New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-10-01
DJSCREDITED.

|
majority of the Democratic Cabinet. Five of
the Presidents advisers have succeeded in
antagonizing the business interests of the couD-
trv and in bringing the Administration into dis
repute. The general indictment on which the
Republican party of this State in It's platform
| arraigns the Administration is as follows:
| We dcnounce tho National Administration for Its
| obvious willingness to abandon the opinions they
| have professed upon currency and to compromise
| with those leaders of their party who are aVo"edy
| in faYCr Of the continued debasement OF the cur
rency its hostility to the commerce oil the country
eyuced by its refusal to carry out the system adopteu
nv Congress for the announcement OF American ship
ming Cor its arbitrary action In repudating contract
regularly entered into by the duly authorized agents OF
the Government, and perseverng in an attemptto de-
prjye American mechanic of their means OF Vellhoou
until aroused public opinion compeiled IL 10 aoAhuo"
the attempt for its hostility further evnced by the
arbitrary enforcement OF the customs laws by illegal
provisions and tricks intended TO deprive merchants
Of any fair opportunity for asserting their rights
On this indictment the Republican party ap-
pools IN the voters of this State. Let us glance
at the several counts:
J. Secretary Bayard has made American
| diplomacy a laughing stock for Europe by such
| fantastic blunders as the appointment OF Mr..
Kelley to two legations where ne was not
wanted and was ANONYMOUSLY dismissed lie
has also broken up the Consular service which
under Republican rule had been steadily lm-
| proving both in character and efficiency. lie
found that service recruited mainly from the
commercial classes and manned by experienced
| ofjciqls. He made it clearinghouse for the
! liouidation of political debts lie turned out
the competent and accomplished Consuls-
General at Rome and Montreal III order to re-
| ward the treacheTy of quasl-Rcpuollcan
| ionrnal and to appeasc Western politician.
He has distributed the cOnsuships among party
| hacks and place-huntcrs without reference to
their experience or qualifications or to the com
| mcrciaI requirements of the service. lie has
! farmed out the patronage of his Department
| unmindful Of the fact that i'll England genuine
! Civil Service reform began in the consular and
| diplomatic offices.
| .. Secretary Manning is responsible for out
ragcous appointments in his Department and
! fine Customs service, and for a slilly-shally
| nolicy ON the silver question which tends TO
dcmoralize the friends and to cHbollen the
enemies of sound finance. by Offering pro-
posals for renewal of the tariff agitation he Is
naralyzing the business interests Of the country.
The mercantile community has been constantly
harassed by his arbitrary rulings and specious
articles in the enforcement OF the customs
| laws.
3. Secretary Whitney, instead of helping to
create a new navy, has declared war upon the
| shipbuildine industry. He could devise no
| better method of instituting reforms in his De-
paitment than that of Systematically persecut-
! inc John Roach and driving him into bank
ruptcy! The Dolphin had been practically ac-
cepted by the Advisory Board. BY organizing
an Examining Board, setting one body of naval
experts against another and insisting upon
| arbitrary tests which no commercial corporation
would have required, he finally succeeded i'll re-
iecting n vessel designed by the engineers Of
! the Department and constructed under its rigid
SUPERVISION. The Attorney GeneraFs decision
completed the builders ruin and threw 300
! skilled worllingmen ont of employment. The
| three cruisers can only be finished through
compromise with the bankrupt contractors
assignees. As for the five new vessels which
the Secretary is authorized to build, the work
must be done mt enormous cost in the Govern
ment wards The lowest bidder Tor the first
| series of contracts has been ruined and his
competitors will hardly care to have dealings
with the Navy Department under the present
management
4. Postmaster General Villas, besides making
| the distribution Of patronage by his secret cir
culars and his offensive partisanship" dodge
a public scandal. has antagonizcd the shipping
! interests and the export trade. lie has with
held from American steamship companies an
annropriation to which they were justly en-
titled and which had been voted by Congress
for their benefit He has compelled the with
drawal of the American line to Australia. lie
has disorganzed the foreign mail service, sub
iectcd American exporters to veXatiOus delay.
and steadily promoted the interests Of English
corporations. He has arrogantly arraycd HIM
self in hostility to American commerce IN
American bottoms.
5. Attorney General Garland, not content
with Quixotc foray against the XlVth
Amendment and with an opinion on the Roach
contracts as scnseless as 1t was fatal to the
builder and embarrassing to the Admnlstra-
ton, has brought his high office into disrcputc.
He is charged with having used that office, or
at least. with allowing it to be used, for pro-
noting private speculation in telephone stock
in which he has a very large pecuniary interest.
Unless this charge can be Immediately rcfuted
it involves one Of the most disgraceful
scandals in our public life.
This is the indictment as it stands III the
Platform. Five members of the Cabinet, con.
shutting majority of the Reform Admins
traton," are pillored together. BY their patti
sanship, their unfairneSs in dealing with con-
tractors, corporations and the mercantile COM
munity, their hostility to the business interests
of the country, and in one instance, ut least, by
n dsreputabc abuse of official power they
have discredited the Administration and made
its professions of reform kissing and re-
proach.
DAVID b. NILS RECORD.
Yesterday The TRIBUNE reproduced page
from the record of the Democratic candida &c