The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-08-30
SENATOR EDMUNDS.
He Thinks Cleveland Means Well, but Is
Not Surrounded by the Right Men.

Not Surrounded by the Right Men.
ST. Adams tvt.) Letter in Boston Record.
On being questioned as to the course of the
administration in regard to appointments and as
to his own probable attitue in the Senate toward
such of them as were not in accordance with re-
| form principles, Senator Edmunds said:
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,
| firm advocate of civil-service reform. He
| knows too that should oppose any departure
| from that principle in the matter Of appoint
ments. whether the person concerned be
friend or an entire stranger; whether he be
| from Vermont or from Texas. AS to the policy
| of the administration in this matter said last
| spring that Mr.. Cleveand's intentions were
| good and that if ne got the right kind of men
about him he might be able to carry out his
purposes in this regard. By right kind of men,
l meant men friendly to civil-service reform,
| and with backbone to stand out against the op-
| position they would encounter from the Demo
cratic specimen. Such opposition must necessar-
lily be very great, for the larger part of the party
still cling to the old Jacksonian principle in
regard to appointments.
| "But President Cleveland has not about him
| the men who would help him in adhering to
| civil-service reform. The majority of his Cab
| for one man to investigate the details concerned
| in each appointment. The President cannot
! know himself the circumstances of per cent of
! the appointments be makes. There would not
! day for him to attend personally to them all.
Hence the difficulty of carrying out this prnci-
| pie when the President and his advisers do not
agree in regard to it, Thus il is that at the
| present time mans name comes up for removal,
some specific charges have been prepared against
| him. as in the case Of General Wells.
'The man is removed and another appoint
ment made without the truth or falsity of the
| charges being known investigated. / think
| there is no doubt that gradually these changes
viii continue until the policy and practice of the
administration have degenerated into simply
| spolls system There is no doubt that if the
Senate had not been Republican the change
| would have come already. If the Senate had
| been Democratic, it would not have adjourned
when it did, but would have stayed over month
or more. and there would have been a clean
sweep"
Speaking or newspaper reporters. the Senator
said Il talk freely to you, but generally am
shy of them. Many of them are mere Bohe-
| mians and not to be relied upon. They will
distort and manufacture in wonderful way. In
Washington | have been approached by reporters
and asked to divulge the proceedings of secret
session of the Senate, asked to give in ad
vance the probable action of committee
some subject of Importance. / politely, but
persistently, declined to say anything, and the
next day read in some newspaper what Senator
Edmunds had said upon the very subject upon
which had refused TO talk. This is what some
| reporters call enterprise 1t is often done with
some financial end in view. The other day.
after had gone to Europe, saw an interview
In some paper which purported to come from me
on NJ d. parture from New York, but it all came
| from the fertile imagination of some reporter"