Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1884-08-16
President Whites Reasons.
CrvrL SERVICE REFORM CANNOT BE TRUSTED
TO DEMOCRATIC HANDS.

President White of Cornell University has
addressed letter to the Hon. Theodore
Roosevelt. giving his reasons for supporting
Mr. Blaine for the Presidency. Civil service
reform he CARDS as the paramount issue of
the campaign, and, whatever may be said of
Gov. Cleveland in this regard, MIR. White is
sure that the democratic party cannot be
trusted. He continues:
What on the other hand. are the chances
OF the reform from the republican party?
Despite many sins and shortcomings, it has
already done much and is certain to do more.
The platform and candidate are at last COM
mitted fully and unrrservedy to the right
side of the question. While the democratic
national convention gave to its nominee no
civil service plank to stand upon. the repub-
lican party gave its nominee, on this question,
the soundest plank of the whole platform-a
plank hewn out by the honored leader of the
rtform in our own State and fitted in by a
leader of the same sort from the State
of Massachusetts. Better than this, the re-
publican candidate has not only accepted it,
but agreed to more than the boldest of us
dared ask. In the light of his experience a.
Secretary of State, he has virtually pledged
! himself to labor for the extension of the sys-
| TEN into the consular and diplomatic service
| If he be elected we shall have the right to in
/ >i.t-aud | fully believe we may rely-upOn
| the extension of the system to these most inn
| portant branches of the public service. so
! that though our national servants abroad in
various grades may know less of wirepulLing
! than at present, they will know more of those
things absolutely essential to any proper rep
/ resentation of American interests in the
countries to which they are accredited; in
| short. that new and grand career will be
J phaupI IN tho hrio and host M n
in the country, which has long been virtually
closed to them and largely used for pension
ing off decaying politicians, This position of
/ the republican platform thus distinct and de-
Cided. and this alone, determines my vote
If it be said that Mr.. Blaine did not form
erly support the reform, | answer that very
few of US supported it or even understood it
a few wears ago. If it be said that he has
used the old methods. | answer, so have all
leaders of both parties who have been promi-
nent in national affairs Whatever men have
said of him they have never charged him with
want of shrewdness or quickness in ascertain
ing the current of public opinion or with
Bourbon inability to forget outworn methods.
His letter of acceptance shows that he recog-
nizes the new element which, if it be not re-
gsrded will leave the party in a hopeless mi
nority in some of the more important States.
He has learned by this time that there are in
the State of New York alone some ~ 600
school districts. and that in almost every one
of them there is small number, and in some
a large number. of men to whom this Ques-
ton has become paramount, who have against
the spoils system something of that bitter
hatred which in the old days was felt against
slavery, and which used to be called ia
natiCsm." He knows how that old feel
ing developed, and he can easily see how
this new feeling will develop. But it may be
said that the democratic party also has learned
something Doubtless it has learned some
thing on questions already decided; but not
on this all-important question of a reform in
civil service. The trouble with the demo-
cratic party for the last forty years has been
that it has never seen any great question until
the country, thanks to the republican party
had got past it. The only source from which
the democratic party has learned anything
during all these years has been republican
victories, On slavery, the war, reconstruc.
ton, finance. the currency, education in the
South-on every great questionable republi-
can party has had to educate the democratic
party by republican victory. And so it must
be now in the civil service question. Doubt
less, after the republican party has fully de-
veloped it and carried il to triumph, the
democratic party will accept it; but never
until then. To teach the democratic party
that civil service reform means snythiag a
national victory of the republican party on its
present platform is an absolute necessity.