The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1882-06-01
UPRISING AGAINST BOssIsM.

Convention held at Philadelphia last
week was great success; and justified
the most sanguine expectations of the
leaders and friends of the movement.
1t seems the convention was largely
composed of new men. not the usual
party hacks composing Republican State
conventions of Pennsylvania; at least,
not the heelers and hOwlers usually
seen in the Philadelphia and Pittsburgh
delegations. Above the stage were con-
spicuOusly displayed the sentiments:
'The cause for which Garfield died must
not be lost" and ''Let us forward his
battle for true Republicanism." Below
these hung cheap chrome portrait of
the late President, and throughout the
proceedings there was a manifest effort
to make capital out of what was called
Garfield's martyrdOm to the cause of
civil service reform.
John Stewart, lawyer of Chambers
burg, was nominated for Governor; L..
B. Duff. of Allegheny, for Lieut.. Cover
nor; Merrick, for Secretary of Internal
Affairs; Col. Vim. McMichael, of Phila-
delphia, for Congressman at large, and
George Junkin, of Philadelphia, for
Supreme Judge.
Candidate Stewart was called to the
platform and received with marks of de-
light. He spoke for considerable time
declaring that, unprepared as he was
for the honor conferred upon him, he
had too much interest in the Independ-
ent movement to embarrass it with a
declinatiOn. He declared that this
movement was no conspiracy or re-
belliOn. Philadelphia was not the place
to hatch rebellion, though revolutions
had been started here. The Republican
party has fallen from its high estate,
and this movement is for it's redemption
1t had been imperilled by the refusal of
the Harrisburg Convention to assert
any higher principle than a regard for
spOils, and it is the mission of the Con-
ventiQn to rescue it from that peril. If
it must die, better let it die in heroic
effort to redeem it than perish in an
ignOminiOs struggle for spOils. The fol-
lowing are the third and fourth resOlu-
tiOns:
Third-We denOunce the system which
makes patronage" and "spOils" out of
the public offices; we denOunce the prac-
tlce OF giving them to political manag
erS for use in advancing personal pOliti-
cal ends; we denOunce the removal of
faithful and competent officers in the
absence of a public reason; we denOunce
the practice of levying assessments and
demanding contributions for party use
Il
ally and collectively the evils and cor
ruptiOn which accompany the conduct
of the Government as spOils system,
and which are inseparable from such
method of administration, and we de-
nOunce the system of "bOSs rule" and
machine control" which, when tamely
endured, makes leaders into autOcrats,
and reduces the mass of citizenship into
political bondage.
FOurth-We declare our. purpose to
take up the work which fell when Gar
field fell; we demand i'll place of the
spOils system the reformation of the
civil service by law, so that the appOin-
tive places therein may be freely open
to all fit and industrious citizens, and
removals therefrOm shall be only for
good and sufficient public causes; we
demand, instead of the prostitution of
the public service to private uses, it's
recognition as hlgh and honorable
trust, to be administered for the peoples
benefit with efficiency, economy, and
integrity; we demand, instead of the in
science, the prescription and the tyran-
ny of "bOssism" and machine" rule, the
free and conscientious exercise of priv
ate judgment in political affairs, and
the faithful discharge by those who as
sumo representative trust the expressed
will of the people.
This Independent movement is assum-
ing alarming proportions, and there is
no telling where it will end nor what it
will accomplish. 1t looks like revolu-
tion that means the overthrow of the
bosses, and death to the spOils system.