Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1880-08-04
CLEARFIELD, PA
JUST TWO POINTS IN ~

WEDNESDAY MORNING. AUGUST Z, 1850.
JUST TWO POINTS IN IT
The Radicals have recently fallen in
love with a speech made by that oele'
brated Civil Service Reform Cabinet
Minister, Carl Schurz, who has tied to
that equally celebrated Know Nothing
leader, Garfield. He made speech the
other day iavoring the election of the
man who has labored for over twenty
five years to disiranchise "every
damned Dutchman" in the country.
The Washington Post elaborates on
the speech in this way;
There are just two points in Mr.
Schurz's speech, and neither of them
has the merit of originality or of forci-
bic presentation He objects to Gen.
Hancock because he has not had ex.
perionce in civil offices, and he further
objects to q Democratic victory be.
cause it will put inexperienced men
into office.
1t isn't worth while to devote much
time or space to the consideration of
Mr.. Schurz's rather prosy and platitu-
dinous argument, but we will glance
at the two points into which the whole
mass is readily convertible, for all the
long talk in which he INDUCES is but
the superhuous drapery hung upon
the objections named.
The history of our own country and
of foreign nations, shows that success
ful military men are quite as likely as
any other class to prove good execu.
tive officers. We know that Wash.
ington and Jackson have not been sur
passed in administrative ability by any
of the statesmen who have filled the
highest Office in this Republic. Our
Republican friends are sure that Gen.
Grant was a good President. We may
not think so, In fact we don't by
long odds, but they, while claiming
great credit for him as an able Chief
Magistrate, must admit that he had no
previous training in Statecrait-that
he was a soldier and nothing more.
We refer the Republican objector
to Gen. Hancock's inexperience to MIR.
Lincoln. He had not been trained IN
craftsmanship. He was utterly un.
used to the ways of politicians. But
was nominated over the heads of the
great statesmen OF his party, and we
don't suppose there is any man who
doubts that his administration was as
successful us would have been the ad.
ministration of Seward or any other
of the leading Republican politicians
and statesmen OF that day. The sim,
pie truth is that strong common sense
a thorough knowledge Of human ma
ture and firm purpose to do right are
the principal requirements for success
in the Presidential Office.
But General Hancock has showr
that he is statesman as well as {
soldier He has given the most con
vincing proof Of craftsmanship 10 The
best sense of that much abused term
There was the true ring of statesman
ship in his declaration that "the righ
of trial by jury, the habeas corpus tn,
liberty Of the press, the freedom o
speech, the natural rights of personI
and the rights Of property must b,
preserved. Power may destroy th,
forms, but not the principles OF jus
tice; these will live in spite even o
the sword"
As to the objection that q Demo
cratic victory will put new men into
good many civil Offices, we care to sa,
but little. The general feeling OF tn
country is that it is high time for jus
such a change. Mr.. Schurz is not ig
norant Of the fact that most Of tn
present incumbents are merely th
small politicians, who are the hench
men or strikers of more influential Re
publicans. Mr.. Schurz ought to know
that they were not selected with an,
, reference to the fitness for their respec
tive duties, and that, when discharge
have been made, the competent hav
been quite as likely as the incompC
tent to go out, He ought to know
and doubtless does know, that but
small proportion Of all the depart
mental officials are as well qualiie
for their places as thousands Of me
who have vainly applied for appoint
ment.
II Mr.. Schurz were in Germany hi
idea Of perpetuity in Office might b
popular. That sort of thing is bette
: adapted to Europe than in the Unite,
States. We want no Official families
, no privileged clases, no bars or fence
to keep deserving persons from tn
public service. 1t would be unpleat
ant to the present incumbents, we ad
init, to have change Of administrG
u tion. They would be compelled-o
many of them would-to step out an
give others chance. But, in tn
light of experience, the country col
templates such change withou
terror.
| AN AMATEUR HUMORIST.
Gen. Chester A. Arthur has abb
supplemented the well.developod ol,
pcrpetrated by the Chicago Convei
ttnn "a, tka not 90 he .n,n,.us,,,, a.,