The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1885-11-20

the election of Grover Cleveland in 1884
AZ their grand triumph-their great
victory which forever secured the SUI
premacy Of their one, sole and only idea,
''ciyil service reform" And nothing
remained to complete the glory and
crown with imperishable honors the
ttro great leaders Of that faction, (the
glib tongued Schurz, whose greatest
achievements in his past history will
ever be known as the graceful ease with
which he performed German racquet on
the piano, and the other the conceited
editor of Hdrper's Weekly, whose gram
NAUTICAL sentences and finely worded
periods were accepted by most of its
readers in lieu of solid sense and sound
logic,) but the defeat of Hill, of New
York, for governor, whom they declared
to be the enemy Of civil service and of
Grover Cleveland, the great. grand high
priest of their only political principle
and sole idea. But alas, for the brilliant
hopes and lofty expectations of these
great lin their own estimation) apostles.
The result was only IN addition to the
number of blighted hopes, which strew
their pathway for many years past, espec-
tally that ofthe first named. 1t is true,
Schurz evinced some ability in the ease
and facility with which he could acquire
citizenship, and sometimes official
favors in different States. Thousands
still live, who remember well when by
mere assumption he carried the German
vote of the United States in his vest
pocket. Results failed to justify the
claim. As as soldier he was successful
in winning what was then termed
political rank" and secured the posi-
tien of chief of staff on the staff of the
brilliant old hero of the march to the
sea" because "Old Tecumseh," as the
boys called him, could stand a greater
amount of useless advice with less atten-
ton than any other General of the
American army. The only distinction he
acquired from his soldiers career was the
contempt of the world for M ignomIn-
ious, unjust and uncalled for assault
upon the greatest Of American soldiers,
which only proved a boomerang, which
injured the thrown, but fell harmless nj
the feet of the noble soldier, ut whom il
was aimed; since which time this noted
Mugwump has been playing between
the Republican and Democratic parties,
one thing to-day another tomorrow. To
use the boys yulgarism sometimes pig
and sometimes puppy" till to-day he
shares with the other great leader the
honor, if they choose to call il 30, oil
blighting forever the brightest, most
brilliant Of all their magnificent expec.
~tations. Both these men knew, as vel
as they know anything, that the Repub'
lican party originated and brought into
being the civil service reform. They hat
been it's wet and dry nurses through al
its struggles; they knew that pine-tenths
of the Democratic party despised every
feature of the principle and law, and
fought the presidential campaign upor
the fundamental principle ITO the victor
belong the spoils of the vsnquished,'
yet with all this knowledge fresh in theil
minds, and with vivid recollection o
the stilted e~loquence they had forme ri,
poured upon the leaders Of the Demo
cratic party, and the holy horror 80 of
ten expressed that men, women ant
children could be bought and sold unde
the shadow of the capitol, and the anath
emas so often bestowed upon the Solo
South for its brutality toward emancipat
ed freemen, upon whom the boon hat
been bestowed by the Republican par
, ty, it only required a small amount o
fiattery to convince these leaders tina
the old traders in human flesh were tn,
purest Of men, and that Grover Cleve
land was the evangelist of civil servic,
reform, the great apostle that would car
ry this measure through triumphant,
despite his party or its wishes, and the
tried the experiment of assisting a ba'
party to overthrow a good one, all II
the interest of reform. They shared tn,
honors of success in that infamous effort
and they must bear the infamy Of theiI
failure t. defeat Hill and his Democrat,
bordes, the ghost Of Tweed and Tam
many's hordes in the last campaign
They must feel something ofthe remorst
which Millions devils felt when with
ing on the fiery pillows Of the inferno
pit. But who in all the wide domain %
our common country car feel a single
twinge of sympathy for the self de-
throned, self-imagined political princess
They have had a lesson, if they are moi
80 thickly coated with s~elf-conceit that
they are incapable of approaching it
that may be beneficial in their future
lives. Thew may learn from their fate
that playing fast and loose, assuming to
control two great parties and two II "a.
tionalIties. is not the sure road to polite.
al power or confidence. That .such ex-
hibitions of ~egregious variety but excites
the contempt of sober, thoughtful peo-
pie of all parties, and their success in
1884 only makes their defeat in 1885
more disastrous and disgraceful to them.
That to rely upon President Cleveland
to carry out the "civil service reform
in defiance of his party is folly. He il
not an Andy Johnson. There has been
but one IN the history of our country,
and all good men pray there may never
be another. This pretty brace IOf Mug
wumps should bear in mind in future
| that too much conceit with too little COM
mon sense does not constitute q trusted
leader in a great in IN intelligent
community, and men who have proved
false to all parties cannot easily secure
the confidence of any party. George
Williams infamous course in 1884 was in
famous to the last degree. A delegate
in the National convention, gratifie ed
with a civil service plank to his liking,
participating in all its proceedings to Its
close and then going home to New York
and in conjunction with his brother
political dude (Schurz) organizing his
n idea faction to overthrow the party
which had unwittingly tolerated his
presence in their midst, was as gross an
act of political perfidy, rs vas Andy
Johnson's circle swinging, and the crush
ing of his brilliant hopes in 1885 was an
example of retributive justice, speedily
administered but not often witnessed in
American politics.
Iur ManLain Ra,;aan haa diaoouarad a