The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1885-12-04

first IN 1sis Eaorss - fsrsU hepso'css
Relies.
From the first, the patronage Preai-
dent. Cleveland has q bic disposal,
though far from being unimportants
Nv been regarded - Of infinitely less
,s.portance than tho assertion, In the
disposal made Of Il, 81 the Democratic
principle that the Offices belong 70 the
people and not TO the oillce-holders;
that no process Of passing common
school examination and receiving place
as reward Of success In II can vest In
the placeholder any claim except such
as a private employee has on his private
employers.
President Cleveland has made no
record which places him in antagonism
70 this principle. On the contrary. his
policy as indicated in the changes
made under the Department Of State,
where the Senate must confirm or re-
ject. shows that he has aligned himself
with it; even were not the fact clearly
shown by the pursuance Of the same
POLICY in other departments. and in
eases where the Senate has no jurisdic-
ton. rs for instance IN the displace-
ment Of Republicans In the minor post
offices all over the country.
He has made no "clean sweep"
nor has he been asked 10 do SO. He
has adopted no policy Of Immediately
displacing the Republican clerks in the
= classified service y to which the
Pcnileton law applies. nor has he been
expected by reasonable people to do
anything Of the kind. He has. how
ever. asserted the principle that no
employee Of the people in any branch
Of the service has any tenure of Office
other than the will OF the people de-
clared by existing laws and by the bal
lot. exercised according TO the pre-
scribcd constitutional forms. The cor
rupt condition in which the service
was left BY the Republican party has
made it imperatively necessary that
his policy of reform should be stcrner
and more aggressive than that Of Mr..
Jefferson. who in 1902 declared il best
TO " depend for obtaining just par
ticipation =" in the offices (then wholly
monopolzed BY the Fcderalists) on
. deaths. designations and Delinquent
cies." The changed conditions under
which President Jackson came into
,siicc demanded from him that prompt
ard aggressive assertion Of the right Of
the people to change their servants.
which had always been recognized by
the party to which he belonged.
While President Cleveland continues
to assert the principle recognized by
Jefferson and embodied by Jackson in
his inaugural address. he will COM
mand the respect and confidence Of
his party, which, giving him q hearty
support. can afford 10 leave to him on
his responsibility as President the
choice Of methods. so long rs those
methods do not affect its principles.
In the Pcndleton bill the attempt was
made to secure better men for the
Civil Service without mourning the
great danger Of ccntralizing the Gov
eminent and creating an official class.
Though the power Of removal was in
no wise hampcred by the bill, its exist
ence and recognition as law have af-
forded the pretcxt for the strong effort
which has been made TO establish pre-
cedents under which possession Of
Office should be regarded as implying
q right to hold il during life or good
behavior. Had President Cleveland
been as weak as his pretended friends
among the enemies Of Democracy
hoped TO find him. had he allowed the
establishment Of such presidents. he
would have destroyed his own useful
ness and impaired the usefulness Of his
party. But. instead. he has followed
the established Democratic preccdcnts
and enforced the law as he found IT,
SO long as the Pendlcton law is used
according to it, original purpose--to
direct the methods by which the fitness
Of applicants for Government clerk
ships may be asccrtained-it may
safely be allowed to stand on its mer-
its and be judged BY the success or
failure Of these methods in their prac-
teal application. But every step taken
beyond this must meet with the un-
yielding and determined resistance Of
the Democratic party, If il Is to survive
except as a name.
The party expects Of the President
that he viii Join in this resistance. His
course since his Inauguration shows
| that il has reasonable ground on which
to base such an expectation. II ex-
poets. too, that he win continue his e.
forts to make every responsible place
| in the public service means for the
advancement Of Democracy to act out
his own declaration before he became
President: IL believe in an open and
sturdy partisanship, which secures the
Legitimate advantages Of party 81.
| premacy.'
And no matter what the enemies Of
| the party may say, no Democratic
| President has ever looked for support
from his party and looked in vain
Differences Of opinion as to how slow
or how fast changes should be made
may continue to exist, but 50 long a.
| they exist on the mere ground Of party
| and public expcdicncy, and not OF par
| ~ principle. they should not be al
| lowed to swerve one honest Democrat
| from supporting and sympathizinl
| with the honest Democrat in the White
| House, who Is honestly trying to d.
his duty in the midst Of continual har
| assments and in spite Of obstacles and
| opposition on all sides.
| In the New York victory the part,
reiterated its principles and indorsel
| It's President. It has overcome ths
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