The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-08-12
AN 1NsrNoERE ORATOR.
region.

In his last great speech ($20O and expenses,
delivered in Brooklyn, last week, Carl Schurz,
speaking of the outcome of possible Demo
cratic success in this campaign, said:
'There was time when such transfer Of
power appeared to involve great danger. That
was the time of the civil war, Of supreme ma
tional peril. That time lies twenty years be-
hind us. What long. uninter-
rupted period of party ascendency may accom-
plish we have already learned by painful ex
perienee / go further, and affirm the very
notion that there is only one political party
capable of carrying on the government, or that
there Is only one party that can be trusted
with it, will, in the long run, become seriously
dangerous to free institutions. A republic in
which this assumption is practically main
tanned will be republic only In name.
There must be, therefore, in the very nature
of Republican government occasionally a
change from one party to another
But Carl Sehurz of to-day is not the Carl
Schurz of the last campaign. just four years
ago, in this very city Of indianapolis, Carl
Scnurz spoke on this identical topic AT that
time he said:
1T is an almost universally acknowledged
the whole, well and honestly conducted in the
government Offices. Now, substitute for this
the Democratic reform, making clean sweep
according to the old spoils system, and what
will you haveY Hundreds Of thousands Of
politicians, great and small, but all hungry,
rushing for seventy or eighty thousand places,
backed and pressed by every Democratic con-
gresham and every Democratic committee in
the land. This impetuous rush must be sat-
1E.o L
make the best of their time, and, in this case
as well as others, time is money. 1t is use
less to disguise it; the masses Of ofice-seekers
starved for twenty years, will not be turned
back as long as there is a mouthful on the Ia
Bile. Seventy or eighty thousand officers, Sc
lected at random from that multitude of raw
enous applicants, will be put into places held
now mostly by men Of tried capacity and ex-
pelience. They must be taken at random,
for it is impossible to fill so large a number Of
places in so short time as the furious de-
mand will permit in any other way. Need
tell any sensible man what the effect upon the
conduct Of the public business will be? 1t
will be the disorganization of the whole adj
ministrative machinery of the government at
one fell blow"
Warming up to his theme, he continued:
Need tell the taxpayers what such an ex-
pertinent will COST Suppose, after success
of the Democratic party in presidential
election, all the Offices high and low, in all
the banks and savings institutions Of the
country, were to be filled suddenly with Dem
ocratic politicians upon the recommendation
OF Democratic congressman and campaign
committees, what would the stockholders and
the depositors think Of the safety of their
money! And yet the interests involved in
the banks are certainly by no means greater
than the interests involved in the conduct of
the great government of the United States.
do not think this is putting the case too
strongly, and invite the business men of the
country and the ax-payers generally to con
slider it well before they cast their votes
We appeal from Carl Schurz drunk on Dem
ocratic liquor, to Carl Schurz sober If what
he said was true four years ago was true then,
it is true now. Thinking people will be of
opinion that the rush Of $1,000 hungry Dem
ocrats" [Schurz, 1880, could but be disas-
trous. That there would be such raid in
event Of Democratic victory is conceded.
Mr.. Hendricks has admitted that not less than
that number Of federal officials would have to
be ousted to make room for Democrats
bummers. Read again what Mr.. Schurz had
to say of such thing in 1880. See which Of
his utterances is the more reasonable that Of
last week or that of 1880. Read them both,
to see what kind Of estimate must be placed
upon Mr.. Schurz's sincerity as a reformer.
From conservative government he plunges in
the plan to sack the government for the spells
Of Office The Hessian services Of this man
have lost their value He may still demand
5000 speech, but he would be dear at a dol
lar month.