The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1882-12-26
democratic frankne>s Touching Re-



WHEN the time came take to up the Civ.
II Service Reform bill In the Senate, six.
teen SenaloB-eyery one OF them Demo.
cnt-voted against giving the bill consld.
Grafton. Since then Democratic Senators
have been giving the country their indi.
vIdual ideas on Civil Service Reform as a
practical proposition. We have had Sen.
a,or Voorhees, idea. Senator Brown has
delivered himself-"To the victor belong
the spoils," and he wouldn't consent to
have It any other way. Now Senator
Williams, Of Kentucky, lays down his
Democratic Civil Service platform with
great distinctness. Here are some gems OF
reform thought culled from his speech:
The bill does not amount 10 hill Of beans.
II does not cover half the sore.
/. is only Que little step in the wrong di.
rection.
It might bother US little In coming In,
aud don't want to put any thing In the way.
How many votes do you thin k Democrat
would get II he went back to his State and
said that be had voted for measure that
would keep the Democrats out Of Office and
would keep Republicans In? He would not
get d vote, and he would not deserve to.
The only reform that Is proper and possible
Is total change OF men and measures-a
change from top 10 bottom. Let them all 70.
They have been In long enough. There Is
nothing OH earth that curupts men like pos
session OF power.
1t IL nonsense-the whole thing
The elections were not 50 much u Demo-
cratic victory as they were Republican de.
feat.
The people are not In love with the Dem.
ocraS and they are disguised with the Re-
pnblicaus.
The Democrats will come into power, II
they are prudent, in 1854. We must not
put distractions in the way Of cleaning out
this whole thing. l AM for clean sweep. |
uIn for house cleaning from garrett to cellar.
| am for cleaning out the old rats in fhe
Treasury who. know, where the choicest
cheeses are and where the best hiding places
arr.
The water must he turned on, and the
Democratic President must take big broom
and clear the whole platter. That is practi.
cal sense. That Is necessity. | believe
every word of II.
There is in these declarations the merit
Of frankness. Everybody can understand
them and whoever is looking for this
kind Of a platform will know where to find
it. In justice to Senator Williams and Sen.
ator Brown and other eminent Democrats
Of their way Of thinking it should be said
that their idea OF civil service reform is the
one that will be hurrahed for by every
Democratic oilice-seeker in the land. In a
national convention made up OF such ma
terial the lurid lightning would be playing
all around these crab reformes.
But these Senators do not stand alone.
The mails are burdened with letters OF
rommendation, in which they are urged to
keep it up and pave the way for general
cleaning out Of Republicans. Democratic
newspapers-notably the Cincinnati En-.
qnirer-agree with the anti reform Sena.
tors and exhort them to stand BY the
Democratic "spoils' doctrine. Democratic
newspapers which prefer to keep up SEM
blance oil the late reform ferror are now un-
able to see in any proposition yet made
the promise OF real reform. They are
working for the same end-a grand Demo-
cratic entry into the promised land OF
government Office.
A week ago Democratic Congressional
Convention was held in Bellaire. The
chairman and the nominee took the
"spoils' stand decorated with little dra.
perry which concealed nothing Of the real
design, and the convention was pleased to
confess itself tickled with the general
scheme Of reforming Republicans out and
Democrats in. The whole Democratic drift
is in this direction-"a total change Of men
and measures" with special emphasis on
men. The party would, We suspect, be
willing to make dicker which would give
the Republicans the measures and to its
grand old hypocritical sell the men.
Civil Service Reform is one Of the ques-
lions OF the day. Men and parties are
making records on it. 1t is profitable to
keep pace with their several promises and
performances.