St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-09-25
Indisputable Evidence That This is Going
to Prove Genuine Reform
Administration.
Inquiry as to the Likelihood of a Bond
Call, and Some Facts Anent our
Finances.
More Cities to Enjoy the Special De-
livery System--Another Batch
of fPostmasterS.
Congressman Warner on the Bland
Bill--GfvinS Settlers on Il. r.
Lands Chance.
About Civil Service Reform.

Special to the Globe.
WASHINGTON, Sept. Democratic
politicians are not talking great deal to-
day about the presidents letter to Dorman
B. Eaton. They are content to remark
that it is a very well-Written letter. and the
president is evidently sincere. Dispatches
from Saratoga announcing that Burke
Cochran had read series of anti-civil SER
vice resolutions amid great applause
formed a more interesting subject
of conversation. The fact is not to be con-
cealed that many Democratic politicians
who last fall went around the country de-
nouncing the Republican party for its polit-
lcal use OF the public service did so in the
hope of getting possession of the offices by
deceit, and then using them just as the Re
publlcans had done. They have been
boasting that after show Of reform
had been kept up a little
while to please the Mugwumps. the
president would yield to his party, and a
regular spoilS Saturnalia would be insti-
tuted. Upon them the presidents letter
has fallen with crushing force. Not one Of
the cabinet officers is more earnestly in
sympathy with the president on the subject
Of the civil service than the postmaster gen
eral. Of course the Republican organ de-
rides this idea, and for reply points to the
hundreds Of postInasters who are being
appointed. But this apparently conclusive
evidence is no evidence at all. The great
body of postmasJers in this country is
changed, on an average, once in four years,
and the
RATE AT WHICH APPOINTMENTS
are now being made will not change the
postmasters of the country in much less
than that period, as has been explained
again and again. The great majority of
postmasters who have been appointed since
March 4th have been appointed to fill
vacancies caused by designations. Removals
have not been very numerous. Last month
the GLOBE gave an analysis of the appoint
mentS in Northwestern states, showing that
the designations had exceeded the removals
many times over. But even if the number
months, the facts do not prove that
removals have been made otherwise
than for good cause. No one ia
miliar with rural politics can be ig-
norant Of the fact that for years the
country postoflice has been maintained as a
political headquarters. In many cases the
postmaster was appointed because of his vio-
lent partiSanShip. In nOta few cases he
was removed if he allowed his partisanship
to cool or was even suspected of allowing
it to cool. Is it surprising that when
the Republicans went out Of power q
few thousand out of the $4,000
postmasters Of the country were offensive
partisanS in the StricteSt sense of the
phrase?
THOUSANDS OF THESE OFFICE HOLDERS
paid out of the pockets Of Democrats as
well as Republicans, allowed Republican
placardS to be hung up in the postoffices
and refused to allow Democratic placards
to be SO displayed. Most of them acted as
election agents of the Republican
party and colporteurs OF Republican
literature. Hundreds of them resorted to
disgusting means of insulting the Demo-
cratic candidate for president last fall. Of
course there have been many removals, but
hardly day passes without the refusal OF
the postmaster general to remove post
master when asked to do so. Last week he
Was asked to remove a postmaster
on the ground Of his offensive partisan
Shipt the evidence being that he
had made Republican speeches. The posts
master general refused to remove him, be-
cause he had not been Shown guilty Of
offensive partisanShip. On one occasion in
July the president refused to remove seven
eCSA PAOSiuChtIdi EOStEIcloISlS clud ILL G1lei
places with Democrats, as he had been
asked to to do. The postmaster general
has not construed the editing of q Repub-
lican paper or the making Of
Republican speeches an offensive
partisanship and ground for removal.
but when postmasterS have in their
speeches and paper used seurrilous Ian
guage and insulted every Democrat from
the president down to the humblest voter,
they have been extensively partisan and
have sbeen removed. The letter Of the
postmaster general to an Ohio congressman
printed last spring was not a general cir
cular but was letter sent to few con-
gressmen to meet certain special
cases well understood by the
recipients Of the letters Nor does the
postmaster general see offensive partisan
ship only on one side. If any Democratic
postmaster makes his Office political head
quarters and allows Democrats and does not
allow Republicans to display their notices
In the Office or in his paper, or his speeches
are insulting and offensive to them, he will
find himself in trouble if the facts are
brought to the attention of the DoStmasteP