Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1885-02-18
THE FEDERAL OFFICES.

q
GAZETTE some months since with the sigma
ture "Old Line Whig", the suggestion was
made that in the event Of the election of
Mr.. Blaine, changes in Office were likely 10
be as numerous in that Of Ms. Cleveland
1t will not be denied that the defeated can
didate has always been considered 'spols
man., and if he resembles his great pro,o
type, Mr.. Clay, in no other respect he GER
tanly does in thi5-a disposition TO reward
| friends and crush foes If the ''plumed
king int has ever ventured to put forth any
thing like creed Us 10 civil service it has
not exceeded this. a certain fixed tenure
for every Office, in no event to be extended;
and does any one for moment doubt that
| had he been elected hosts Of ''stalwart"
republicans, and many half breeds, and
every individual with democratic procllvi
ties, if such could have beeu iound in office,
would have been swept out to make room
for his army of faithful henchmen?
| II is very certain that a government o!
the people, and for the people, must n gov
erpment by the people, and cannot tolerate
prolonged tenure of Office, however pro-
| louged may be the term of party in power.
Such being the fact, had Mr.. Blaine been
elected President it would have been his
privilege and his duty to have substituted,
as rule, all officials subject to his immedl-
ate appointment who had held place from
eight to twenty years, with others, capable
and honest, and Of his own political faith,
and Of his own personal friends, to- had
he thought proper, rs, no doubt, be would
have thought. And this he would have
done with the entire approval Of his four or
| Of q
paratvely few displaced, and, perhaps, their
families and friends.
But, would not this have been cruelty to
those displaced after Years Of ease? 2" But
how about the thousands of their own party
vino would step into their places, and
who had ST. long been standing out starry
ing aud shivering in the cold? Is there,
indeed, then, among Us privileged class OF
official paupers whose 'hoofs" must never
he drawn from the whey trough" and an
other class OF unprivleged paupers whose
| "houian must never be suffered to enter it :?
IF this complaint of cruelty is good for any
thing, il would be as good for these chronic
and sturdy mendicants twenty years hence
| as now.
And then the Soldier element" 1t may
be safely asserted that what with bountes,
pay, back pay, pensions, arrearage OF pen
sinns, equaIiZ lton of pensions, artificial
limbs and statualory preference for civil
office and prestige fer popular election, the
world has never witnessed such Recognition
of military service as that cheertnlly .ac-
corded to the federal soldiers of the late
civil war; regardless of how they entered
the service, or how loug, or how, they serv-
ed. 1t is true the soldier vote has not been
lost sight of by their benetactors, and
has mainly been given to one party, al
though they have been Indebted to their
antagonists in the fed-''Lhe rebels"-and
at the ballot box, for uIost if not all
these gra!uities, notably that of the
pension arrearage for without the
votes of ''the rebel brigadiers" that
measure could never have been law
its chief foes being Liuse of their own
political hold-the.r President Grant
having vetoed Que of their bills, and their
Secretary Sherman having opposed all.
And what thanks have been accorded 'the
rebel brgadiers" for their sublime magma
nimi:y?" Why, simply this-During the late
campaign they were charged with the pur-
pose vi depriviug these pensioners Of all
pensions whatever. But, in the event of
| Mr.. BIane's election, how about this so
der eiemen?' ANA there are many-very
many republican soldiers in federal offices,
fat and lean, aud some are receiving thou
sands Of dollars in official salaries and hun
dreds more in pensions. But are uU the
republican soldiers in office who need or
desire ii? By no means. Anyone may
hear their piteous lamentations who cares
TO listen; and had AIr. Blaine the power
aud privilege To equaiiZe matters little in
this regard, would it not be his pleasure
and duty so to do? As TO democratic SOL
| dier5, who did not vote for the ''plumed
Knight" would it not he expecting rather
| too much of President Blaine to waste a
thought OH them?
So much for President Blaine But it so
happens thai the people of the country have
decided that it shall be President Ceve.
land aud not President Blaine Cleveland-a
name vllihed by foes in manner without
precedent in this or any other land-'a
name unfit 10 be uttered in female pres.
ence! !" For all this, despite all this, "the
voice of the people -lhr voice Of God'-has
| declared him President; aud he will be the
| first democratic President in twenty five
years, and he will find hundred thousand
| political foes in Office, most of whom have
exerted every power they possess to defeat
| him aud his cause, and have been chief
among his slanGerers, haters and vlIitiers
| Well, what is he to do? Attempt to carry
on the government with this army of fees
secret and open eutrenched in positions OF
vital Importance? The question answers
| itself. But these officehoders are not only
viruIent foes, but, in the main, they are
from one section OF the Countrywide solid
North"-and many, if not most, of them
have held Office from ten to twenty years
What is to be done? May not President
Cleveland rightfully and wisely do what it
would have been the duty and pleasure of
President Blaine to do in rewarding his ar
my of supporters. Equalize hings2 But,
when it is considered TINT in all ''lhe solid
South" which made a democratic President
possible, there has been scarcely man
worthy to be called democrat holding
Presidential Office in twenty-five years
offices held in many instances by carpetbag
foes FROM The solid North''-can anything
but "a general sweep" as to such Offices in
that section be expected? Aud, in the
North az will as in the South, where is the
of, h., Il