Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1880-08-05

q
nal genius to the utmost Of his capacity but
what will become Of one who Is unaided ey-
| en- by the least experience Of political life,
and has nothing but his inner consciousness
| to measure the value of the arguments and
| pretcnces which are dinned into his ears and
| the character of the interests that besiege
him with their urgency for immediate action3
WHAT Is TO BE EXPECTED FROM DEMO
CRATIC VICTORY.
Let us see now what, in view Of all this,
we have right to expect from Democratic
victory. Is it the maintenance of our pub
lie faith9 While there are prominent oppo-
nents of reputation in the Democratic par
ty, it is a notorious fact that all the elements
hostile to the constitutional discharge Of our
national obligations have also gathered un-
der the same banner. Nearly all, If not all
the States that have repudiated or speak Of
repudiating their own debts, are Democratic
States, with heavy democratic majorities,
furnishing Democratic electoral votes and
| Congressman. Who will tell me that it is
certain they will be more conscientious with
regard to the national debt than they showed
themselves with regard to their own? Have
we right to expect sound financial policy?
While thers are many good, sound money
men in the Democratic party,it is equally well
known that the Democratic party has ire
sistably attracted to its fold a very large ma
jority of the Greenbackers, inhationists and
hat-money men. 1t has, indeed. in its ma
tional platforms OF late declared for sound
money but in 1876, while it pronounced for
resumption, il demanded at the same sine
the repeal of the resumption law. 1 ask what
would have become of resumption had the
| p,,t,., Ia, lal IT.,
| thus speaking of sound money in their ma
,ional platforms is it not equally true in
| large number Of the States the most PROM
inent iniationists are put forward for the
| highest honors followed BY the masses of
their party' SO General Ewing in Ohio, so
General Butler in Massachusetts, so Mr.
! landers in Indiana; while in Maine Demo
Gratis and Greenbaekers fuse in cordial EN-
brace and while in many of the Western
and most Of the Southern States the Demo
Gratis almost EN- masse represent unsound f.
nancial ideas. Is 1t not true. that TO the very
last resumption was opposed in Congress by
| Democratic Congressman? WHY, when Gen
eral Hancock was nominated the attraction
| for the Greenbackers seemed TO be so strong
that the venerable Peter Cooper and Gen.
Sam Carey Of Ohio were among the first to
| pay to him their devotion and wish him sue
cess.
| Now can anybody foretell what will hap
| pen in these repects in case Of Democratic
| victory? In fact. We do not know whether
the advocates of the public faith or the repu-
| dlationists, whether the hard money men or
the indationists, are the strongest element
in the Democratic party throughout the
| country. and which of those elements will
control its policy. appeal to YOU, business
men, am | going too far in saying that all
this is dark, and that in voting the Demo
cratic ticket YOU will take gambling chance
and that chance being rather against you?
/ Are you prepared tax PAYERS of the country,
10 take that gambling chance under such cir
| cumstances2
/ HOW TnE DEMOCRACY Would REFORM THE
| CIyIL SERVICE.
| But one thing is certain, that the Demo
| cratic party, in its fashion, will reform the
/ civil service. That il will certainly do; il
will do It according to an old Democratic
I principle, Ito the yictors belong the spoils."
] hat principle Is of Democratic origin, and
| the Democratic party has adhered to il with
a fidelity worthy of the best cause Other
| parties were infected by it, but the Demo
/ cratic party may claim the glory of its pater-
mty and OF It's most unswerying dyocacy.
/ II may abandon any other principle. but not
\ that. II there ever vas Democrat. either
at the head Of the organization or in the
ranks, who has proved recreant to that
I great doctrine, and made proclamation of
! his opposition TO it, do not know his name
1t Is so closely interwoven with the tradi-
tionS of that party that | doubt very much
whether 1t could be abandoned without de-
Stroying the pavty's existence. That grea.
word, the cohesive power Of public plum
+ der, had its first and most pointed applica-
/ ton To the Democracy. And, indeed, when
I We look at Its heterogeneous elements to-
/ day, 1t N not easy TO imagine any other CO.
hcsNe power which could hold them to-
gcther. II General Hancock, or any other
leader, should signify his intention to aban-
don It, every Democrat in the land would
receive the news with an nonical smile, and
simply say that that leader knew a trick or
two. If such an intention were declared,
and the declaration believed, il is not un-
likely that their hosts would disband at
once, When the Democracy, therefore,
/ speaks of a reform Of the civil service, the
meaning OF that term, in the light of his
tory and OF the tendencies at present pre-
raII!ng, can be nothing else than that the
reform shall consist in putting out all the
Republicans and putting all Democrats in
their places. What a reform that would be-
How the North and South would shake
hands over the bloody chasm filed with such
good things What a host Of men would
be marching upon the capital from all quar-
tiers of the compass, each one feeling that
he IS born to serve the public. and that the
Government cannot get on without him II
is said that at the present moment, when
I H. llpmArFaFy f.sl. ,F
as 1t always does, the most popular work Of
literature with Democrats. even with those
who never read book before, is the blue
Book, beng the register of Offices under
the Government with salaries attached,
each active Democrat selecting his, and
many the same.
TIE Effect UPON THE SERVICE OF AN IN
DISCRIMINATE SCRAMBLE FOR OFFICE.
Now let Us see what that sort of a Demo
cratic reform in the civil service really
means and what its effect would be Look
at the present condition Of the service
have all ready admitted that the reform Of
1t has not gone so far as was intended and
was desirable but may say also that more
has been accomplished than is generally
known and believed. repeat, it is an al
most universally acknow ledged fact that at
present the public business is, on the whole,
well and honestly conducted in the Govern
ment offices. The revenues are collected
with remarkable fidelity, and never in the
history Of the country has the loss in their
collection been as small as now. In some
OF its branches it has almost entirely disap-
peared. The postal service is acknowledged
TO be more than ever ably, honestly and
efficiently done. Even in those branches Of
the public service which more than others
have almost from the beginning of the Gov
ernment borne the reputation of being inef,
hclent and corrupt, such as the land and es.
pecsally the Indian service, cases Of pecula
ton and roguery have become comparatively
rare, and the general inefticiency of officers
Is very much improved and speak of this
with assurance for the reason that am con-
versant with the details, How has this
been brought about?
In the first place, officers of all grades
were made to understand that dishonesty of
whatever kind or degree would under no
n ka