The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-03-29
SENATOR HARRrsoNs SPEECH.
An Ugly Half Hour for Mr.. Voorhees-WortI
the Presidents Attention.


the Presidents Attention.
Special to New York Herald
Then came Mr.. Harrison who gave his col
league, Mr.. Voorhees,, a very ugly half hour, in
deed. Mr.. Harrison dealt in facts, and his facts
1.-The first the debate brought out--deserve the
attention of the President, for they strike
souarely and savagely at Mr.. Cleveland's asser-
ton tn at he has made no changes in Office which
were not for the improvement of the service.
He smoke of the appointment of one Conroy to
m important place in charge of mails showed
that this man had passed part of his life in a
State prison. and then read the names of those
who urged his appointment on the ground that
he was IAN earnest worker in the cause of De-
mocracy, early and late at the polls" Among
the men who thus urged his appointment were
the State Treasurer, the Clerk of the State SUI
preme Court, the Auditor of State and the At
torney-geneYai of Indiana.
He mentioned other cases alluded to, others
which the sta--chamber rules forbade him to de-
tail, and read from two Democratic papers of In
diana protest against the President appointing
10 Office in that State any more thieves, ras-
calls dead beats, perjurers and reprobates'
Then he showed by a number of instances that
Republican newspaper editors who were post
-IDtSteTS Ddu De00 IoulOV6u only TO mdko fOOm
for Democratic newspaper editors, and read
letter from one of these, applying for the post
Office on the distinct ground that he needed the
Office to keep his Democratic organ alive.
He read a report of the recent meeting Of
Democratic county committee composed of
pension agent and several postmassers Sixteen
Democratic newspaper proprietors had been
made postfnasters or collectors OF internal rev.
enue- Would these men, he asked, not be parti-
sans in the next canvass? Thirty three presi-
al M Sf w4 a
said, had been removed in Indiana; only ten of
these places had been given to Democratic sol
diers. Three hundred and sixty-one soldiers
and eleven soldiers widows had been removed
from small postoffces. Only ninety soldiers and
one soldiers widow had received places Of the
same kind. He mentioned one case where an
Indiana Union soldier had been removed and
confederate soldier living in Indiana put into his
Mace.
After giving many other like cases Mr.. Harri-
son said: '"The President cannot know about all
these cases He has been deceived by men of
his own party. But he ought to know that he
has been deceived; he ought to single out the
Representatives and Senators, and others who
have deceived him, and he ought to trust theta
no more
Mr.. Harrison is certainly right in this, and he
might have added that the President could very
easily and completely protect himself against
this sort of deceit, and against being misled into
making improper appointments. He needs only
to give the public free access TO all applications
for Office, and all papers and requests sent him
on such business He has refused to do this,
and thus has assumed a responsibility for bad
appointments and all sorts of mistakes, which
he must already regret He will discover some
day that to trust the people, and enable them to
inform themselves of what is going on, is his
only safe way.
Poor Mr.. Voorhees, was very pitiful spectacle
during Mr.. Harrisons speech. He sat bowed
over, like man under drip of rain. Every
burst of laughter drawn out by Mr.. Harrson's
l. II
his chair. But he sat in silence and took the
severest punishment any Senator has got from
another in good many years. When Mr.. Har-
bison sat down, Dir. Voorhees, said only that he
would take another occasion to reply to some Of
Dir. Harrison's remarks, and had nothing fur
Their to say. Perhaps this embarrassment arose
from his consciousness that he has been one of
the most constant and persistent of the senate
rial ofice-beggars at the White House.
New York Herald, Editorial
The Herald has repeatedly, since the Senate
debate on papers began, called attention to the
fact, very discredftable to the Republican Sena-
tors that they we're accusing the President of
wrong doing, but Offering no proofs whatever.
Yesterday, however, Senators Harrison and
Logan met this issue squarely, and the incidents
and examples of scandalous misuse of the ap-
pointing power which they gave will grieve the
Presidents friends, and certainly deserve his at
tention.
No doubt he has been deceived and msled by
INSCRIPTIONS men-Represen tatives, Senators
and others-whom he has trusted; but he ought
now to see the great mistake he has made in
keeping secret and hidden from the people the
applications made to him for Office. Had he
really worked behind glass DOORS" had he
frankly taken the public into his confidence and
allowed free access to the press and the people
to all the papers soliciting suspensions and ap-
continents in the executive Offices, this would
have been q complete protection for him against
no interruptions intrigues of offce-seekers and
1heir friends The pain and humiliation he
slust feel to-day when he reads the exposures Of
iessrs Harrison and Logan would have been
easily avoided In this way.