The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1885-06-24
"oFFENslvE PARrlsANsHlP."

Since POSTMASTER GENERAL Villas
on offensive partisanship"
the entire press of the country has
been discussing the subject and at
tempting to determine accurately just
what the expression means. The post
master general takes a very broad
view of the matter, and it would seem
that heads of officials in his depart
ment at least ought to be rolling by |
scores into the basket if, az the ad-
ministration has repeatedly affirmed,
"the offensive partisan must CO."
If Federal offloeholder has been
running a strong party paper; If he
has been on the stump and
on the street talking party
politics; if his Office has been a
party or campaign rendezvous; II bus
mess has had to wait or been neg
lscted until some ca mpaign detail was
attended to or some partisan assisted;
| IL party has been a primary and bust
ness a secondary subject; II the former
has been the chief feature of the ser
vice and the latter merely an incident
of positions; II, in word, outside con-
siderations Of political nature what
ever have drawn the officials atten-
ton from his legitimate business and
sphere of action, that man is, In the
eyes Of the administration according to
Villas, an offenAive partisan and ought
not to hold Office.
Is there Republican Federal office
holder in the south, Of whatever de-
gree OF Importance or landing, who
will, according to the foregoing defni-
ton, not come within the reach Of the
exeoutioner's AK? Has not in every
case the retention Of power and Office
by themselves and party been the
primary and the business of their Of.
fees tho secondary consideration with
p. them? And have they all, without ex-
ceptlon, not contributed freely Of their
}. time and money to maintain,t therefore
Republican supremacyP
/. Let the tx fall unfortunately, II
will not strike an innocent msn!
: Public office, whether it be a judi
clal, or executive, or clerical one-a
{. Judge, prosecuting attorney, q mar
shall or a postmaster-belongs to Thu
I. entire community not to set or clique
|. or party. When a man assumes office
therefore, he should drop party an(
s become q man for and of all parties
II He has ceased to be a politician o.
IS party man and has become public
servant, knowing no distinctions ant
,. properly seeking only to earn thu
- plaudits Of his fellows by a faithful
u and impartial discharge of the dutie
OF his position. This Is honesty ant
patriotism and the dictate and theOr.
O of the higher patriotic thought of Tn
n country.
"a How far away from this theory W
I, have drilted under Republican col
ruption and misrule the whole couT
try knows. Every Office, high an
D low throughout the land, has been Of
= ganized into a Republican campaig
10 machine, and the patrons Of the office
n rather than the incumbents, hay
been the servants.
If this Democratic sdministratio
IT accompanies nothing more than I'll
Is directing of attention to the abuse {
y Office, and adopts standard that n
n set of men will hereafter dare disr
gard; if it will but exslt the publ
-, service and impress the people wit
- the conviction that an active political
is not the man to entrust with publ
business, that man cannot at I'll
same time serve two such masters
politics and business, it will prove d
n unmixed blessing to the country +,
lie years to come.