The Opelousas courier., 1885-09-19
Party Discipline.
EXPRESSION OF VIEWS BY SENATOR EUs-
TIS, OF LOUISIANA
Special to the N. 0. Times Democrat.

Special to the N. O. Times Democrat
/ New York, Sept. IA. - The Nortl
American Review will publish to-mor.
row the following article from Senator
! J. B. Eustis ON the Presidents policy:
Complying with Your request, | sub
nit in writing my views upon the ques-
! tions of party discipline and party obi;
! cations. 1t is unnecessary to state that
by reason of the attitude of the Presi
dent toward the Democratic party, these
/ questions are exciting a great deal of
discussion. Those who differ from him
make no unjust claim when they sim
ply demand that they should be con
sidered as equally desirous of securing
to the people an honest and efficient
administration of the affairs of the gov
ernment They know that in the past
thoroughly Democratic administrations
have administered the government with
pre- eminent success, and they view with
apprehension this attempted assimila-
ton of the two great parties by confusing
the personnel of the office holding class
es. Although they are stigmatized by
the Independent press as machine politi-
clans, and although this sentimental
nonsense may not, as it should, offend
the ears of some holding high positions
in the government, yet they firmly be-
ieve that an administration cannot be
thoroughly and responsibly Democratic
unless the Republicans are turned out
of Office and honest Democrats put in
their places, and that this is the civil
service reform for which the Democrat
ic party voted at the last presidential
election
Why should the Democratic party
be placed under the tutelage of coterie
of self-styled reformers, whose disap-
proval ofDemocratic methods and DEM
ocratic policies has s1ch terrorizing in
fuence, and whose secret aim is to rule
or rnin the Democratic party, with
whose principles they have not the re-
motest sympathy?
"This humiliating surrender to the
insolent demands of this political syn
dicate is not an edifying spectacle for
life long Democrats to contemplate.
Men who have fought the greatest poll
teal battles of the age, who have new
er wavered in their devotion to the
party, whose fidelity was stronger when
the hope of success was faintest, and
who by their steadfastness in the face
of expected defeat proved that they had
no selfish aspirations, are asking them
selves whether this is just compensa-s
tion for the sacrifices they have so will
ingly made to secure Democratic sue
cess. Although sheir counsels have
been rejected with suspicion and con
tnmely, still they are willing to mani
fest the same Jealous devotion to their
party, hoping that this debt to the in
dependent press will be speedily liqui-
dated, and that the Democratic party
will be released from this expensive
alliance, so that il may have its own
principles, policies and methods, with
out daily apologizing to any one for its
existence"
/" For this anomalous condition of af-
fairs the explanation is given that
great reform in our political system is
being worked out We are to have
priesthood, revised testament, clear
or faith, and we are to be elevated to
an atmosphere where practical politics,
party discipline and partisan reward
will perish by the mere purity of the
air. Men who have devoted the best
energies of their lives, and have labored
most zealously for the success of the
Democratic party are to- be denounced
as machine politicians" by the dilet-
tante uon-partisan press, rendering
their recognition by Democratic Presi-,
dent. impossible. This is the reason
why the Democratic party has had to
endure SO many recent surprises.
"These so called machine politicians
are ouly considered fit to make nomi-
nations and to carry elections, but are
not adjudged worthy to be guests at
this feast of reform, although they may
be personally honest men and good
Democrats who would efficiently dis
charge the duties of public Office. =
ts The Democratic party did not com
plain that Republicans filled the offices
under Republican administrations.
Their complaint was grounded on the
fact that the Republicans grossly abus-
ed their official positions, and they pro-
missed the people that Republicans would
be turned out of Office because they had
offended as a class, and that Democrats
would be appointed in order to reform
the civil service and to secure the legit-
innate rewards of a successful contest.
It is an insult to the intelligence of the
Democratic party and reflection upon
its integrity to assume that it does not
possess the moral force TO work out any
reform which may be desired by the
American people. 1t is offensive to the
pride OF that great party to see any one
of its leaders arrogate to himself the
functions of a political censor and to
treat with naughty disdain the true SEN
timents and the just aspirations of the
masses of the Democratic party.
g Those who wish to indulge in un-
pleasant suspicious might believe that
they discover that this equivocal atti-
tude means the creation of a personal
party at tue expense of the Democratic
party, for as yet little has been done to
strengthen the cohesion of the Demo
cratic party. On the contrary, an at
tempt is being made to re-edueate us,
and to teach us that the virtues of party
obligations, party discipline and party
fealty which our former leaders taught
us to respect as essential to the preser
vation of the party are to be discarded
as offenses, becase they are distasteful
to the purists and reformers who are
now debating to us Democrats rules Of
good behavior.
ssIt is an error to assume that those
who do not accept what they consider
an impracticable and undemocratic
method of reforming the Civil Service,