Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1882-06-28

D the private citizen who has nothin,
! but his general concern for good gov
: ernment to incite him, remains in polit
ical inactivity, or if he interfere at all
| regarded as disturber of the party
peace. Cheers
PENNsYLvANIA's CURSE
So long has this system prevailed in
Pennsylvania, and so mercilessly has
it been enforced, that every source and
avenue of power is contaminated or
polluted. What ought to be o field OF
generous rivalry and laudable ambi.
; ton, has become market place, where
independence and manhood are openly
exchanged for political preferment.
Men have come to understand full well
that here in Pennsylvania there is but
one door through which they can enter
the political arena; there is but one
ladder on which they can mount TO
political distinction. Except as they
acknowledge fealSy to the reigning
house, and commit themselves to its
support, except as they surrender their
independence and degrade their man.
hood, they ale excluded from public
life by a prescription as relentless as
fate. Character is of no avail against;
ability and superior Fl less cannot re.
sist IL; popular favor cannot even turn
it aside.
And so it is, that the subordinate
| places 10 the Government are filled by
political serfs, and places of a higher
distinction by political dependents. The
one element of manly independence is
eliminated entirely fom your civil SER
vice, and for it is substituted servility
to political Boss. Such q system not
only destroys the virtue and life of q
party, but is utterly demoralizing to
the people and slbversive of the theory
and principles upon which our Govern
ment operates; it is in itself threaten
| ing danger to the security and stability
of our institutio The great body of
Republican voteis-and | distinguish
between them and the organized power
of the party-quick to detect and recog-
nize the sources of tbe public danger,
appreciating the enormity of the abuse
and its power for evil, are anxious for
its correction. 1t is aod has been with
them, a conviction, not expressed, how
ever, in written creed, thst public Of
fees should be public trusts and ad-
ministered for the benefit of the people
and not for personal ends. 1t is and
has been an article of faith with them,
as though it had been formulated in
every platform of the party. But be-
cause of the controlling power of the
Bosses over the party organization, its
energies have not been di- ected toward
its practical application and enforce
ment, much as the people so desired,
but rather towards the strengthening
and upholding of the very system it
antagonizes. Bot, meanwhile, convic-
ton in mems minds was deepening,
while the abuses were growing, aud
what had been regarded es sentiment
Was taking shape as a settled and de-
termined purpose to destroy the sys
tenn which nurtu"ed and sustained these
abuses. The receor Harrisburg Con-
vention, seeing that he patience of TIE
people was being exhausted, and yield
ing, to the exigencies of the hour, made
public confession of the sins of the
party in this regard.
TAKETaE CLATFoRM
adopted by that convention, if you
please. and read it carefully. 1t admits
not onlv the existence of these evil
methods a1G abuses, bet acknowledges
their Ola 1gerous tendencies and con-
seouencies by decla ing agaiost them
in most emphatic language, as The
sense of the Eepublican party. 1t
condemns the use OF patronage to pro-
mole personal polit' al ends, and The
removal of competent officials except
for public cause. These be brave
words and highly virtuons sediments.
lTLGuehter. Here we have PLATO,
uueouivocal actaowl dg.a'ent of the
evils of which The people complain,
and which are debasing cur politics
and degrading us as State, aud here
we have promise and nledge that
these evils a. 10 be removed by the
Republican party Had that promise
and pledge been made Tor the hope aud
not for lbe ear only hau tley ca. red
with them assurances Of aDG honest
purpose 10 keep and not TO break them:
had they been p -omp;eG by an earnest
solictude for the public good, and not
suggested as political ick to deceive
the con6ding and unwarv; in word,
bad thai convention given US an earnest
of its pu pose 10 desgov and over
throw The abu es against which IL
harmlesely declamod, there would
have ueen no division in Republican
,auks to-day; bot we would have
been o united aud aggressive party,
% essen .ing au uoHoken fro0t TO COM
mon adversary.
This leads me to say, and L say it
because the fac,s in my deliberate
Judgment wa;Iant The assertion, that
lhe deliverauce Of that convention, so
far as il relates 20 a reform in the civil
service aud the colIec ion OF patty
abuses, is q cheat aud a i,aud, a
delusion ard snale II means moth
ing, Gao accomplish nothing, and is as
idle as "a painted ship upon painted
ocear.' If am misiakeu in this, then
am | bear without cause. l appeal
to your better judgment, and The
Judgment of the people oftbe State. L
would have you read 'his platform in
the light of events which had already
t,ausnired, in the Light of eveuts which
subsequently, occurred, aud in he added
light furnished by the convention itself.
The hopes of a natlon b u been sorely
disappointed in The tragic end ofa below
ed Pres; deot, cruelty slain by spoils-
man His successor in Office, familiar
as he himself admits with practical
politics. ooly, anG baviog no sympathy
whatever with political reform, had