The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-07-30
A TEST THAT MUST BE MADE.

ter will have only his own stupidity to blame.
There can be no question about it unless the
President can be brought to consent to his
own shame and humiliation IN dishonoring his
repeated proclamations aud the pledges as
sured before all the people. A review Of the
situation will show that he has left no loop
hole through which he can possibly escape
without confessing the most shameless system
of false pretenses during the more than year
past. He made an ostentatious display Of
burning bridges behind him as he progressed,
asked no quarter and gave none. He chose
his own line of battle, and pitched it On the
issue of strict and honorable Interpretation
of the civil-service law. From the obscurity
of q sheriffalty he became the accidental Gov
ernor of the greatest State in the Union, and
received literally an overwhelming ma
jority. The momentum thus acquired
carried him to the presidential
nomination, just as inevitably as he would
have been swept over the falls had he jumped
into the rapids aboye Niagara. Once nomi-
mated, he had enough shrewdness to make a
careful survey of the situation and the result
was he was convinced that his great card was
reform" which he must play for all it was
worth if he hoped to win the game. He
realized, or some one realized for him, that
the great majority of 1882 was bat negative
one, and one that could not be counted on in
1884. His managers, casting about for every
advantage possible, saw an opportunity to
enlist the cooperation of a dissatisfied portion
of the Republican party, and the only posi-
bic bait that could allure these men was to
take high ground in favor of civil-servce re-
form. This the Democratic managers con-
ceived to be the only possible thing that could
save the State Of New York to him, despite
the fact that he had nearly 200, 900 majority
only two years before. How well they prog
nosticated the case became apparent when
this vast majority shrank to less than l, 100
plurality, showing clearly that but for the
vote of the mugwumps he would still be at
Albany instead of at Washington.
Through all the time between nomination
and election, and after the election and up to
the Inauguration, Mr.. Cleveland was une-
quivocally in favor Of strict Interpretation
of the civil-service law. His friends and sup
porters in the Democratic party accepted his
utterances in Pickwickian sense, and for
the most part aprlauded them, but not few
were Of opinion that he was trife too earnest
in his protestations, while still others did not
hesitate to express their disapproval of such
nonsense" and DANGEROUSLY demanded a
''clean sweep" and unobstructed access to the
spoils.
On the 4th of March Mr. Cleveland became
President by virtue of his championship of
reform. Nobody believes this more firmly
than does he himself. During the campaign
his record as an unfatering reform Governor
was paraded up and down the land aud his
praises in this respect were sung by men who
in private ridiculed the idea of anything
standing in the way of the faithful"
after an enforced fast Of quarter Of
a century. The insincerity of such, however,
cannot qualify the obligations so cheerfully
assumed by the Democratic candidate, nor
does it change the fact that the slender plu
rality realized by him in New York can be
more than accounted for by the votes of men
who had been Republicans, but who We're won
over by his voluntary pledges to reform the
government. He feels that he owes these
men something, and further, feels that with
out their assistance the State of New York
cannot be carried by the Democratic
party. An election is now pending there.
He understands as everybody understands,
that defeat there next fall would be slap in
the face of the administration, and that the
opponents, in his own party, to the Il y on
which he was elected would rightly consider
it an Endorsement of their peculiar views, so
popular among the rank and file of the Dem
ocratic party. The President is left no alter
native. He must hold New York, and to do
this he must put down the Vice-president,
whose hostility is proclaimed. The opportunity
of lifetime now presents itself Mr.. Hen
bricks has challenged fight on the issue that
Mr. Cleveland has so ostentatiously cham
pioned There can be no lodging. Mr..
Jones is Mr.. Hendricks exponent and, pur-
posely or not, has sprung tie direct issue be-
tween the old line Democrats and the mug
wumps. The President now has to make
good his professions to the latter or surren-
der, bag and baggage, to the hungry OPP
ponents of any civil-service reform