The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-03-30
THE SPY SYSTEM INPOLITICS
A Speech Which Should Receive the
Careful Attention of Indianians.
Senator Harrison Discusses the Edmunds
Resolutions, Producing Many Facts of
the Most Convincing Character.
delivered in the United states Senate. March 49,

delivered in the United States Senate. March 26l
| want to look little outside Of the mere legal
and constitutional questions which are presented
| here want to speak for moment OF the
1 origin of this controversy. / wish to discuss it
| as an administrative policy, inaugurated by this
administration, policy that is without prece-
dent and that will be without imitation, policy
OF stimu lating and receiving secret charges
/ against the reputation of men, ay as l shall
show presently, not only against the reputation
| of men but against the reputation of women;
denying to the accused any access to or knowl-
edge of the charges, and OF acting upon those
| charges in the dark.
Let me say now that if the prompt and just
demand, which was made in many cases by the
| incumbents of these offices when they were sus-
pended under charges, to be advised of the
character of those charges and to have an oppor-
tunity, however little it might influence the mind
| OF the executive, to place on file their ample
refutation Of the SANDERS and lies that had
crept into the departments against them-if
| that demand had been allowed, must believe
| that most of the cases that are held up here
would have been withdrawn or have gone
through.
What was the appeal of our friends4
| 1t was just such an appeal as has come to my
colleague. just such appeal has possibly
| come to every Democratic Senator in this Cham
Der in connection with the discharge of the Sem
ate's daty with reference to combinations. A
friend, q man whom you have known for years,
a soldier, possibly who had served his
country with gallant sacrifice in the time Of the
great war. had been turned out of Office upon
secret charges and he appealed to the Senate and
to you as his Senator Mr. jackson in the chairl
| that he might be advised as to the character Of
them
What is it these people ask An honora-
BILE discharge after honorable service. That is
all. They ask that they may 60 out of the
offices to the duties of which they have devoted
themselves with conscientious fidelity with an
| honorable discharge. They ask that they may
| go out of the Offices in which they have so dis
charged the duties as to win the approval not
only OF their party friends but Of Democrats
and even of Democratic newspapers. with AN
furnished name: that it may be understood that
1 they go out simply because the President wants
| a Democrat in; that viii! be accepted by all of
them an honorable discharge. / wish to know
whether my Democratic friends have agreed
| that whatever may be their differences with the
President upon civil service, silver the
| tariff, or any OF the great questions, however
they may have been driven from him by his
position on these great questions, whether they
have all agreed to help him hold down the lid of
/ the box in which these secret charges have been
placed. 1t is great issue upon which to unite
| great party.
| AS l shall show presently the Democratic
! party is not united upon that issue. AS shall
show presently, Democratic newspapers and
| many Democratic Congressman and Senators do
| not approve policy that stimulates and invites
1 charges against the character of men and women
and hides those charges from the light of day.
That is the issue, and great the constitutional
questions involved here may be, it is practically
a greater question whether this government in
its civil service shall be SO administered in q
star chamber where accusations may be lodged
and heard and decided without the knowledge of
| the whose interest to be affected and
1 whose character is to be blackened.
The people NAV not understand this discus
sion OF constitutional principles, but in every
Anglo-Saxon heart, and especially in the West
eru heart. among the from tiersmen, who always
believed in a fair fight, there is that imbedded
nf oySH fair 11lc orA
| denounces these unfair methods. | happen to
know that many manly Democrats in high
place. when that policy was naugurated, de-
noCnced it all over the city of Washington. /
| happen to know that there were some Demo
cratic congressman who, when they were in
yited to become parties to this system of espoin-
age, when it was suggested to them that they
| could not get Democrat in Office except they
went and tiled charges against the Republican
holding the Office, openly and boldly, and frankly
| told the administration that they might keep the
Offices il Democrats could only get them at that
disgracefui price. Is there any Senator who has
filed such ehargesq
4 Mr.. att-Aiidavits-sworn charges
MIR. Harrison-Many of them. the Senator
from Connecticut suggests, were afhdavits, for
enough has been furnished us by the administra-
tion ia connection with nominations to advise us
that affidavits containing sworn charges have.
1 in many Of these cases been filed in the depart
| ments. Is there a Democratic Senator here who
will get up and confess that he filed any2 is
ever this is suggested to you you prompt to
say, II never went into the business; / would
not be guilty OF fling such charges" Is not that
1 trueg
1 Is this the great issue upon which the Democ-
racy is to be unitedg I affirm that there is not
4 Democrat who hears me-a member of this body
who will confess that ne has become, or agree
that he is willing to become, a party to this
| method of getting Democrats into office 1t may
be, though would not impute such motive to
any Democratic SENATOR have thought some
/ times that there might be gentlemen, connected
| with Congress possibly, outside Democrats of
| influence who had an interest in helping to hold
down the lid OF the box In which these secrets
| are buried because if it were opened it would
show that they had participated in this work.
l think there must be in these files a great
| deal of matter of which the President is igno-
rant, a great many confidential papers which he
| withhoids from US that he has never seen him
self. l am bound to believe that is true from
| the knowledge have of the contents of some of
them or / am compelled to believe that he is ut
terly insincere in his puolic utterances as to his
| methods of administering the appointments to
Office
| In order to show that the Democrats are not
united in this policy of secret charges and secret
trials, and of this obstinate refusal to give up
either to the person accused or to the Senate the
| grounds of the accusations against Republican
officeholders, l wish to read an article from the
Washington Post, published last summer, short
| iy after Mr. Villas had issued his famous conf
| Dental circular. The Post, as we all under
stand, is the nearest Democratic organ to the
President--the nearest geographically if not in
! his confidence The article is the leading edi-
| torial and is entitled IAN Appeal to Mr. Villas"
| Has not the Postmastergeneral by this time real
lied that his present method of turning out Repub
1 lican postnasters is unpopular and objectionable
Nearly every leading paper in the country has repro
duced. with comments less approving the
Posts vigorous protest against that grievous
! There is some difference of opinion within the
party
| That is, the Democratic party
as to the civilservce and tenure Office laws; many
think that the Republicans should be expelled and
Democrats installed. simply the merits of the stu
alton, and without any excuse further than was fur
4 I'll