The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-06-28

How They Have Been Allowed to Control APP
pointments, and the Unfortunate Effect.

How They Have Been Allowed to Contr0i Ap-
pointments, and the Unfortunate Effect
indianapolis Letter in New York Evening Post
The Democratic Congressman from Indiana,
including Senator Voorhees, and adding Mr.
Mcdonald, are spoilsmen. and the distribution
Of offices in this State, which has gone to wide
extent, has been made according to their ideas
OF making appointments. aud 1t is useless TO say
the appointments have been made by any one
else; fealty to the particular Congressman has
never been more rigidly required What man
had done or could do for the man appointing him
has been practically the only consideration. and
as consequence the bulk of the appointments
have been from the dregs of the politicians OF
Office holders in party rings. caucuses and con-
ventions has never been more brazen. The
Pendleton act in this State has been practically
nullfed. These spoilsmen cannot deny that
they have had their kind of carnival let
their party, which at the election of Mr.. Cleve-
land seemed invincible. has recently suffered
one severe defeat and has an excellent prospect
Of being completely beaten in the approaching
election, although with tremendous ODDS In lts
favor.
The list of blunders which have caused the
steady decline is too long to recite. Ii anything
was fairly understood in Indiana in the election
of Mr. Cleveland it was that the spois system
was to be killed. Yet all the Democratic leaders,
to play false to that understanding, and they
succeeded in the object. The Civii-service Com
mission, without investigation, as am credioiy
informed. appointed the new assistant post
master here, man In every way unht TO DC the
head Of their local board; he started In with the
declaration that if they began to promise to
keep carriers, there would be no places for their
political friends. This appointment, coupled
with the results Of the investigation OF Post
master Jones, seemed to take away the last hope
that the civil service law would be enforced in
this State And Jones has since gone to the full
length in doing what the mugwump SAID ne
would do if unhindered. In one year he has
dismissed-or. what is the same thing, forced
the resignation of-over half of the men
in the classified service all Republicans with
one exception carrier appointed by MIN,
and now in prison for stealing. Jones declared
1.-THE start that he would never appoint lie
publican, and he never has; every vacancy IN
the classified service he has filled with Demo
crat He is not reticent as to his future lnfen-
tons. Referring to the remaining Republicans
short time since, he said: you've all got to go;
summers come and you can make living. and
now | want you to get out" And the aforesaid
head of the local civilservice board supplements
this by saying: ''Its better for the boys to re-
sign than for us to drum up charges against
them;' and again, at almost breaks Joness
heart to have to drum up charges against the
boys" and again, to dismissed clerk, You've
always done your work WELL but the party pres
sure is so great upon Mr. Jones that he has got
to find place, and yours is the only one we can
take at present" l have talked with and in
vestigated nearly every man who has been DIS
missed, and they are, AS rule, quiet, SELF
respecting, industrious and capable men, many
of them soldiers and few politicians
Mr. Voorhees, was returned to the Senate,
which was not creditable, but it was, perhaps, to
have been expected. He had friend, John Il.
Lamb, who wanted a congressional district fixed
up for himself at Terre Haute. and the Legisla-
ture, having started in the business, worked out
what was supposed to be an iron clad gerryman
der of the whole State, for both State and ma
tional Democratic purposes. AT the same time
Voorhees, appointed Lamb to be district attorney.
in place of an efficient man removed for offensive
partisanship. This appointment, with that OF
Voorhees, other henchman, Hanlon. to be col
lector was more than decent Democrats who
knew them at Terre Haute could stand, and p
rebellion was raised which is likely to defeat
conformation In tho meantime Lamb is striv
ing for the nomination for Representative in his
made to order district and his success will be
followed at least by serious loss OF Democratic
votes
pass over the ridiculous appointment of Bay
less w. Hanna, to be foreign minister. The
scsndalous manner in which the spoils have been
distributed was truthfully set out, few weeks
ago, by the speech of Senator Harrison in the
Senate, to which no answer has been attempted.
The case of Bowling, who confessed to having
bribed members Of our City Copnc and whom
Congressman Bynum, facing the plainest truth,
decided to keep in the railway mail service is
one of the most conspicuous.
A large proportion OF the convention which
renominaieu H1n..s11essmah Lowry were federal
Office holders, and he could not have carried the
convention without them The convention
which renominated Mr. Holman was entirely
manipulated and run by Hunter, the collector of
internal revenue, assisted by gaugers. store
keepers and postmasters. Out of fifty-fve en-
pioyes whom he found in Office Hunter has dis
missed all but four and appointed Democrats in
their places.
From these facts it is seen that the spoils sys-
tenn in this State has carried things with high
hand but the results are the most powerful ar
gument for civil service reform that has been
produced of late years. Lowry speaks OF the
federal offices as patronage pie" and he ranks
highest among US as securer OF spois for his
henchmen: yet in few days formidable Sec
ton of his party will nominate Democrat to
oppose him. In spite of the Andrew Jackson
prescription in Holman's district, large body of
leading Democrats are almost in open rebellion
against him. In the New Albany district two
Democratic committees are about to call two
conventions to nominate opposing candidates for
Congress. OF tho Te-ro Haute district I have
Democrats have two congressional committees
and two rival candidates. The sole source Of
these troubles is the prostitution of public place
to private benefit
In all the country there was none who advo-
Gated the fitness of Mr.. Cleveland for the Pres-
the mugwumps OF Indiana, and they cannot un-
derstand why the State has been left to rp~.
riot They are compelled to believe The. tho
President has been grossly deceived. ,,hav can
not, however gloss over things TT the fair ax.
pectation of the election h., not been realized
it is better to say SO. that is the only road to
correction; ana -Ae first steps to that road must
De the RESPIRATION of the civil-service law aud
the pup .shment of the Office holders who have
.iv hvn = No s.,&o