The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1877-08-02
HAYES DEFENDED BY A DEMOCRAT,
The A. B. G. Of Civil Service Reform =
New Light on Mr.. Hayes's Policy
Is IL Civil Service Reforms 2

means civil service reformY Clearly the
improvement of the civil service. The
question, therefore, is simply, Has Mr.
Hayes improved our civil serviceP Not
whether he may or shall, or will not
whether he means to; not whether he is
right or wrong, sincere or insincere, pat
,riotic or hypocritical in his professed de-
sire, but simply, Has Mr. Hayes improved
our civil service2
A Republican Of considerable intelli-
gence, as we'll as influence, told me
within the last hour that Mr., Hayes was
determined to and would ruin the Re-
publican party by his "policy" of re-
forming the civil service. This question,
therefore, is plainly, will Mr.. Hayes ruin
the Republican party2 OF course, as
Republican leaders assert that this ruin
will result from the reform" we can
assume the assertion to be false If it is
shown that there is not only no real re-
form, but, practically, scarcely change
in our civil service, so far as principles
or measures are concerned, from the
former regime.
And this I mean to show, And thus |
mean to defend Mr.. Hayes from the
charges of violent Republicans. Surely
he cannot seek the ruin of his party, if,
in the main, the civil service is exactly
as it was under Grant.
Now for.facts. Where has Mr.. Hayes
improved the civil service? Let me first
speak of my own city and State, and of
my own, actual knowledge.
Mr.. Hayes has not removed single
official in st. Louis, or in Missouri, who
was appointed By Grant, He has not
made the slightest change. Everything
is exactly as it was during the days of
Grant. The Postmaster of st. Louis
owns the whole organization or machine
of the party as in fee simple. This Post
masters name is Filley. Filley is a
member of the Republican National Ex.
ecutive Committee has enough village
postmasters in the State Committee to be
its absolute "boss;" has enough en-
ployees of the Post Office in the local
committee to have absolute control of
the city organization in st. Louis, where
scarcely any nomination can be made
without his assent. Now, do you think
this is magnihed ? assure you it is rather
short of the truth. Nor have the least
feeling against Mr.. Filley. On the con-
trary, believe him to make an efficient
Postmaster. But to illustrate Mr.
Hayes's idea of reforming the civil SER
vice it is perfectly proper to state facts
and truths, and it is an undeniable truth
that in all the United States there is not
Post Office more thoroughly prostituted
for partisan service than the one in st.
Louis. not Postmaster who is more
energetic, skillful, and practical engineer
of machine politics than Mr.. Filley, nor
a person who wields more compact
control of the whole party machine of
his own State than this same Postmaster.
Numerous striking examples could be
furnished if they were necessary, but l
con6ne myself to one, and select this on
account OF the humorous light 1t casts
upon machine politics, and because it
deserves to be generally known.
When, about year ago, the time ap-
preached for the election of delegates to
the Cincinnati Convention, Republican
sentiment in Missouri was divided be-
tween Blaine and Bristow, with large
majority in favor of the former In the
whole State there was but one person
known to be in favor of Mr.. Morton's
nomination, and that was Mr.. Postmaster
Filley. The two most influential and
conspicuous Republican leaders in the
State were Gen. John b. Henderson and
G. A. FUkeAbnrg They had been,
successfully the parly's last two candi.
dates for Governor; they are even by
Democrats esteemed for their high
honor and pure character. Gen. Hen.
derson had served with great distinction
in the Senate of the United States fer
nearly ten years, and deliberately threw
away another term of six years rather
than vote against his independent con-
viction in the johnson impeachment
Mr.. FinkenbuIg, though still a young
man, served four years in Congress,
could have been reelected as often as he
pleased, but declined, and is by far the
strongest German in his party and in his
State. Gen. Henderson is doubtless the
ablest of all the public men in Missouri,
and, but for the lack of opportunity
would be nationally known as a great
man Mr.. Finkelnburg has, in point of
purity of character, no superior in our
State. These leaders were, repeat di-
vided between Blaine and Bristow, and
30 were all the politicians, and go were
all the rank and file of the party in the
State, and 30 were all the Republican
papers in St. Louis. But though divided
as to their first choice, they were all OPP
posed to Morton, Nobody was for Mr..
Morton except Mr.. Filley, and, of course,
his Post Office brigade. Yet, when the
primaries were held, the Post Office
crowd, under Mr.. Filley's generalship,
succeeded in packing every single meet.
ing, and Mr.. Filley triumphantly tele-
graphed to Mr.. Morton that "his dele
gates" had carried every ward in st.
Louisl And this was done; mark you,
against the vigorous warning of all the
Republican papers, and against the most
Overwhelming Republican sentiment in
favor of Blaine and Brstow. And when
the Republican State Convention as
sembled, Mr.. Filley openly assumed the
command, and his letter carriers and viii
lage postmasters voted down the name
of Mr.. Finkelnburg as a delegate from
his own district, defeated tie election of
Gen. Henderson as delegate at large,
and secured the election of delegation
favorable to Morton. Then Filley put
himself boldly at its head, and went to
Cincinnati to assist finally in the nomi-
nation of Mr., Hayes.
Yet, when this same Mr.. Filley, be.
lieving that Mr.. Hayes means what he
says. tenders his resignation as a men,
Der of the Republican National Com
mittee, Mr. Hayes orders his assistant
Secretary of the Treasury, who is a
member of the same committee, not to
accept it. Yet when nearly every re-.
spectacle Republican In st. Louis, and
the leading Republican papers demand
a change in the Post Office, when Mr..
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