The Indianapolis sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1880-1904, 1885-05-15
Explaining 8 Sentinel washington ,

Among Washington specials, which ap-
peared in your issue of Tb--sday, the It'll of
May, was the folio wing:
Department clerks will always vote with the adj.
ministrationl
"During the administration of President John
son." Judge Gooding lately observed. with great
difficulty and much expense to myself secured
place here for young man from my section OF
the country. He was a mugwump, and came
to Johnson Since then four times he has
returned to my district. aud not only voted
asains. me, but brough. corruption funds"
Judge Gooding, as quoted in the above
paragraph, no doubt refers to Mr.. HiJa
Bales, of this county. The political friends
OF Judge Gooding here have often heard him
make substantially such statement in regard
to Bales, and impute to him ingratitude, on
account of his way OF voting. / know that
many Of Judge G.'s steadfast friends
have always regretted to hear him speak
thus. because of its iliiberality and
injustice to Bales. Ths facts OF the case
were these: Twenty years ago Bales. then
quite young man, had just returned from
the war. minus leg left on some battle
field. Judge Goodng was at the time occu.
plying prominent official position st Wash.
ingt0n, and exercising more influence over
the administration than any or ali other In
diana men; but he was then making no pre-
tense or profession OF being q Democrat.
The next year-Februsry2 %, ls66-he headed
the delegation from this county to the State
Convention of the publican-then called
Unlon-party. Since about that tinls Judge
GOoding has been an active and efficient
member OF the Democratic party. I believe
1t TO be true, as Judge Gooding claims, that
he, at considerable trouble to himself, Sc
y46 II. af4 IL ~Iel~s
in the exercise of his undoubted right, chose
to adhere to the Republican party. Possibly
his zeal as partisan induced him to perpe.
trzte the error OF voting for Blaine In 1884,
but his services and sacrifices for the
flag of our country ought to exempt him
from the decentralization az mugwump.
Nor Is it creditable to Judge Gooding to
charge Bales with ipgratitude because of his
unwillingness TO follow the Judgs in his po
litical departure of 1867. Neither il it
seemly in Judge Gooding. in view of his own
political record, to now sheer at the mug
wumps. am an old-time Democrat, and
hope that President Cleveland will within
the next ninety days. cleanse the public ssr-
vice by turning out OF it great army of the
rascals. Many now holding Federal Office ia
Indiana ought not to have twenty four hours
respite. use the term rascal in no Pick
wickian sense. | mean tbe scoundres who
disgraced the publsc service and dishonored
American politics by engaging, in 1891, in
campaign of vitupers,ion aud scandal un-
psraieled in the worlds history. moral
leper" was the mil epithet With which they
assailed the Governor of the Empire State,
who was also the chosen candidate for Pres
ident of great triumphant party
In their desperation they tried to corrupt
and buy off the candidate Of the Prohibition
party, and when he spurned them from him,
they turned upon him and sought to destroy
his good name by an avalanche of unblush-
treatment of all that host oil former Ropub.
licans who refused to support Blaine aud
his destructive doctrinesl Ne age or years
of honorable life was q shield to their vile,
slanderous abuse. How they, like veritsb's
ghouls, have from day to day pursued Rev.
Henry Ward Beecher and Hon. Carl
SchuIz and George William Curtis, is fresh
in the minds of all. Many. If not most. of
the present incumbents OF the Federal Offices
were guilty participants in all this worst kind
OF rascaity. Such men are unfit to be a
part OF the administration of Grover Cieve-
land. am q civil service reformer, and be-
lieve there should be no delay in turning the
rascsls out.
Bot in the case of Hija Bales, badly
manned Union soldier, who has faithfully
and efficiently performed his dutv az clerk
In a Washington department., and who is be-
lieyed to have taken no offensive part in the
campaign of 1884 at least, / do not believe
the great Democratic party can afford to dis.
place him. even to crafty the personal feel
ings OF so distinguished a member as Judge
Goodipg DEMOCRAT.
Greenfield, Ind. May II.