Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1885-05-28
CONFLICTING CRITICISM.
President Cleveland's Administration Be-
tween Two Fires.

turning Republicans out of Office more
rapidly and generally and for over
looking some of the best politicians in
the party in the appointments that have
been made.
The Independents fret and worry be-
cause he happens to appoint few men
to office who are hard workers in the
party and labored to make his election
possible.
Are these conflicting and contra
dictory criticisms just?
1t is noteworthy that the former COM
plants come mainly from journals which,
while pretending to be Democratic,
labored vigorously to defeat Mr.. Cleve-
land last year.
If President Cleveland were to make
''clean sweep of the hundred thou
sand otfice-holders for political eonsid-
erations, he would falsify the pledges
on which he sought the votes of the
people and was elected.
If he should fail to make his Admin
istration distinctly Democratic, to carry
out Democratic principles and to seek
by his appointments and policy to per-
petuate and strengthen the Democratic
party. he would be equally false to the
pledges which secured his election.
Mr.. Cleveland accepted the Demo
cratic nomination. Without it he would
not have been a candidate. He accept
ed and planted himself upon the Demo-
cratic platform. If he had repudiated
it he would have been defeated.
That platform declared that the fun
damental principles of the Democracy
must forever remain as the best and
only security for the continuance of
free government; denounced the Re-
publican party and its methods and re-
affirmed the declaration of the Demo-
cratic platform of 1856, THAT the liberal
principles embodied by Jefferson in the
Declaration of Independence and sane
toned in the Constitution, which make
ours the land of liberty and the asylum
of the oppressed of every nation, have
ever been cardinal principles in the
Democratic faith"
In addition to this, the platform
pledged the Democracy to purify the
Administration from corruption and
to favor honest Civil-Service reform.
VIII any fair-minded Independent
argue that the President must in duty
prove true to the reform promises. but
may without dishonor disregard the po-
litical and party promises?
Certainly the position taken by the
Independents in relation to a few APP
pointments seems to imply that such is
their belief.
Is this quite honest9 Are not Secre-
tary Manning and Secretary Whitney
two Cabinet officers whom the indie |
pendents indorsed? Yet Mr. Manning |
had for years been a prominent and
able politician. the boss of the Demo |
cratic machine, as the Republicans
insisted, and had certainly had no ex-
perience in a National office. Mr.. |
Whitney had also been an active, eff
cient Democratic politician and was
not an expert in naval matters.
Are we to understand that the indie |
pendent principle of Civil-Service re-
form is to condemn the appointment OF |
active and useful politicians in small |
revenue collectorships and to approve
such appointments in Cabinet offices?
1t makes no difference that Mr. Man |
ming promises to be successful Score. |
tary of the Treasury, and Mr.. Whitney |
an exceptionally capable, efficient anc |
successful Secretary of the Navy. Thei. |
present capacity was not known at tn. |
time of their appointment, vet we dc |
not remember that the New England |
and New York Independent press pro-
tested against them on account Of their |
political services and activity.
Is it not true that Independents allow
themselves to be unconsciously preju-
diced against what they call political
appointments because they do not de-
sire the perpetuation of the Democracy?
Are they not led to detest working |
Democrats because of their old preju-
dices against the party, which naturally
induce them to wish the destruction Of
the Democratic organization and the
of some new reform party
on its ruinso
But can they consistently and with
honor ask in that work the assistance of
a Democratic President who was sup
ported by nearly five million Demo-
Gratis because he was the Democratic
and as such pledged to carry
out the Democratic platform which
made the perpetuity of the Democratic
organization its distinctive featuree
n T. World.
C-oxooror- ~ Chino oro y,r;x-;1a,.<3 |