The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1885-07-30
WHAT is THE DIFFERENCE?

Senator VOORHEES, has gone to indianapolis
to defend Vice President Hendricks's post
master before the civil service commission.
He proclaims that if hair of Mr.. Jones'S
head is harmed there will be a great row
made by the Indiana Democracy who hear
tily approve of his course in the indianapolis
postoffice. We may expect therefore a very
lively time before the inquiry is concluded.
Mr. Jones's defence is not yet outlined
but it is pretty easy to guess what it viii be-
In the first place he will take the ground that
he has not violated the letter of the civil ser
vice law at all, which is most likely true for
he has undoubtedly been coached through
out his administration by Vice President
Hendricks who is too long-headed to allow
his protege to becaught in the meshes of the
law. In the second place Mr.. Jones will
make answer to the allegation that he has
been violating the spirit of the law, that he
has simply followed the course of the Presi-
dent and the heads of department and that
the work of publication should begin at the
fountain head and not low down the stream !;
that the only difference between his conduct
and that of the President and his secretaries
Is that while they have sought to cover up
INTERPRETATION of the spirit of the law by
pretences of varying degrees of thinnessS he
has been outspoken and frank; and that if
he is punished it will be, not for being law
breaker but for not being hypocrite.
With Mr.. Voorhees, as his avowed counsel
and Mr.. Hendricks furnishing points secret
ly we suspect that when Mr.. Jones comes to
this branch of his case he will make it very
e.,
is no lack of material for showing up of this
kind. The removal of two-thirds of the Re-
publicans on the pension examining boards,
an Office entirely disconnected with politics,
and the substitution of Democrats in their
places, was an act as indefensible and as
clearly in contrayention to the spirit of civil
service reform as any Mr. Aquilla Jones has
been guilty of. Every point in any Indictment
which can be framed against him, with the
possible exception Of the removal of women
to make places for voters, the Indianapolis
postmaster can match with similar points
from the record of the administration He
has removed Union veterans for no other
reason than to make places for Democrats.
So has the administration. He has removed
efficient clerks to give jobs to personal
friends. SO has the administration. He has
appointed men to office whose chief
qualifications were their ability to do effec
tive political work. So has the administra-
ton. The only difference is that Mr.. Jones
has done what he has done ayowedly for the
purpose of rewarding Democratic workers
and so deprived the Mugwumps of all chance
to make excuses for him. 1t was impossible
to say he was deceived when he selected a
blatant Democratic politician for a clerkship
in his post office, because he frankly ac-
knowledged that it was because the man was
politician that he selected him. Mr.. Jones
did not profess in making changes in his
post office to be actuated solely by desire to
improve the public service. He frankly con-
fessed that he was turning out men because
they were Republicans, and putting in men
because they were Democrats Had his
dismissals been for offensive partisan
ship, Jones would have been all right
to-day. He is now paying the penalty of his
franl1ness, and will very likely be sacrificed
as peace offering to the Mugwumps.