The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1884-10-10


vass IN the sense in which the Repub
lcan managers would have US believe
The utterances Of both parties in their
respective platforms are so nearly iden
tical that there can be found no definite
contention between them. Besides, the
power of the Executive TO determine
the revenue legislation of the country
is too remote TO render this CONTROL
ing factor in presidential canvass
The decision rests with Congress, and
the intelligent voter can have no diff
Guilty in separating his Congressional
from his Electoral ticket and In thus
satisfying his convictions in both di-
rections. Many of the members Of
this Association are pronounced pro.
tectionists whose interests are largely
dependent, as they believe, on the con
tinued prosperity of the manufactures
fostered by the tariff, and they can rec
ognize no danger to these interests
from the success of the candidate of q
party which in the last Session of Con
gress only showed in its efforts at tariff
revision its own hopeless division on
the subject, and was forced at Chicago
to adopt an expression of policy so
nearly akin to that of its rival.
As regards the reform of the Civil
Service we see the Republican Nation
al Committee has been seeking every
ingenious device whereby to evade the
legal penalties of assessing Office hold.
ers, and it has recognized, as its repre-
sentative in Virginia, General Malone,
well known as one of the most reckless
spoilsmen of the age. The permanent
establishment of the principle of this
reform now depends mainly upon the
faithful execution Of the present law in
letter and spirit. A President earnest
ly in its favor can infuse its spirit
throughout the service President
secretly opposed to it can render it vir-
tually nugatory. 1t would therefore
be impossible for any friend of the re-
form to justify the support of one who,
like Mr.. Blaine, as Speaker of the
House, delayed its progress for years,
when, to use the language of the New
York Tribune, of June 10, 1874 "Mr.
Blaine, with distinguished ability ap.
pointed a committee on that subject
(civil service reform) which strauged
the reform and scalped it, and then ex-
ecuted war dance over it. No strong
er contrast can be presented than that
which exists between his record on this
subject and that of his subject and
that of his principal opponent, who
has been the faithful and efficient pro.
moter of the reform and has not hest
tated for its sake to ALLEVIATE powerful
sections of his own party, from whose
hostility thus aroused the Republicans
draw their strongest hopes for success
in the pending election.
Not the least of the material inter.
ests involved in the canvass are those
which would be at the mercy of the
foreign policy of the Executive if i,
should fall into the hands of Mr.
Blaine. During the few months il
which, three years ago, he occupied
the Department of State, he developed
a brilliant lncapacity which is full o
pregnant warnings for the future. W.
need only refer to his neglect to vindi
cate the rights of the American citi
zens imprisoned abroad without trial
while inviting a rebuff from Englan,
by his blunders over the Clayton-Bul
wer Treaty ; to his uncalled for inter
ference with Mexico about the Gaute
mala boundary, resulting in anothe
and even more decided rebuff and
his converting his high Office into
, claim-agency for adventures in his GU
, apo policy with unhappy Peru. Wit
,, an intellect so unbalanced at the hea
of affairs, the country could never fet
secure that it might not at any me
inert find itself involved in complies
tions rendering war virtually unavoit
able, and all industrial and mercanti
interests would suffer incalculably fro1
4 this prolonged and continued unce
i tainty.
: Yet above all in its Importance is tt
> issue which the Republican party raj
: ed when it nominated az its candidate
!. man convicted out of bis own mout
d of prostituting for gain the publ
d trusts confided to him We fail to 8,
:, how any citizen can read the CORE
# pondence between Mr.. Blaine and NJ
d Warren Fisher, Jr., with the eviden
s taken by the Judiciary Committee
!. the Forty-fourth Congress, and not
|, convinced that Mr.. Blaine was eag
l. to sell his official influence as Speak
II Of the House, in whatever mann
Il might hest serve his personal interes
l. Whether it was in Little Rock bond
Ie or National bank charter, or sha
r. in the Northern Pacific Railroad
exhibited himself as an active trad
whenever official influence was to
exchanged for money or none,
4. worth. Nor was his position improv
4. by his attempts at defence, consists
" of falsehood, evasion and refusal
"a explain on the ground that these We
ia his "private affairs" AS if the Spes
ID er of the House of Rrprcsentaiiv
=. could have any "atfairs,' Of buHin'
=. involving his personal honesty and o
=, clal honor, too "private" for ackno,
-, edgment and explanation. ConspiC
Nv Nv ous as he has been in Congress, \
~ -. Blaine's name is net prominently c.
~, ~ nected with a single act of well-dev
" ed craftsmanship he has risen fir
poverty to wealth on a meagre G,
IN gressional salary, and the revelations
ns his correspondence suggest the way
n which that wealth has probably b'
10" acquired. These charges are direc
relevant TO his candidacy they hi
not been newly sprung on the coun
for political purposes in the heat c
presidential campaign.
This Committee has delayed its
peal to its fellow-citizen to see whC
er any explanation of the char
=, against Mr., Blaine would be m
Id which would relieve him from Il
"a weight, but the apologies offered t
eu e far have only admitted the truth of
n' accusations while seeking to extent
them. HENRY @. LEA,
'"s Presiden