The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1885-08-19
The Administration.

administrative ODJeClS anu HelnouS,
and nearly clean sweep of republican
oflice-holders. But Mr.. Cleveland, hav-
ing secured his election under peculiar
conditions, sought TO pursue line of
policy which he hoped would be accept
able to the largest number of his sup
porters. lie erred greatly in suppos-
ing that any policy that would suit the
mugwumps would satisfy any consider
able number of democrats. Having
discovered his mistake, he has given
many indications of late that he has de-
termined to pursue different course;
and hereafter, while the democrats will
get solid chunks of comfort from the
administration, the mugwumps will have
to be content with a few crumbs of
reform.
Nevertheless, the Independents pro-
fess to believe that the general course
of the administration is one which re-
formers may heartily endorse and APP
prove. According to their newspapers,
the reform record of the administration
up to this time is admirable; many
chronic abuses have been corrected;
and the appointments, with few eX-
ceptions, are above all reasonable criti-
cism. 1t would be manifestly unfair
for republicans not to give the demo-
cratic administration due credit for any
acts that may be worthy of commenda-
ton. If it is able to reform any abuses,
abolish any needless expense, or add to
the prosperity of the country in any
way, let us be willing to give it all the
credit thereforit may deserve. But in
reviewing the general record of the adj
ministration thus far, we have yet to
be convinced that the most direct road
to any sort of administrative reform
lies through President Cleveland and
the democratic party.
Now in the matter of appointments
it cannot be denied that, barring polit-
ical considerations, some good ones
have been made. For reasons that are
now well known, the administration
has gone slower in making changes
than the great majority of its partisans
had hoped and expected. Nothing has
been done in much haste, and this af-
fords so much the more reason why
everything should have been well done.
Reasonable allowance should be made
for mistakes inadvertently committed,
for even the best of administrations are
not infallible; but the present admins
tration is responsible for many grave
plumbers in its appointments. To say
nothing of the removal of several hun
dred republican officials, in direct vio-
lation of the Presidents pledge to the
civil service reformers, and for no
other cause than that they were not
democrats, it turns out that a good
many of the new appointees are men
conspicuous for their lack of compe-
tency and moral character. In Maine,
man who defrauded the revenue by
sale of bogus stamps was appointed
postmaster while serving term in Jail.
The Boston Journal says the keepers
of four rum-shops have been appointed
to the railway postal service, while
another who is under Indictment as
second in prize fight is a postal
clerk. The Boston Herald has noted
the appointment by the President of a
man who has been arrested for horse
stealing and confessed the crime; also
that three jail-birds in Cincinnati, a
murderous bush-whacker in Kentucky
and ballot-box suffer in Baltimore
have all been appointed to office. Then
there are other appointments equally
bad in the revenue service, particu-
larly in the South. 1t is now stated
that two of the three United States
judges, recently appointed by the
President, are immoral and incapable
persons. AS partial offset, we have
to record the Presidents revocation of
the appointment of one Meade as
postmaster at Hazelhurst, Miss, for
his instigation and approval of the
murder of Matthews. In making some
of his bad appointments, it is quite
probable that the President has been
imposed upon by INSCRIPTIONS par
tisans but if this excuse is admitted in
every instance, it demonstrates that he
came to the duties of his office eX-
tremely ignorant of men and the re-
quirements of the public service, and
that the worst elements - are getting
control of the administration.
The record of the administration in
other respects is not altogethera savory
one. The unjust treatment of Mr.
Roach in regard to the naval contracts
has given American ship-building a
damaging blow. The refusal of Post
master-general Villas to pay out the
money appropriated by congress to i'm.
prove and facilitate the transportation
of ocean mails in American steamers
has resulted in the capture of that ser.
vice by foreign vessels and corpora.
tione All Of tho in,portont oo,a,,l