Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1884-02-21
NJ M.cyesgh,s Demand.

There IA nothing very unreasonable
nor startling in Mr.. Wayne Mac Veagh's,
peuer in the Century magazine describ.
ins the qualities that the next president
ought 10 have, whatever party is to name
him. and which he thinks that candidate
must possess who Ia to get the votes OF
a large class OF people, like Mr.. Mac.
Veagh, who are disguised with the Re.
publican party and have not Jet learned
to trust the Democracy.
Mr.. Mac Veagh scarcely overstates the
case when he describes the prevailing
indifference among men In the leading
walks of life to political methods and
when he sketches the survival OF party
fealty over the gross abuses which have
been committed under cover OF party
names and because the politicians so
trustfully depend upon the loyalty OF
partisans. Mr.. Mac cVeagh will not find
MANY honest and intelligent men to
differ from him either when he says
that, more than upon the professions
of platform platitudes, the success Of a
presidential candidate will depend upon
whether or not he Is not only an honest
man but one who will be "a cause Of
honesty In Others" who will not only
hate thieving himself In every form,
but who will dedicate himself to the
solemn work Of reforming not only the
administrative service of the national
government, but the very atmosphere it.
self of the national capital"
The real significance Of Mr.. Mac
Veagh's article, as we read between its
lines, is its frank admission that admin
istrative reform Is the vital issue Of the
hour, and that it is to he met by the
nomination OF a man of high character,
cast in such heroic mould that his elec
tion would be in itself the pledge Of the
drastic treatment that the existing
evils call for. In brief, an epitome
OF Mr.. MacVeagh's demands is
the familiar aphorsm, "Turn the
rascals OUT" which he rather slight
ingly alludes to as "touch of
humor." But no one can read his paper
thoughtfully without concluding that
this is his only remedy for the real, deep.
rooted disease. If it happens that this
means the expulsion of his own late
party that is the necessary sequence of
his reasoning. For, in describing what
a president and an administration ought
to be, Mr.. MacVeagh, with an accuracy
that no one can misunderstood, de.
scribes just what the present Republican
executive and cabinet are not. Mr..
Arthur's most ardent admirers will not
claim for him that he Is 81 a strong,
capable and aggressively honest man."
Who but Arthur has gone to the
bench" for one member of bis cabinet
and "to the lobby" for another? The
description fits the cases ot Folger and
Chandler too well to be misunderstood.
When Mr.. Veagh writes of "rot-
tenness in contracts aud in navy yards
as well as ships" and of Indian rings,
pension rings and land rings, of
unpunished defaulting postmasters
and rottenness in the department
of justice, he describes the results
of twenty. four years of Republican
administration in the existing state of
affairs. Common intelligence and un-
common honesty and courage are needed
tocure this state of affairs these quail
ties the Republican nominee for presi
dent is not likely to have. The Demo
cratic party will do we'll to heed the
demand upon it by Mr.. Mac Veagh 3 class
of men for such candidate.