The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1885-09-04
Senator EdmundS Interviewed.
From the Boston Record.l


From the Boston Record.l
was disappointed when met Sena-
tor Edmunds. Let any man who takes
stock in the stories afiOat about his lack
of sympathy meet him as one gentle
man meets another and he will find
most genial and hearty person. | new
er met a warmer-nearted, more cor
dial and interesting gentleman in my
life than this Vermont Senator to
whom | was introduced at "Camp Pin
greed" Yesterday. Instead of reserve,
Indifference, or want of sympathy, the
Senator shows the utmost frankness
and deep interest, and was himself
most interesting and entertaining. /
saw him later in the day chatting viva
ciously, joking and laughing with la
dies and gentlemen friends by whom
he was surrounded and | found his
GOODNESS myth.
After short conversation with the
Senator the Record correspondent
asked him if he would say anything for
the public in regard to State or nation
al politics. As to certain questions in
State politics he said he should hesitate
about saying anything, as delicacy
would naturally forbid it. lie had
been i'll the service so long that, what
ever faults he may have committed, he
hardly thought it best to say anything
in regard to those matters which
touched upon himself personally. AS
to national politics, however, the SEN
ator seemed free to speak. He had, he
said, been away so long that he might
not feel perfectly clear on many points,
but had no hesitancy in giving anything
that he well could.
Your correspondent then mentioned
the subject of the course of the admin
istration. In regard to appointments
and the question of Mr.. Edmund's prob
able attitude in the Senate in regard to
appointments which were not in &C
cordance with the principle of clvil-ser-
vice reform, taking as an instance the
case of Gen. Wells and the Burlington
colleCtorship, Senator Edmunds imme-
diately replied "Well, SO far as that
is concerned, any one who knows me
and my course in years past knows
that ! have always been, and am still,
a friend and advocate of civil-service
reform. lie knows, too, that | should
oppose any departure from that princi.
pie IN the matter of appointments,
whether the person Immediately con-
cerned be friend or an entire strang-
er, whether he be from Vermont or
from Texas. As to the policy Of the
administration in this matter, | said
last spring that Mr.. Cleveland's inten-
lions were good, aud that il he got the
right kind of men about Kim he might
! ahln n l.,
this regard. BY right kind of men,
meant men friendly to civil service re-
form and with backbone TO stand ont
against the opposition they would en-
counter from the Democratic spOils-
men. Such opposition must necessa-
rlly be very great, for the larger part
of that party still cling to the old Jack
sonian principle in regard to appoint
ments. But President Cleveland has
not about him the men who would
help him in adhering to civil-service
reform, The majority OF his cabinet
are unfavorable to it.
Now, it is impossible for one man to
investigate the details concerned in
each appointment. The President can
not know himself the circumstances of
per cent of the appointments he
makes. There would not be time
+, enough, if he worked II hours day,
for him to attend personally to them
all. Hence the difficulty of carrying
out this principle when the President
and his II lvisers do not agree in regard
To it. Thus 1t is, that at the present
time mans name comes up for re-
moval; some sPecious charges have
been prepared against him, rs i'll the
case of Gen. Wells. The man is re.
moved and anC Their appointment made
,, without the truth or the falsity of the
charges being known or even investi-
gated. think there is no doubt thai
gradually these changes will continue
until the policy and practice OF the ad
!, ministraion have de generated into
simply "A spoils system. There is NJ
, doubt that if the Senate had not been
, Republican the change would have
. come already. If the Senate had been
: Democratic, 1t would not have adjourn
ed when it did, but would have stayeC
; over month or more, and there woul,
: have been "cleau sweep" Senator
Edmunds said that he should remain II
Burlington the rest of the summer
save, perhaps, short trip to Washing
ton, to see about some matters in the
y supreme court. "Nou know" says he
: "that is what relied on to get my
. hraob ~