Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1877-07-04
THAT ORDER.

i've reading to give the opinions o
the press on the order of the Presi
dent to officeholders. The following
is from the Burlington Ha,ck- Eye:
"That order has been issued. Pres
ident Hayes has decided to deprive
officeholdcrs of citizenship, and, fol-
the first time in the history of the
country, is man who is considered
by his fcllow-men as worthy and ca.
pable Of holding official place, debar.
red from exercising the political
rights that belong to every American
citizen. The Ha,ckeye does not hesi-
tate to say that greater exhibition
Of cheap demagoguery was never in
dulged in by any man living than is
shown in this last freak of the Pres
ident. After Hayes has secured the
Presidency by bringing into play
every cog known to the political
machinery of this country, he turns
about and would kick down the lad
der upon which he made his ascent.
More, President Hayes, in the select
ion of his Cabinet, took good care to
reward the men to whom he felt most
indebted-men who, their lives long,
have been known as political manag-
ers and to those who know how in
consistent the practices of the Prcsi-
dent and his Cabinet have been in the
past with the doctrines now laid
down, the whole matter, cloaked as
it is under the name of civil service
reform, is SO utterly farcical as to en-
title 1t to no respect. The order, if il
Fis obeyed, will keep out of the State
Convention next Wednesday, many
of the best aud purest men in this
statc--men who were selected by
their fellow-citizens to represent
their respective localities; and yet the
President would not only debar these
men from taking part in politics, but
he would take from the people them
selves the right to select their own
delegates to the various conventions.
Such stuff is SO absurdly absurd as to
be entitled to no manner of respect.
And it all comes with bad grace
from an administration that has itself
taken part in politics to such an cx-
tent as to deprive two states of their
legally elected Governors, and to in
flict on another, the Presidents own
state, as a United States Senator, the
worst political fraud that the present
century has produced. No govern
ment official with any kind of self
respect for himself will submit to any
such dictation, and we much mistake
the men in Iowa holding government
places if they do"
The Dubuque Times has heretofore
supported the Presidents policy in
temperate and dignificd manner, not
hesitating, however, to occasionally
crilicise, when, in its opinion, criti-
cism is deserved. 1t closes a long ar
ticle on the last order of the Presi-
dent in the following language:
The engagement of a Federal off,
Ger is to obey the law by an honest
performance of his duty; any impo-
sition beyond that is nugatory, imper-
tinent, tyrannical. Ii will not be en-
dured; it should not be endured.
The man who would accept Office on
serve the government. No man who
has just respect for his personal
right will submit to such Executive
dictation and slavery. What sort Of
"Reform" is that which nnmans a
man, and excludes him from partici-
patton in the highest prerogatives of
citizenship, even if he be public
officer, so that his official duty is not
neglected? Such a rule is but one
remove less despotic than one requir-
ing the officer to subordinate his
opinions and personal privileges to
the presidential will. The Admins
tration will go one step too far if it
issues such an order. An cncroach-
ment upon the personal liberty of any
citizen will not be tolerated even in
a President.
Speaking of tho Presidents order,
the Inter Ocean says:
"We do not think, and we hardly
should, were we the advocate of the
order, that Professor Sumner is right
in saying that this step is the "fore-
runner Of the most important new
departure in modern politics." The
learned Professor has given us proof
before that he has very small ap-
probation Of great things and very
great appreciation of small things
and we can hardly afford to trust his
opinion. The man who can look
calmly and smilingly on the disfran-
chisement of thousands of his fellow
citizens; who can see brave men shot
to death for their political sentiments
who can behold fair-haired sons and
devoted daughters riddled with mer-
ciless bullets while seeking to save
fathers life, and find nothing of i'm
portance therein; but who sees the
world turned upside down and the
political millennium at hand when
Peter McDoozer, postmaster at Nc
Doozer's Cross Roads, is forbiddento
urge farmer McMilIen for Justice of
the Peace, is hardly broad enough in
his moral sensibilities to become
an fp 0uide in pOlitical Affairs"