Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-11-17
CLEVELAND A REFORMER.
DORMAN b. EATON LAUDS THE
NEXT PRESIDENT.


would have on the maintenance of the
civil service law. He replied as follows:
''This is a very delicate question for
one in my position to answer. l have
taken no part whatever in the late cam
paign. have not the least right to as
sumo to speak for Gov. Cleveland or his
party. Eaving acted with the Republican
party from its origin l can hardly speak
without some party bias. Nevertheless
will frankly tell you what l think.
We shall have an administration
absolutely Democratic in policy, but
whether with a member of the Cabinet
representing those without whose votes
the Democratic party would have failed,
/ will not guess. But the civil service
act will not be repealed, either at the
coming session or during this generation.
Gov. Cleveland and the statesmen of his
party would oppose any attempt to repeal
1t. The Republicans, as a body, would
resist, and the Senate would defeat such
an attempt. The rules will not be
abolished. They will be enforced under
the new President, but not, l fear, with
such enlarging breadth of application,
and such moral support from the party in
power, as would have been the case GER
tainly had President Arthur been re-
NACObCus anu pAODdDlgs ndu NILE Dldlu6
succeeded.
ALLEGED REPUBLICAN SUPERIORITY.
The disinteTestedness and patriotism of
the country are not very unequally di-
vided between the great parties, but in
my opinion my party has much the larger
part of the intelligent conviction which
has thus far supported civil service re-
form. Great numbers of persons in the
Democratic ranks are so prejudiced and
HninfOrmed on the subject that they will
clamOr for removals for the sake of pat
rOnage. They do not comprehend that the
party which could elect its candidate ONLY
by the aid of the Republican friends of re-
form has no chance if it alienates those
friends in the future, when they are sure
to be far more numerous and powerful
than now. They still believe in the old
prOscriptiVe spOils system, not cOmpre-
hending that it is doomed, and caring
more, as do many Republicans also, for
four years saturnalia of spOils than for
all the future beyond that. A great
struggle over the reform issue in the
Democratic ranks is, therefore, certain.
The statesmen of the party, Bayard, Pen
dletOn, Lamar, Garland, Carlisle, Ran
dali, Cox, Morrison, Tucker, Hewitt,
Willis and others, each of whom has
already spoken and voted for the civil
service act, will stand by the new Presi-
Democrats, and all demagOgues, spOils-
men and the rabble of the party will be
against it. The Republicans will stand to-
gether for the act and rules, anXiOusly
waiting for the Democrats to ruin them
selves.
CLEVELAND THE REFORM LEADER.
Their President will lead the reform ell
ement of his party, and his clear eonvic-
tions, his high sense of duty, his courage,
his strength of character will secure a
victory. There is no public man in this
country who has a higher sense of moral
obligation of official life, or who is more
certain to withstand mere partisan and
selfish appeals than Gov. Cleveland. This
is great element of power and OF pOpu-
larity too, as the people now feel. Lest
my motives be misunderstood, let me add
that he has never done me a favor, and
that l could neither ask nor accept one
at his hands. Many officers outside the
rules, and some within, will doubtless be
removed for no very good reasons,
but, so far as possible, Gov. Cleveland
will prevent mere political prescription.
He cannot attend to everything. Much
will depend on the members of his Cabi-
net, and especially on the Postmaster
General. If there are, as it is charged,
some officers who have used their inf1u-
ence to enforce assessments, and neglected
lu6lI uuJl6S an flOldl6u bub pIOpTleLleS
of their stations to engage in party war
fare, the fate they have challenged may
very likely await them. If persons are
to be selected for public work irresp pective
Of politics, they had better attend to that
work and not meddle with elections"
What has Gov. Cleveland done in New
York to warrant this estimate Of him?
CLEVELAND'S BUFFALO RECORD.
"Buffalo was city almost as Darti-
san, lawless and badly governed as Gin
cinnati. Upon being made Sheriff, MIR.
Cleveland exhibited those qualities which
are being more and more needed and ap-
preciated by the people. They cOmpre-
hended and approved his spirit. He was
elected Mayor by votes from both parties
in that Republican city, entering upon
his duties in January, 1882. His life as
Mayor was a continuous struggle for hon.
esty and fidelity in office against jObbers,
spOilsmen and partisans, who had long
preyed on the city. He mastered the sit
uatiOn and became known as the ''Veto
Mayor" His fearless way of dealing with
them is shown by the language of his
VetOes and other public utterances, both
as Mayor and as Governor.
NOT A SPOKESMAN.
He invariably opposed and denounced
all mere political, selfish and partisan
ting manner the principles of the Pendle-
ton bill, which is the present civil service
law, and vetoed a bill whose aim, he held,
was to secure places and patronage for
party advancement. In his statesman
like veto of the railroad fare bill, he with
stood threats, prayers and caJolements
of all the manipulatOrs, dem
agOgues and communists of his
party. He made man of business
State Superintendent of Public Works
instead of a politician, against the COM
bined pressure of whole army of par
tisan jObbers. But he went far beyond
all this. A New York bill, very largely
in the identical language of the national
civil service act, but as amended yet
more stringent, had his efficient support
and received his prompt signature.
THE REFORM SENTIMENT.
1.-The rapidly growing reform sentiment
of the country has been demanding more
honesty, courage and administrative ca
pacity with less politics in executive
places. Gov. Cleveland has the distinc-
tiOn OF being the first man since Wash
ingtOn who has been elected President
because he possessed these qualities in a
pre-eminent degree. They have advanced
him more rapidly to the head of the nation
than military glory ever did any one of
her faVOrites. To believe that such a
Iudus Win SUN nAotOl VIII COluC W
the national capital to repudiate the
pledges and all that is best of his official
life, 10 betray those who have most
trusted him, to make hostile all Repub-
lican journals which now support
him, to ruin the prospects of his
party and disgrace himself and his
country by Overturning the work of re-
form kindred to that upon which his own
distinction rests, only to secure a free
field for patrOnage-mOnering and the
spoils system debauchery- that such an
assumption should be made by any sensi-
BILE, well-informed man, is to me simply
an impOssibility. If L am mistaken in
this view. l hope that the rules will be
utterly Overthrown before the March winds
are over. II the Democrats enforce the
spOils system policy they must take the
consequences. No true friend of reform
would have any part in a perfunctory
and deceptive enforcement OF the rules,
mutilated in essential parts. He would
rather await their certain resurrection
four years hence over the graves of their
enemies"
JUDGE THOMAN'S VIEWS.
The views of Judge l.. d. ThOman, the
Democratic member of the commission,
were also obtained on the same subject
discussed by Mr.. Eaton.
s'What do you think Will be President
Cleveland's policy as to civil service re-
form ?" was asked.
81 do not know, but it would seem that
his past public utteTances and acts are
sufficient guarantee that his policy will