard
surrounded by its adherents the fact could hardly
fail 90 create great objection against him in the
minds Of Protestauts If he were n renegade Catho-
lc il would bc serious objection in the minds Of
Catholics. If he were neither Protestant nor Catho-
hc hp.ing through iudihcrcntlsm from the faith in
which Doe was reared, bat embracing no other, both
Catholic and Protestant would be likely TO become
disafectcd.
mans fitness for Office j. not to be determined
by LIS creed. sll less by that of his wife and chill
drca Ii canyassng his claims, then, all discussion
Of his religious relations is impairment Discussing
the religious faith Of his family is mpertinence Of
the lowest degree. ! viii, however, waive this
point. I even admit that the civil sovereignty
assumed by the Catholic church may give the color
ofught to call q mans religion uQucstiou. villad-
mitfuthcrthat If even such iutermcddlinC with the
most secret and sacred relations OF life be par!ou
abbott is during the heat Of n Presidential cam
pau. The aroma Is vast the prize heroic. the con
test fierce lu the glow Of energy and eagerness
men may sometimes be swept past the boundary line
Of courtesy without FORGETTING their right TO be
named by the name which is above every name.
Awai'. ecclesiastical affiliations are not 20 Zee hidden
under a hushcl, and if INSTRUMENTATION make him
odi0us % q large portion of Che community, sec
thou 90 that" II the public refuses TO have a Cath
Ole, OF a Protestant or ana Iuhdc, OF jew TO reign
over IT, all the has % the right 10 know whether
man bee Catholic Protestant, IuGdcl, or jew.
AZ any rate tEc journalists started oat on astccplc
chase after Mr. B'auc's religion. Up hin and down
over hedge and ditch, tamplne through rlebe and
fpa.liug through bapt,tory iu their hcadlong dash
across country. rode the bold hunt>mcn, modly try
inp 90 gct on the track of that uulucky faith, and
with uniform want Of success that argues any
thing bat keen scent for religion on the pant OF It's
punucrs. Indeed. hr. Blaine himself could hardly
fal 20 be surprised al learning what q dcyout
clurcbman he had been. Any modest man who has
gone through life quietly saying his prayers and lay
incuo claim % amy more goiliness than his neigh
hors. may well be startled al finding his dcvotions
logged BOY detectives and rang out on all the
chuc1-bc.ls from Maine 90 California. II Mr.
Blaine had ever adopted half the crceds attributed
70 him. De- must have been what Kinglake declared
Gladstone TO have been, q" a good man IN the worst
sense o. the tenn
But our Western rcf0rTcr knew more excellent
WAY 10 did not indeed discountcuancc the publica-
t0u Of impairment private matters. but 1t rose SUI
pcror toauy attempt az ascertaiuing facts III those
matters. While simpler souls were wasting strength
In hunting up authorities throughout the country,
Ihf Ciiorqo Tribune calmly sat down in its office
and loved and made q lie. Moreover the facts when
come az were no, suited 10 its purpose, while those
which 10 should manufacture could bc warranted to
it, Accordingly. with upturncd eyes Of holy horror
at the prisons of So. Louis. with such heaven
directed glance over the dlstillercs Of Kentucky as
kaniyel bestowed upon the elder Weller III the
Courtroom, and with il-c0uccsled disdain toward
those lluocouts Abroad who were breaking their
neoks iu hunt Tor facts, the angel of the Reform
Church iu Chicago writes:
Dir Blaine was born and reared a Roman Cath
Ole
hso happens that Mr. Blaine was not born and
Ieared Roman Catholic, but so much the worse Tor
ny Blaine. u is necessary for the advancement OF
Reform th.t he sloull Doc: accordingly he is.
Ills parents were IRISH Catholics aud decent
people
HspsToIt, were neither Irish nor Catholics and