The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1885-05-28
CONFLICTING CRITICISM
President Cleveland's Administration Bs
tween Two Fires.

President Cleve1and's Administration Be-
tween Two Fires.
Some Democrats blame him for not
turning Republicans out of Office more
rapidly and generally and for over
looking some of the best politicians in
the party in the appointments that have
been made.
The Independents fret and worry be-
cause he happens to appoint few men
to Office who are hard workers in the
party and labored to make his election
possible.
Are these conflicting and contra
dictory criticisms just?
1t is noteworthy that the former COM
plants come mainly from journals which,
| while pretending to be Democratic.
labored vigorously to defeat Mr. Cleve-
land last year.
If President Cleveland were to make
a ''clean sweep of the hundred thou
sand office-holders for political consid-
erations, he would falsify the pledges
on which he sought the votes of the
people and was elected.
If he should fail to make his Admin
istration distinctly Democratic, to carry
out Democratic principles and to seek
by his appointments and policy to per-
petuate and strengthen the Democratic
party. he would be eJually false to the
pledges which secured his election.
Mr.. Cleveland accepted the Demo-
cratic nomination. Without it he would
not have been candidate. He accept
ed and planted him self upon the Demo-
cratic platform. If he had repudiated
it he would have been defeated.
That platform declared that the fun
damental principles of the Democracy
must forever remain as the best and
only security for the continuance of
free government; denounced the Re-
publican party and its methods and re-
affirmed the declaration of the Demo-
cratic platform of 1856, ''that the liberal
principles embodied by Jefferson in the
Declaration of Independence and sane
toned in the Constitution, which make
ours the land of liberty and the asylum
of the oppressed Of every nation, have
ever been cardinal principles in the
Democratic faith.
In addition to this, the platform
pledged the Democracy to ''purify the
Administration from corruption" and
to favor honest Civil-Service reform.
Will any fair-lninde1 Independent
argue that the President must in duty
prove true to the reform pro misses, but
may without dishonor disregard the po-
litical and party promisesp
Certainly the pos ton taken by the
Independents in relation to a few ap-
pointments seems to imply that such is
their belief.
Is this quite honest? Are not Secre-
tary Manning and Secretary Whitney
two Cabinet officers whom the Inde-
pendents indorsed? Yet Mr.. Manning
.. had for years been prominent aud
/ able politician, the ''boss" of the Demo
| cratic s.machine." as the Republicans
insisted, and had certainly had no ex-
perience in National Office. Mr..
Whitney had also been an active, eff
cient Democratic politician and was
not an expert in naval matters.
: Are we to understand that the indie
pendent principle of Civil-Service re
, form is to condemn the appointment O
. active and useful politicians in small
l revenue collectorships and to approve
. such appointments in Cabinet officesp
3 1t makes no difference that Mr.. Man
v ming promises to be a successful Secre
:. tary of the Treasury, and Mr.. Whitne,
. an exceptionally capable, efficient ane
successful Secretary of the Navy. Thei
: present capacity was not known at tn
time of their appointment, yet we d,
: not remember that the New Englant
; and New York independent press pro
tested against them on account of thei
: political services and activity.
y Is it not true that Ind spendents ALLOW
u themselves to be unconsc:ously preju
't diced against what tn " call 'politica
appointments because they do not de
y sire the erpetu, tion of the Democracy
Are they no. lei to detcs5 working
T Democrats because of thair old preju
+ dices against the party, which naturall.
induce them to wish the destruction o
the Democratic organization and tn
q construction of some new reform part
e on its ruins?
IL But can they consistently aud wit
q honor ask in that work the assistance Q
&c a Democratic Pre- 5ideDt who was sur
ported by nearly five millior Demo
5, Gratis because he was the Democrat
d candidate. and as such pledged to carr
{, out the Democratic platform whic
q made the perpetuity of this Democrat
organization its distinctive featureP-
y NJ Y World.
20 No man is at his best till he owns