The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1885-07-25

climate will be more healthy at the
same time.
Mr.. Clevelamd's Policy.
All indications point to the con-
clusion that the Presidents views
with reference to civil service reform
agree in most essential respects with
those enunciated in the Post. He
does not wish to see the rules lose
their hold upon the situation, or the
offensive partisanship'' idea swollen
beyond its original design. To a
man of his character and convictions
the informer, the secret accuser. the
assassin of reputation, must be loath-
some and abhorrent objects. He
will not enjoy the spectacle of flank
ing the defenses of the Civil Service
law, nor can he be made to believe
that any worthy interest of the Dem
ocratic party will be promoted by
wholesale removals of the trained
subordinates of the departments ex-
cept on proper and legitimate
grounds. 1t would be Characters
tic of him, if he saw malice and tv
ranny at work in that direction, to
call n halt at once and notify his
subordinates to hasten slowly.
In such an effort to assert the in
tegrity of his declared policy and to
keep his faith with the country de-
scent public sentiment would newt
ably range itself on the side Of the
President. There can be but one
opinion as to the propriety of OBJ
serving the Civil Service law SO long
as it remains law, and there ought
to be but one as to the propriety of
its perpetuation. Mr.. Cleveland an
noun ced his adhesion at the outset
and was elected on that issue. Three
or four times since his nomination.
both before and after November, he
has formally reaffrmed his devotion
to the principles of civil service re-
form, and in all his acts and utter
ances has striven to show that his
convictions are sincere and deeply
rooted. 1t seems strange that any
one under him can have misinter-
preted declarations so explicit-still
more strange that any one having
accepted place in the Administra
ton should endeavor by stealth or
indirection to Obstruct the realiza-
ton of it's dominant idea.
The now hackneyed cry of 'offen-
sive partinship" has become mere
scandalous pretext. 1t has out
grown the definition of it's author
and become an manageable peril
instead Of an instrument of good.
1t has bred meanness, persecution,
falsehood and cowardice. EMPLOYED
to further personal revenge, to wreak
injury upon the innocent, to divert
attention from the guilty and to
serve the ends of spoils- seeking ra-
pacity rather than of honest and up
right government, it ought to be
stricken from the vocabulary of the
Cleveland Administration, as it has
already been from that of every fair
minded and equity-loving citi-
zen.
There has never been but one
right and decent way to transfer
the Government, and that is one
which commends itself to everybody. |
The six or seven thousand offices
contemplated in the Civil Service
law should be left to the rules. The
rules provide abundantly for cases of
subordination, or i'm
moral conduct. The remaining offices,
more than one hundred thousand in
number, should be dealt with openly,
fairly and courageously. They
belong to the Administration,
and the Administration owes nobody
an apology for taking possession.
The people called the Democracy to
govern, and they expect them to do
it. There is no occasion for secrecy,
stealth, accusation--no need for any
thing save absolute assurance that
changes shall be made in the inter-
est of the people, of order and of
justice in government. The Presi-
dent has declared that he regards
office as IA trust; that patronage
shall not be used for unworthy ends,
but that the good of the country and
the reputation Of the Democratic
party shall furnish the standard by
which it is to be dispensed. Pro
ceeding upon such theory, and
Loyalty seeking to bring it to full
and glorious fruition, it is necessary
TO move deliberately. The President
is right Washington Post