The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1886-04-16


lold rock-ribbed Dubois greater than q
shall be able to pay To discharge that
debt. ! assure you, shall be my daily
study and effort.
Now. nv friends. this Is not time to
do missionary work. not = fit occasion
for the discussion Of issues and policies.
with view Of proselyiing disbeIievers
lin the tenets Of Democracy 10 the faith
lof the party. II would certainly be
alike carrying Goals 10 Newcastle" for
me 10 undertake 10 lecture intelligent.
Representative men, such as know you
20 be. as 10 the cline 10 which yon should
hew.r And vet II il time, when Il
may well be expected that candidate
for Congress should define his position.
Il am Democrat lone OF The old school
fellows; entertaining IN the past enough
of independence. firmly and yet conr-
teously a. criiicise the conduct Of .
friend or the scts of my party, and yet
always sufficiently loyal TO believe that
the Democratic party, composed Of .
great many constituent elements, the
full equal OF myself. was . better and .
larger sized nian than O'Neall. In the
future. as ia the past. trust that l shall
be able 10 maintain that Independence Of
character that will enable me with char
lify. but with resolution, to criticise the
men and measures Of my own party
and At the same time preserve that loy-
atty 70 the party. and liberality toward
party friends, 90 essentially necessary in
tine accomplishment Of good and the
bringing about OF reforms.
| Early in November last Mr.. Belding.
~
and . strong, personal friend OF long
years. whose friendship dates back to the
time when we were college boys togeth-
er. aud whose friendship has grown and
v armed with the passing years. came 10
me and said that the Vincennes News
aud Washington Gazette were busying
themselves in q meddIesome sort OF way
about my being candidate for Congress
and were both trying TO injure ME. Alter
trying to allay his feelings aud keep the
matter out of the papers for q time, but,
fiusily deferring to his persistept deter
mination TO await no longer, consented
that he might use his own pleasure in
the matter He askcd me what thought
about civil service reform. answered
..In all free governments, deriving their
just powers from the consent Of the gov
erned- political parties are necessary 10 9
healthy condition Of the body polite
Officers should be worthy and well quail
: fed. The chief qualifications are hon.
r-ty and cspehility- Ii j. not therefore
. every man who wants Office that should
have Office When Democrats are Ia
control Democrats should be placed on
. guard. [Applause. That the machin.
-lerv Of government may III well together
and work smoothly and harmoniously )
f'.is j. absolutely necessary tAppiause-
i For having thus expressed myself the
aforesaid papers were afterwards pleased
to refer 10 me as "<poil-msn.' IN thai
same interview ! spoke kindly Of Mr.
\ Cleveland and of his administration
and ret these same papers. with more
real than fidelity 10 t-uth. endravored 10
!. have me array myself against Mr. Cleve-
land and his administration on the civil
service question; against the national
platform upon which Mr.. Cleveland was
elected The Democratic party. in its
platform. from the mouths Of our .eai-
ing men from the ro>srum and through
the public press. had arraigned the Re-
publican party and held up to general
execration its conduct 10 Tewsrding men
no had been guilty Of such high crimes
as me men Of returning board fame "a IL
~. Madison Wells and had denounced
in ummeasured terms the methods Of J.
Y Hubbard. et ia genus omne, for levying
upon and cxtorting from employ es and
officials in the public service money, in
sort Of biackmsiling way, 10 be used
corruptiy in elections. 10 perpetuaie the
Republican party in power. Herein
was where the Democratic party. through
is party plat orm. iss public speakers
and press, inJ ted on civil service re-
form. Al the same time il had been the
party cry. "Turn the rascaIs out" Now.
my friends. don't use the word rascal
III an offensive -ense. and IL vas not 90
used by most of those who used the
phrase and kept up the cry in the last
campaign Generally II was used syn
onymous with "Turn the Republicans
out"--Giye us hange.-
N Mr.. Cleveland. when he came into Of
flee. found the civil service law, with its
good aud with its bad provisions, on the
statute books. And | avn inclined 10
think that there IL more OF good than Of
bad In lie make up. II no doubt needs
some radical amendments. II takes
@4ttIr ttutE w ENftENt Sutu 't9Wr- ~.
Cleveland found this law upon the stat
ute books With the Democratic party
Il IL cardinal principle. and has always
been il boast. that laws were made TO
be obeyed; not only BY the private citi-
zen. hut also by the public official With
Mr.. Cleveland IL was not only proper
that he should obey this law, but II was
his duty TO see that Il was enforced. Mr..
Cleveland found upon the statute books
another lava law on account OF whose
provisions the civil service law is,
through misunderstanding Of our peo-
pie. receiving much unjust criticism. 1
speak OF the Tenure Of Office Law law
passed by Republican Congress away
back IN the days Of reconstruction, and
for the cole and only purpose OF tieing
hand and foot the administration OF An
drew johnson A law which, through
the Grant. Hayes. Garfield and Arthur
regimes, was dead letter upon the stat
ute books hut Il one which NJ. Clevc-