The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1878-06-26
Had Their Day.

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The remark attributed TO Gen. But
Ter at the close of his little bout with
Mt. Jacob Dalson Cox, of Ohio, to the
effect that "a certain school of Reform
ers had had their day" ETC., is worth
thinking about as a general PROPOSE
ton. In view of the fact that a dis.
tinctively and avowedly Reform AID.
ministration is now on trial for such
common aud vulgar crimes as subaraa-
ton of perjury and forgery, aud in
view also Of the fact that those crimes
form tue basis of its title to power, it
would not seem improper to ask the
question, Do Reformers reform p
Without going into tedious historical
details, We might sum up tho whole
subject by noting two leading facts:
First, that the results of a year aud a
quarter Of a "Reform Administration"
seem confined to the appointment t"
fat Offices of the intimate personal
friends Of a Fraudulent President and
his de fact0 Cabinet advisers ; and,
Second, the studied alienation of the
representatives of the people of both
parties from the person aud fortunes
of the executive.
Onthe whole; it may he said that
the career Of the Fraudulent Admins
tration since the 4tl, of March, 1867,
has been fair practical test of the
theories which persons like Mr.. Cox
have been advocating for a number of
, years. There has been every facility.
The Administration began its career
under circumstances that abs0lved 1T
from dependence upon any one politi-
cal organization. Hayes called to his
side the chief apostle and high priest
of civil service reform ESQ called) in
the person of Sehurz, and gave ont in
his inaugural that things were to he
reformed on all hands. Members OF
Congress aud Senators whom the re-
fosmets have been wont to describe rs
the great stumbling blocks in the way
of reform have certainly not impeded
Hayes much, for few of them have at
tempted to advise him, aud nobody
has sought to dictate touching ap'
pointments or other executive acts in
directions susceptible to the inroads
of reform.
And yet, in spite of all these advan.
tages, we challenge students of his
tory, American or British, ancient OF
modern, sacred or profaue, to cite such
another schedule Of miserable selec.
ton, such another run of paltry place
peddling; or such another catalogue Of
knavss, fools, bummers and %vagabondt
as may be found embodied in the ros'
ter of Hayes reform appointments
from John Sherman down to Bould'
Baker, inventor OF the Southern policy
Take John Sherman, Carl Schurz, 1n'
dex Noyes, Clerical Error Stoughton
Counsellor K%asson, aud friend of thu
family Smith to begin with, and from
them run down the whole list of thieves
and tramps-pettifoggers, spies, detec
tives, forgers, %perjurers and black
mailers whom Hayes has reformed tn
civil service with, and you have TIN
net result. We have taken some pain
to examine the list, and, though w
have noted most of these appointment
singly as they t%ranspired, we had N
idea of their real showing as an indie:
of reform until We inspected them ii
bulk. Words fail to characterize til
f civil service policy of Hayes viewed il
t this light as a symmetrical whole. ]
we were to say that the Blue Book 70
, 1873, illustrated, would constitute til
, champion rogues' gallery of the civil
, ICED world, we should employ a yer
faint and feeble simile.
=. Under such circumstances, it is o
wonder tnat the declaration that ths
school of reformers has had its da.
coming from even Ben Butler, is halle
e as an omen of deliverance BY homes
people. We have long regarded Bu'
t Ter as the embodiment of nearly every
e thing that was bad, if not base, in Pc
e ~itics; but by comparison with the II
+. forms of this Administration. Butler
n lam becomes q sweet boon, and in col
trast to Hayes, Sherman, Schurz, 10
ct al, as reformers, old Ben himse
Ionms up rs n prodigy of decency m
s 'espectatili'y. Washington Post