The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1878-10-17

:
My DEAR SIR--In this day Of much
printing il is almost impossible to have
ones opinions or motives correctly rep
sesensed. Isuppose it is because mis-
representation is SO easy. have never
cas-; any "slllrs on the President" l
have never expressed any bitterness
towards Mr.. Hayes" because l have
iieser felt any. / Ihayeneyer complained
or INDUCED in pique because MI. Hayes
did not appoint persons to office who
were recommended by me. have never
recommended any. / have endorsed
aome applicants as qualified, and have
greatly desired to see. the civil service
improved especially in the South. Il
trust no man who knows me needs to be
assured that, in the discharge OF my
public duties, I am incapable of being
Influenced by personal pique and dis.
appointments. With me all personal
feelings and relations, whether of friend
ship or otherwise, are subordinated TO
: fhe public good. But I should be very
,;ncandid If did not confess that |
isays been most <grievously disappointed
in Sfr. Hayes and his administration.
Z If my grievances were only personal, the
world would never suspect it IN my OH.
scial conduct and opinions. 1t is because
nv y;grie,fsnce relates only to our Ma
ticnal character and the public veal that
II make known It's existence, and Will
proceed to get forth briefly the reasons
for il.
u believe that what is known as our
stciyil service as it now exists, and has
long existed, is q crime against popular
Z government and civilization. | believe
st has been The chief cause of many trou.
bles and corruptions in: the past, and, II
not thoroughly reformed, will surely un-
dermine. and destroy our free institu-
tions. I viii not stop here to discuss
the grounds of this belief. They have
been long and we'll considered, and have
produced absolute conviction. / always
did abhor that old party slogan, ITO
the victor belongs the spoils." 1t was
never suited to any but bandits and
Splunderers, and was always disgraceful
Z to men claiming to be patriots and
statesmen. It reduces the science OF
government to the stricks of gamblers,
the hypocrisy of demagogues, and the
s46lt VS. of rufhans. I heard Mr. Hayes
fnen. lin his inaugural address, ne an
nounced his policy, or rather his pur,
pose Of civil service reform. To say l
was pleased, would feebly express the
truth. In spite of my conviction that
5 he.was not elected by the people, but
sowed4his Office to unmitigated frauds for
which !. believed ne was not responsible,
IfeIt willing to b1ry this last and great
est wrong with the many that had pre-
sceded it. and for which all sides were
more OF less responsible, and unite my
humble efforts in support of q policy
1 which, in my judgment, promised escape
: to our whole country from all such
wrongs in the future.
What is spoken Of as Mr.. Hayes
Z Southern policy Was of far less signitl-
z canoe. This Southern policy was
necessity of the situation. Mr.. Hayes
Z had no power to avoid it. The end Of
carpet bag plundering In the South and
! disgrace to the Nation had come by
events. Even General Grant saw that
Z the army could no longer be used to set
tie contested elections i'll the States,
and maintain robbers in power. But
with our corrupt and ever corrupting
eiyil service the situation was different.
This evil had its origin before the war.
Ire had grown up under the nurture OF
the leaders of parties. 1t had pushed
its brazen supporters and beneticlarlesa
10 the front seats ,,f authority. 1t had
grown and strengthened with every
Z year, and seemed to have entrenched
Itself impregnably during General
Grants administration. When, there
fore, in the very day of its insolent
power, in the very midst of its pampered
courtiers, and on the very field of It's
greatest sway, Mr.. Hayes announced in
clear and unfaltering voice his purpose
to strangle this hydra of many heads,
he seemed to exhibit the courage, manli-
ness and patriotism of one worthy to be
President. This exhibition gave me
high hopes of the man, and dseveral early,
free and frank interviews which l felt
encouraged to seek vita him greatly
strengthened and encouraged these
hopes.
Now, my friend, it is the utter and
sickening disappointment which these
hopes have experienced, and nothing
else, which has forced from me the few
words to which you allude, and which
have been falsely construed by Repub-
J. .liean papers to express personal bitter
ness and hostility on my part toward
Mr.. Hayes. In my opinion, Mr.. Hayes
has utterly failed to unprecedented,
has strangely thrown away-an oppor-
tunity to make for himself name
worthy to be enrolled with that of
: Washington, because that opportunity
improved would have conferred on his
country benefit quite equal to any
conferred by Washington himself. He
has failed because he has shown himself
utterly unequal to his opportunity. He
has shown himself unequal in that he
has utterly failed to realize that the
Chief Magistrate of great country has
no personal friends, no personal ene-
mics, and owes no personal obligations,
but is under obligations only to his
country, and to that country's honor,
glory, prosperity, Constitution and laws.
he has thrown away his opportunity to
honor himself and even his country by
Recognizing an obligations to reward
those who by frauds most disgraceful to
their, country gave him this opportunity.
: He has thrown away the grandest op-
portunity ever given to 6 man, only that
he might give Offices and rewards to as
worthless set of rapscallions as ever
disgraced humanity. A man may be-
come President by reason of crime,
and yet himself not be tainted or even
culpable. Twice, in our history, have
men become Presidents by reasons
of crime. Andrew johnson became
President by reason of wicked and foul
assassination. Mr.. Hayes became Pres
ident by reason of q wicked and foul
conspiracy to change, and which did
change, the ballots Of the people after
those ballots had been cast. Yet each
became President through the forms of
tho Constitution and laws.