The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-08-17
PERSISTENCE IN WRONG-DOING.
The Presidents Failure to Right Certain
Alleged Wrongs.
New York Herald.

New York Herald.
The President has received, it seems to us, a
great deal more praise than he deserves for his
letter reproducing some person unknown to the
public for recommending an unfit man for a
judgeshp
Dir. Cleveland's letter to this unfortunate was
written in tone of noble severity, which would
be admirable if the writing of it had been fol-
lowed by practicable action His correspond
ent confessed that he had been one of a number
of men who had recommended an absolutely
unit man for judgeship On their recommen-
daton this person, mot qualified mortally or
professionally" was, 1t seems, made a judge;
and this so shocked the writer of the letter that
he made manly confession of wrong doing to
the President, with the evident belief that when
Mr. Cleveland was thus notified that he had been
mlsled into appointing to the high office of Judge
man morally and professionally unfit" he
would promptly recall the commission.
The writer of the confession we take to be an
honest citizen, who had certainly committed a
fault, but rather than see the public service de-
PRAYED, did not hesitate to humiliate himself
But what can be said of the President in the
matterf Certainly nothing good. In his answer
he deals very severely with the writer of the
letter, but adds: Your confession comes too
late TO be OF immediate use to the public service
Pray, why too late? Mr.. Cleveland is notified
that he has been misled into making a very i'm
proper appointment. He scolds the man who
tells him this, but keeps the man morally and
professionally unfit" in the place he has given
uliil ana CnaC q JlOSeSnlp.
We have waited ever since the publication of
this queer correspondence to see if the Presi-
dent would order the recall of a judges commits
sion. But We hear of nothing of the kind 1t
seems to us time to say, therefore, that Mr..
Cleveland has in this case committed very
gross and serious outrage the public. Of
what use are loud professions of desire to i'm
prove the public service when he keeps in so
important place, as jud}geship a man morally
and professionally unfit Your confession
comes too late to be of immediate use to the
public SERVICE" Mr.. Cleveland coolly writes Is
the public to understand that Mr. Cleveland is
too great a man to rectify a mistake! That
when he has made an appointment, no matter
how improper 1T may turn out to be, he will not
recall it, but insists that the public shall suffer
the evil consequences of his actl
This case has that appearance; and this theory
Of 1t, disgraceful as it is to the President and
humilating to his constitutional advisers is
fortified by some other cases. Mr.. Cleveland
became aware that Mr.. Kelley was not proper
person to appoint to a foreign mission, but hav-
ing appointed him he, in defiance of the general
and loudly expressed public opinion, adhered to
him. He has of late appointed former Fenian
to be consul on the Canada border, a peculiarly
unfit place for man of such connections
though ne may be useful in some other place
Complaint has been made in this case but we
hear not a word about a recall of the commits
SION
Such persistence in wrong doing is unworthy
of a President who processes strong desire to
give the people better government and better
| officers" The people will be very slow to blame
Mr.. Cleveland for making mistakes, but he
ought TO know that they will not endure with
patience a pig headed persistence in errors
which affect the public service and therefore
attack the comfort and the rights of the peo-
ple,