Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1886-09-15
THE wIRE-PULLERs' WARNING.

Mr.. Dana, of the New York San, with
his office cat, is now on tour OF the
effete monarchies OF "Yurrup," but from
the following it is evident that Mr.. Amos
Cummings, who now wields the Sun club,
either has healthy kitten on hand or he
is most apt pupil of the great expounder
OF political law:
The Postmaster-G General is behind the
times when he prints In the P0Stdt Gnioe
President Cleveland's letter warning once
holders to deny themselves all efforts 10
control political movements IN their local.
ties.n It has been shown by the various
cases to which it has been applied for settle
ment that by itself this letter Is not sui
fic1ently definite. Several instances of mis-
conception on the part of ofice-holders have
been revealed, and the discussion of each
case has either evoked some more concise
construction from official quarters, or has
shown that there still needs to be revision
and additions before the office-holders path
is staked out for him so that he cannot fail
to keep within the prescribed limits.
For example, Solicitor General jerks de-
livered the opinion to a mystifed Postrnas-
ter that the control of political move
ments" meant participation IN nominating
conventions, and that the Postmaster must
keep out of them. However, after they
were over he might take the stump.
Then in the case of Collector Redman, OF
Maine, the oficeholder declared his con-
struction of the document to be that sit
didn't apply to holidays" He was on holi-
day when accused of transgressing the let
ter's precepts Mr.. Redman's point has not
yet been officially settled.
This is enough to show that publication
of the letter by itself would be Just about as
satisfactory as publication of the Constl-
tuition without the amendments. Without
the rulings on its proper mode of construc-
tion it cannot fail occasionally to work in
justice upon the officials who in the desire
to put their conduct beyond official reproach
may be inclined to exaggerate its rigor.
The Postmaster General, who prints it for
the perusal of the clerks in his department,
and Collector Saltonstall, of Boston, who
requires that each Government employe
should turn in a printed copy with his name
on the back, to testify to his reading of it,
should get out new edition.
The writing and publication of the let
ter referred to was a piece of questionable
policy on the part of the President, but
he had to do something to show his
horror of the methods in vogue-which
had, by reason of long standing come to
be viewed as laws during the Republi-
can regime-whereby every Office holder,
and down to the humblest in the service,
felt himself to be a committee of one to
electioneer, early and late, for his party,
and frequently gave weeks and months
to such service, which were charged up
to and paid for by the Government as
services rendered some department OF
legitimate business. One of the
strongest cards played by the Democ-
racy in the election was the
Reform card, and under it the party
was pledged to reform existing abuses
OF that nature, and by bouncing the OBJ
iectionable men and filling their places
with new men the thing was nearly ac-
complished. But there was found GER
tain contingent, certain to be in every
political party, the members of which
sought to defy the great object of the Ad
ministration, and pull wires in and out OF
season, to the detriment OF the public
service. 1t was to these men that the
Presidents letter was addressed, and not
to gentlemen who, having a pride and in
terest in the ascendency of their party,
desire to help it's members to gain honor
ably control of important factors in the
general fight. While it is well to avoid
the open frauds perpetrated by
the Republican machine through
the bartering of political patronage
for power, it is not well, nor
is it sensible to let slip all chances for
strengthening the party's hold on the
government, and the fact that the
issuance OF the letter gave the Repub-
lican press a good handle to turn, should
not deter Democrats, the country over,
from using all honorable means to fortify
the position of the Administration, and
strengthen the cause of good government
in the land. The ill-advised actions OF
certain oficeholders in publishing this
letter to their subordinates, should not be
taken as the will of the Executive, but
the caution implied in the letter will have
a salutary effect on all alike, and that is
just what it was meant for.