Daily press and Dakotaian. [volume] (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1875-1880, 1878-03-28

fend his authority IN the extent of his ability,
when legally require 30 TO do. Ifthey had
not % declared, then it wal equally bio
duty, not merely TO have withheld all the
support from Psckard's p~retense, but To
have given all the required support to the
claim Of Packard's rival. It was his duty
to have done that. not merely on the 00th
of April, but to have done It on the 4th OF
March, Immediately upon his assuming the
Office Of president. and If he found It his
constitutional duty to require Packard 10
surrender his ct1ce, he should also have
recognized the duty of s%urrenderiDg his
OWL.
| do not mean to intimate . doubt that
President Hayes was entitled to the vote OF
Louisiana. II is my settled belief that
Louisiana declared for him; but all I Ger.
tainlN know is that If Packard was not
elected, President Hayes was not. IL the
latter is moi q usurper, Nichols is. I can
see no possible escape from the conclusion
either that the president has usurped bis
own Office, or that be has aided Governor
Nichols to usu,p his;
Mr.. Howe reviewed the action of the re.
turning board at length, ridiculed the idea
that Anderson forged returns, and said
Whitaker. by the grace of Andrew John
son, was formerly assistant treasurer of the
United States at New Orleans; that as such
he was q defaulter to the government 10
the sum of more than 100000 when he
sent Anderson to prison; that Whitaker
bad been under indictment for that heavy
embezzlement, but that on the 10th Of April
last, just - Nichols took the Office which
Packard ought to have had, the indictment
against Whitaker was nolle pressed. and he
was permitted to send Anderson to the pen
itentisry. where he ought 10 be himself.
The senator spoke in the following toni
Of civil-service reform:
An eminent statesman from Kentucky
recently made q I pilgrimage to Boston IL
the interest of civil. service reform. There
In sight of that great monument which
marks the spot where immaculate vale
died for immortal truth. he dared to say
1.-The cause of reform in the hands of brav.
men will not be put down or defeated b,
the scntfs and deIision of it's enemies"
| should like to ask this apostle to Boston
ians who those enemies of reform are
against whose derision he has to encit
brave men! In spite of all the vociferou
pirate about a reform of the civil service, q,
man has formulated it, no man has defined
it. l do not know what they meal
Oy II. lue pteStueut uiu issu
an order forbidding those EN-
ployed in the civil service from acting o
political committees or political convention
Is that what it meant by reform Of the ciyi
service? If 80 the presi1en has alread
abandoned it, or ] am misinformed or,
he still believes that means reform, he
the only man in the United States who doe
believe it. That is not reform. That
tyranny-tyranny which nc predecessor
his ever attempted, and no successor vi
venture to initiate.
Once it was industriously advertised tn;
public officers should not be removed du
ing their oficia! terms without cause. A
already remarked, l believe in that rule.
have myself adhered to it, but the presidel
has fagrantly violated it. That surely cal
not be what is meant by reform of the civ
service. Latterly it has been suggested tn
the great reform consisted in making a
. pointments to Office regardless of the advi'
Of eenators and representatives, from state
and so smashing the machine" In son
conspicuous cases, the very reverse has be-
done. What the rule is upon this or al
, point touching appointments. it is not Civ
: to finite intelligence to know.