Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1885-05-12
THE ADMINISTRATION.

are beginning W Coulpldlh d uCuio Oii az
count of the retention in Office of Repub
-licans, and far and wide the cry will sool
be heard to "turn the rascals out" 1t i
the cry OF Bourbonism, and is beinl
raised by those who think that politics
are merely scramble for Office, and tha
when Office is reached the thing to do il
to divide the spoils. If there are rascal'
in office, they should certainly be turned
out; but it does not necessarily follow thai
even though a man is Republican,
he is a rascal. Of course, the
cloak of Republicanism covers nothing
but true patriots, and whether man who
is not Republican can be patriot is not
definitely settled. 1t is generally ad-
1nitted that Democrat who takes all his
counsel from Republicans, and in every
way follows their lead, may, in the course
of time, with the aid of evolution, become
patriot. The best evidence that Dem
ocrat can become genuine, true patriot,
is for Democratic official to appoint only
Republicans to place; this evidence is
deemed sufficient by ultra-Republicans, if
there be no deviation.
But without considering whether any
one who is not a Republican can be
worthy in any way, is there any iustifca-
tion for turning out of Office all who were
in when the present Administration came
into power? There is no Disgusting the
fact that President Cleveland was nomi-
mated and elected as a reform man, and
the most distinctive feature of the reform
theory is that which relates to tenure of
Office. II the Democratic Convention last
year had nominated a man who was a
known advocate of the theory of turning
the rascals out" such a man would not
have been elected. 1t was this which
gained to the Democratic ranks the Inde-
pendent or Mugwump vote, and lost to
them the Irish vote, and it was the
Mugwumps who were in the advance
in the civil service reform theory All
the peculationss and defalcations in
office during the past twenty-four years
have been the result of the theories of
tn spoils system, and it was this that
drove the Republican party from power.
To charge every subordinate official and
clerk in the entire service of the Govern
ment with corruption and malfeasance in
Office because they have been Republi-
cans, is absurd. That there have been
plenty who have robbed and disgraced
the Government, no one will deny. The
party for many years held
their power through making the country
believe that the Democrats weretworse
than they, and not from any personal |
worth of their own. 1t was a bug
bear, true; but it was successful !
in accomplishing the object for which it
was set up. But finally the people saw
that it was well worth a trial to give the |
reins of power into Democratic hands,
irmly convinced that nothing could be
worse than what had been, and for this
hey elected Grover Cleveland, knowing
his record as Mayor of Buffalo and Gov
emor of New York, and believing that
his record as President would be but
continuation of his past record.
President Cleveland is the President of
new epoch in American politics, the
epoch in which the Government is
% be administered for the benefit
of the whole people, and not merely
% give place to office-seekers. The
issues upon which the political battles of
hree-quarters of century have been
ought are things of the past. This was
recognized in the very first sentence of
he Democratic Platform of 1884, which
ieclares: 1.-The Democratic party of the
Union, through its representatives in Ma
ional Convention assembled, recognizes
hat as the Nation grows older new issues
re born, Of time and progress, and old
Ssues perish" One of these newborn
ssues is civil service reform. In 1876.
1hen Tilden was the candidate
1 the party, the platform of that :
ear, clearly, honestly and distinctly {
eclared in favor of civil service reform, ]
nd enunciated this principle: expert {
nee proves that efficient, economical 7
onduct of Governmental business is not I
ossible if the civil service be subject to q
1ange at every election, be prize t
ught for at the ballot box, be a brief re- '
ard OF party zeal, instead of posts of s
onor assigned for proved competency. o
Id held for fidelity in the public en- a
oy; that the dispensing of patronage G,
lould neither be tax upon the time of e,
our public men, nor the instrument of II
elr ambition" Even in 1872 the party If
Id OH the civil service reform question q,
at 'The civil service of the Govern te
ent has become a mere instru-
ent OF partisan tyranny and r
rsonal ambition and an object al
selfish greed. 1t is scandal and re- w
zach upon free institutions and breeds h,
generalization dangerous to the per- OF
tuity of republican government" It be
plain then that if the Democratic party ca
committed to anything, it is committed tic
elvll service reform. For the Admins on
'tion to cast aside the declarations of a
party and surrender to the cry of tic
arm the rascals OUT" will be for it TO I'll
,ow aside an integral part of its prin- loc
les, and to also throw away all chances ST,
continuation of power in 1885 Ur
thing would so well please the pure of
riots of the Republican party as to sp,
Te the Administration give itself nm - "a