Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1885-03-27
A Representative Politician.

man Of very little consequence
Had he stuck to his calling in Mary
land'he would have been known on
ly to the citizens of that State who
might have run against him in their
efforts to get n decent management
Of public affairs. Senator German
picked him ont Of the low surround.
ings to which hc had been accus.
toned, and, by getting him appoint
ed to an important position under
Secretary Manning, drew the attcn-
ton of the country upon him. The
result has been that the country,
greatly to its credit, has manifested
a good deal of interest in him, and
has come to so strong and firm "a
conclusion upon the facts that have
been made known regarding him
that he cannot be retained in the
Treasury without serious discredit
to the Secretary and to the Admin
istration of which the Secretary is
the principal Cabinet officer.
If the hopes entertained of Mr..
Cleveland's Administration were
not very high, and if they had not
been justified by the pledges and
by the almost uniform course of the
President and the members Of his
Cabinet, Higgins's appointment
would have excited only passing
comment and his retention would
be accepted with the same hopeless
indifference that similar incidents
in previous Administrations have
encountered. And if the Admins
tration were, professedly, a mere
partisan Administration, and had
been chosen as such, the adverse
criticism upon the Higgins affair
would have been confined to Its
partisan opponents, and would
have been dismissed by the people
generally with the feeling that no
one could tell whether the stories
about it were true or not. 1t Will
thus be seen that the sharp and
general and continuous criticism
and protest that have sprung up
all over the country in Democratic
and independent as well as in Re
publican journals must be taken as
an evidence of the unusual conf
dence inspired by the Administra.
ton, and as proof of the existence
of far higher standard of polite
al conduct in the public mind than
has been known before in many
years. In this sense the course the
matter has so far taken is in the
highest degree encouraging.
The most recent feature of the
affair is particularly significant. \
committee of the Maryland Civil
Service Reform Association yestcr-
day waited upon Secretary Manning
and submitted to him certain state
ments and documents bearing upon
IIiggins's fitness for appointment.
This committee consisted OF MIR.
Joseph Packard, Jr., and Mr. Will
liam Winchester, of Baltimore, two
gentlemen of high standing. They
represent an association Of active,
intelligent, and influential political
workers, who have devoted and are
devoting much time and energy to
political objects. Bu', curiosity
enough, this association is not made
up from any one party, or any fac.
ton in either party; it represents
no wing" is labOring to promote
no leaders fortunes, seeks no offices,
and has for it's chief object the ap-
plication Of the principle thai Offices
should be conferred without refer
ence to politics or the interest of
any party or party manager, but
solely on the ground of superior
fitness tested by open competitive
examination. In other words, this
association represents precisely that
public opinion all over the country
which by its active manifestation
in the canvass and at the polls made
the election of Mr.. Cleveland prac-
ticable, and which now watches
with jealousy every act connected
with his Administration to see that
it fulflls the high hopes entertain.
ed OF it.
The presentation OF the refo rm
committee is conclusive. 1t re-
lates to the reputation Of Higgins.
Whether the man be guilty or not
! in detail of the ollenses generally
attributed TO him the association
does not undertake to decide; 1t IS
content, and properly, with PROV
ing that the mans reputation
where he is best known is motto.
ri)usly and hoplessly bad. 1t fol
lows that no man fit for appoint
mept in the Federal service, and
especially under an Administra'
ton that has deliberately fixed 50
high a standard for its appoint
munts as has been fixed by the
present Administration, could have
acquired such a reputation. 1t Is
to be noted, also, that Higgins
represents as completely the old
system in politics rs the Maryland
Association represents the new
lie is unquestioningly loyal to his
party. He has ayowed his willing
ness to commit crime for the good
of the party lie has been a very
useful man to the Senator who
obtained his appointment. lie Is
a proficient in the art of reducing
the votes of a rival and icreas-
ing those of his favOrltc, both
before, and at, and after an cleo
ton. lie is an expert IN the use OF
skilled talent in legislative bodies.
He is a conspicuous example OF the
'organizer' who has been regarded
as indispensable to the successful
management Of political PARTIES
Ills merits and his services have
been and are of exactly the sort
which, under the spoIls system, it
has been customary, and has been
deemed proper and necessary, to re-
ward with patronage and especl-
ally with an office IN which his use
fulness would DC increased to his
hacker. lie is a complete and shame.
lul representative OF the system Mr.
Cleveland was elected to put an end
to, and he was foisted on Nh. Cleye-
lands Administrations by a believer
aud adept in that system. HIS con
tinued presence in the Treasury De
nartmaut musf pOmurOmlSp and en-