The Indianapolis journal., 1885-12-29
coNeREssMEN AND orrICE-HoLpERs,


CONGREssMEN AND 0FFICE-HOLDERs.
1t is announced, with what appears to be a
semi official air. that Mr.. Cleveland proposes
to hold senators and representatives response
ble for the character of his nominees for
office; that he will seek recommendations from
members Of Congress, and after he has made
the appointments in accordance with the
recommendations, that he will wash his hands
of the whole business. This statement seems
to bear all the impress of ''feeler." Recog-
nizing the remarkable effect of politics upon
certain people Of an Independent and
hypercritical type of mind, it would not
be an astonishment to see the "new
departure" warmly indorsed and supported by
the very men who regarded it as the sum of
all vilainies when practiced within reasonable
limitations under Republican administrations.
There are in the neighborhood of one hundred
thousand ofice-holders under the government,
but more than cne-half Of these are postmas-
ters whose appointments are departmental and
not presidential. 1t is sheer idiocy to
suppose that any man named as
First Assistant Postmaster general can know
whom to appoint to the multiplied
thousands Of Offices under his jurisdiction,
and we know Of no better plan, so long as ap-
pointnents are to continue, than to refer the
ms fer tn fbo of {Lo
GUS localities have selected as their representa-
tives in their relations to the federal govern
ment. 1t is terrible job for the congress
men; and as they make by each appointment
according to Talleyrand. one migrate apd ten
enemies, it will not take long to "rotate' the
best representative out of office under that
system. Of course, the appointing power
should not be restricted to accepting the
recommendation Of congressman; it should
be free to seek information from any quarter,
to the end that the best man for the place
may be discovered. Such has been the Gus
tom for years, and that it has worked reason
ably we'll for the public is evidenced by the
fact that nowhere in the world was
there civil service so we'll admin
istered as that of the United States
up to the 4th Of March, 1885 We do not
hesitate to say that since that date, under the
manipulatons Of a SO called "reform" admin
istration, the public service has suffered the
most serious injury, has been crippled and de-
graded beyond easy computation, while the
public conscience has been outraged and bru-
talized by system that ought to mantle with
shame the cheek of every honest man. The
Offices under the immediate control of
the President can be more carefully
watched and the appointments more rig
idly scrutinized; but no President nor
no head of department Can possibly know
tithe or hundredth part of the men who are
to be named for office, if the reform" policy
of suspending and removing every body is to
be the administrative rule. The appointing
power must seek its information from some
source, and we have no hesitation in declar-
ing in favor of senators and representatives
being that source rather than in turning every
community into a school for scandal, and
offering rewards to spies, sneaks aud inform
ers as is done under the Infamous Villas Cleve.
land method For the sake of common de.
cency, and in the interests of common hon
esry and public morality, we shall hail with
gladness an abandonment of the sneak thief
method pursued for months, and the adop-
ton OF even the much abused congressional
responsibility. 1t is not possible for that plan
to degenerate to the scandalous and scoun-
drelly depths reached by the Villas system
of inquisition, and which he has but
lately defended, on the ground that
the government should seek "confdential'
communications from the people touching the
character and qualifications of those who are
to serve them in an official capacity. These
confidential" communications ore the
Charges" clandestinely filed and persistently
withheld, upon which honorable men are
turned out of Office with smirch, the nature
and extent of which they are not permitted to
know. Anything, even the establishment of
court of star-chamber under the law, would
be preferable to this CONFIDENTIAL invitation
to private thugs and assassins.
..s=.-nx.....a.En~
THE postofice "war' at Ripon, Wis, al
ready referred to by the journal, has come to
an end. Postmaster Upham had refused to
surrender the position on the demand of Dr.
,l 4Lo