The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1884-10-10
sCHURz IN 1850.
HE Blistering Arrangement OF tho
Democratic Party---A Better
Speech Than He Has Made
This Year.

Carl SchurZ's speech OF July ", ISoO,
is full of good reading. He said: I'm
1884, the fourth year after the Civil
War, we find the party, in National
convention, solemnly declaring that the
War was failure and must be aban-
doned. A few months afterward the
triumph of our army was decided, and
the Confederacy collapsed. Had the
Democratic policy been then adopted,
the War would have indeed become .
failure and the Union army have gone
to wreck and ruin.
"When slavery breathed it's last, the
Democratic party declared that the
abolition of slavery would be the ruin
of the country, and must by all means
be averted.
"When, as measures of settlem emit,
teenth amendments were passed, the
Democratic party declared them void
and entitled to no respect.
When the Republicans in Congress
had passed the Resumption act in 1875,
and the fruit of the restoration of spe-
Gle payments was almost ripe to be
plucked, the Democratic party in its
National Convention of 1875 thought it
a smart thing to declare that the very
act passed for bringing specie payments
was an impeachment in its way and
must be repealed"
Mr.. SchurZ' views of what is required
of President, and what should have
been his experience in order that he
may be qualified to properly discharge
his important duties, are as true now
as they were four years ago. While
not very complimentary to his candi-
date, Mr.. Cleveland, they apply with
peculiar force to Mr.. Blaine.
1T is a matter of long and varied ex-
perience that unless the President him.
self has sufficient knowledge OF af-
fairs, clear eye to see through argu-
ments and notions, he will
inevitably be run over and fail.
No man who has not witnessed it has
an adequate conception of the furious
pressure the President is subjected to,
especially during the first period of his
Administration, and that first period is
apt to determine the character OF tho
whole.
at is of inestimable benefit to an ad-
ministration that the President HIM
self should have had the experience of
active work in legislative bodies, and
especially in the Congress Of the United
States"
Referring to the repudiating tenden-
NEARLY all, if not all, the States that
have repudiated or speak of repudiat-
ing their own debts are Democratic
States, with heavy Democratic MAORI
ties, furnishing Democratic Electoral
votes and congressman. Who will tell
me that it is certain they will be more
conscientious with regard to the Ma
tional debt than they showed them
oalxyao with caoro II 70 fho;r nu,p9 IIoun
policyy"
an fact, we do not know
whether the advocates Of the public
faith or the repudiationists, whether
the hard-mOney men or the imitation
lists, are the strongest element in the
Democratic party throughout the coun-
try, and which Of those elements will
control its policy. appeal to you, bus
ineSS-men, am going too far in say
ing that all this is dark, and that in
voting the Democratic ticket you will
take a gambling chance, and that
chance being rather against you? Are
you prepared, taxpayers of the country,
to take that gambling chance under
such circumstances"
Will the taxpayers and the business
men of the country to-day say that
Carl SchurZ overcolOred the different
elements in and tendencies of the DEM
Ocratic party in 1880, and that the dam
gers are not as great, and that gam
bling chance" as small if that party
succeeds next November? But the
most important part of his speech is
that which gives his ideas of the kind
of reform the country may expect if
Democracy gets control of the Govern
ment, especially with President who
never had an hours experience of "ac-
tive work in legislative bodies" He
said:
"But one thing is certain, that the
Democratic party, in its fashion, will
reform the civil service. That it will
certainly do; it will do it according to-
an old Democratic principle. To the
'ictors belong the spoils.' That prin-
ciple is of Democratic origin, and the
Democratic party has adhered to it
with fidelity worthy of the best cause.
at the head of the organization or in
the ranks, who has proved recreant to
that great doctrine, and made prOcla-
nation of his opposition to it, | do not
know his name. 1t is SO closely inter-
woven with the traditions of the party
that l doubt very much whether it
could be abandoned without destroying
the party's existence. All, indeed,
when we look at its heterogeneous ele-
ments to-day, it is not easy to imagine
any other cohesive power which could
hold them together. When
the Democracy, therefore, speaks of e
reform of the civil service, the meaning
of that term, in the light of history
and of the tendencies at present pre-
vailing, can be nothing else than that
the reform shall consist in putting out
all the Republicans and putting all
Democrats in their places. What re-
form that would bel How the North
and South would shake hands over the
bloody chasm filled with such good
things! 1t is said that at the present.
moment, when the Democracy feels
sanguine of success, as it always does,
the most popular work of literature
with Democrats. even with those who
mover read book before, is the Blue
Book, being the register Of offices un-
der the Government, with salaries at
tached, each active Democrat selecting
his and many the same. No; let no
body indulge in any delusion about it.
A Democratic victory means that the
victors will take the spoils at once, and
this means the complete destruction
for time of the whole administrative
of the Government, with all
its checks and guards, and the people
will have to foot the bills for the car
niyal. This will be q reform of the
civil service that will make the ears Of
t1,a 30 L.