The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-05-27
MUGWUMPERY IN DISTRESS.

mas Ueen intent on It's OrlSOuS TO De QelIVereu
from the Establishments of old time trusted
friends, is greatly distressed by the doings Of
its new-found allies, and comes shockingly
near waving the bloody shirt" The mental
and spiritual agony suffered by the Times, in
common with its fellow mugwumps since the
Inauguration of a reform" administration,
cannot be otherwise than pitiable; and calcu
lated to unhinge intellects. The Times begins
this week in thoroughly unhappy frame Of
mind, and is evidently in doubt in which of sew
eral directions to proceed. As Mrs. Gummidge
had it, every thinks contrairy,' and moth
ing goes right Alas, and so soon after the
realization of hopes long cherished and prom
Use unstinted. For months last summer, and
| up to the advent Of the new government, the
assurance was given by mugwumps of every
degree that "Just wait; all will be lovely, and
good, and acceptable when the New York re-
| former gets hold of the lines of government"
| The Inauguration of Cleveland was to mark
| the dawn of an era of reform such as the po-
| litical world never witnessed AsMr. Beecher
put it, Cleveland had a genius for govern
| ment." Good men would all be retained in
| Office, and the few removals made would be sue
ceeded by the appointment of men but a little
lower than the angels. With a perfectionist
| in the White House. none but the elect should
find favor there, and the speedy preparation
Of the government for the millennium was con-
fdently predicted A shadow of doubt seems
to have crept into this pleasing Dream and
that element of excellent citizenship repre-
sented by the Times is greatly troubled, not to
say overwhelmed, by the disappointment that
has followed so soon. The Times strikes out
real viciously for a mugwump, and gives ut
terance to the following, which, found in any
than mugwump paper, would at once be set
down as the worst kind of ''bloody shirt
waving
'There are certainly enough law abiding
and respectable men in the Southern States
to fill all the federal Offices in that part of the
country. Why has Mr. Villas named such
! ruffian as c. r. Meade to he postmaster at
4
| Copiah county outrages, and presided over
meeting which passed resolutions approving
| the murder of Matthews Does the Post
| master general suppose that the Democratic
party is strengthened by the appointment of
such men to Officer"
| The mistake made by the Times cannot be
regarded as wholly ingenious 1t naturally
wants to stand by it's paragon, and, to shield
the President, Mr.. Villas is made the scape-
goat in this instance, just as Attorney general
| Garland is burdened in like manner for the
appointment of Montgomery, the avowed enc
my of the public schools. 1t is very con-
venient to put the blame on the Cabinet, but
it is unfair to thus absolve the President It
is absurd to ask that the public believe that
the President and his Cabinet are not in thor
ough accord, and that he is not responsible for
their actions. But even the Times, hide
bound as it is by the zeal of a new convert, is
growing suspicious and dissatisfied, and in the
course of another editorial in the same issue
approval as follows:
"Such incidents as the appointment of Pills
| bury and Troup in Massachus is, the remov-
al of Mr. Bean, the internal venue collecor
at Milwaukee, gentleman who was in all
ways the reverse of an offensive partisan, the
appointment of Meade, the Copiah county
Kukux, to postoffice in Mississippi and the
selection of Mr.. Montgomery, Of California,
! as an assistant to Attorney general Garland,
contrast strongly and unfavcrably with the
| general action of the administration, and with
the professions of principle by which it should
be guided"
To all not purblind with prejudice it has
been apparent from the start tina. the idea of
civilservice reform was to be made mock
cry Not that Mr.. Cleveland despises good
government, but for the. reason that the
demand Of the occasion compelled it.
The Times knows as all honest cit
liens know. that of the federal
officers all but an Insignificant number are
thoroughly conscientious and efficient, stand
ing high in their respective communities and
above any charge that may be brought against
them. To get rid Of these and to make places
for the tens of thousands of applicants who
would be Offensive partisans' were they not
Democrats, the President, through his Cab
met, has been driven to very questionable ex-
pedients, and among them the confidential
letter of Mr.. Villas, which, more than any
other thing has revealed the real animus OF
the administration.
1t is idle, of course, to argue against the
prejudice of confirmed mugwump. He is
as firmly pledged to Democracy as is any born
in that faith. The Republican party is con-
tent to wait until time sufficient is given to
declare the nature of Cleveland's work. The