Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1882-07-06
3entIeman Geotge on a High Hoe.

Gentleman George OF a High Horse.
When Senator George II. Pendleton
gets an opportunity to bestride high
horse he never, fails to take advantage
of it, and on Such occasions he manages
to call upon himself the attention OF the
whole country. He is never fully him
self unless he is on hobby or in search
of one, and as it takes but few weeks
to ride to death. he spends large part
of his time in seeking some new hobby
upon which he can exhibit lis daring
feats. Gentleman Georges last hobby
is civil service reform. lie cares Just
about as much about the condition of
our civil service as horse cares about
crib at which he expects some time to
feed, but he speaks Of the subject in the
very loftiest terms of reverentiaI re-
spect. He pr0fesses to be profoundly
indignant because Republican political
managers have issued circular to Fed
eral office-holders, inviting them to
make voluntary contribution to the
campaign funds to be used by Republi-
cans to secure the defeat of the bogus
Democracy. No one ever heard Gentle
man George complain of this practice
in his own party. Under the last Dem
ocratic administration the department
clerks were all called upon to contrib
ute to the Democratic campaign fund,
and they were all compelled to give a
stipulated sum or to walk the plank
The money was Withdrawn from the
treasury in lump and deducted from
their salaries. The President himself
held consultations, even On the Sabbath,
with high Government officials as to the
best methods of raising a large campaign
fund. Under the odious doctrine Of
Andrew Jackson and William Marcy
ito the victors belong the spoils"-the
Democracy looked upon the official sal
aries as mere spoils, and they demanded
every emplOye to give certain percent
age of the spoils to the party. To-day,
whenever the Bourbon organization is
in power it leyies assessments upon its
oflice-holders. Take New York City, for
example, with It's Democratic cam
paigns. maintained lcJm the assess
ments levied upon an army of munich
pal oliice-holders. Or, suppose we revert
to the period of Boss Tweed, when the
city treasury was robbed by a horde of
Democratic thieves who contributed a
fraction of their stealings to support
their party. Gentleman George should
refer to these little occurrences in his
own ranks, where reform of every kind
is more needed than in the Republican
party.
1t is not the province of any Demo
cratic Senator to teach political morality
to the Republican party. His missionary
work can be more appropriately given
to his own ranks. But Gentleman
George can do no more harm in riding a
hobby now than he did in the past when
he paraded SO conspicuously before the
public. In 1864 his hobby was that the
great war of the rebellion Was failure,
and he rode it half to death within six
months of the time the struggle was
brought to successful and glorious
close. He mounted an anti-Greenbaek
hobby, and. after being unhorsed, with
the versatility of the most daring bare
back rider. he threw himself upon an
other hobby and appeared before the
country as young Greenbacks" aspiring
for the Presidential nomination. Thus
he pTanced around the
country few mcnths, when he was
again tossed to the earth, where he lay
painting for breath until 1859. Then he
assumed the role of a penitent, and ap-
peared before the people of Ohio as IL
candidate for Governor, mounted upon
the hobby of repentance and asking that
his past record be forgotten. The count
Of the vote attested that the people were
willing to forget both him and his rec
ord if he would only hold his peace. But
this he would not or could not do. He
lisported himself before the public in
various guises, as anti-silver man, an
inti-reSumptionist, and finally he COMES
)ut as the self-styled champion of civil
service reform. In what capacity he
will next appear no one knows, not even
himself. But the Republican party will
move on in the even tenor of its way.
It will not make the payment of assess
nents CONF u'sory, as it has never been
is policy to do so. But few of the gov
,rnment employees contribute and none
ire compelled to. 0ut of over 100000
invited to contribute in 1880 but 11,514
responses were received, and
10 emplOye was ever discharged for not
1t is entirely optional
With them to contribute to the campaign
und or not, and this is as it should be,
-GCleyelapd Leader.