The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1886-07-24

President Cleveland has issued the follow
ing order to heads of departments In the SER
vice of the general government;
..r aoom This a nroper time to especially warn all
subordinates in the several departments ana al
oiiceholders under the general government against
ha use Of their official positions in attempts 10 con-
irol notical movements in their localities. once
holders are the agents of the people not lneiI HAS
tiers Not only is their time and iab0r 1u 0yo ~ '
Their political actonas well in the discharge OF
their official duty, offending by display OF ootru-
siye partisanship their neghbors VINO nave reIa,
tionsp With them as public officials. They should
also constantly remember that their party irlends
from whom they have received perierment nave
not Invested them with the power of arbitrarily
anaoinp their political affairs. They nave no flght
oiceholders to dictate tne sreedom If sc
ZION within party lines by methods ana pracuces
which pervert the very useful and lusunapptse pua
6fcebolders should not be felt in the manipulation
Of political primary meetings and nominating con-
Hons n their selection delegates to poit-
ical conventions is indecent and Unfair anu proper
regard for the prophecies and ba
place will also prevent their assuming me aetve
conduct of political campaigns. lndivldual inter
est and activity in political affairs are by no
nor forbidden the exercise of political privileges,
hut their privileges are not enlarged, nor Is their
Office holding. Just discrimination in this regard
between the things citizen may properly 40 anu
the purposes for which public office should not
be used is easy in the light of correct appreciation
of the relation between the people and those in:
trusted with official place and consideration 10 OF
the necessity under our form OF government Oh po-
litical action free from official coercion
This order has been variously criticised,
more condemning than praising it. When
examined, we see nothing to find fault with,
if we rightly understand its meaning. To our
view, the President merely desires public OIL
cials to abstain from that ofiicious and dis
gushing manipulation of primaries and con-
ventions that was so common and offensive
under Republican Administrations. Capacity
for manipulating primaries, conventions and
elections was the chief test applied to nearly
all appointees. Such work was necessary to
a retention of their places, and they controll-
ed the party machinery everywhere. The
Republican national convention that nomina-
ted Grant in 1868 was mainly composed OF
Office holders. Every state and county con-
vention for years was similarly composed,
and federal otiice-holders regarded themselves
the masters, rather than the servants, OF the
people. Their interference in politics and
their dictation to conventions in Maryland is
we'll remembered, as is also the disgraceful
primary contests between custom-house and
postoffice factions in the city of Baltimore.
Their impudence and officiousness is well re-
membered, too, at the polls throughout the
state. As in Maryland, so it was in every
state, and in the South their conduct was
much more outrageous and disgusting. ltwas
this, to large extent, that brought the Re-
publican party into disrepute, and Mr.. Cleve-
land intends to prevent, as far as possible,
any dictation on the part of federal officials.
He says distinctly that 'ofice-holders are
neither DISTINGUISHED nor forbidden the ex-
ercise of political privileges, but their privil-
eyes are not enlarged, nor is their duty to
party increased to pernicious activity by office
holding That means, as we read 1t, that
no greater political activity is required of an
office holder, because he is such, than he ex-
ercised before he was put in the public SER
vice.
Political position should be awarded for
political activity, when character and capacity
are combined with it. This is the Democratic
idea of distributing party favors. Hence, many
active party workers are now holding public po'
sitions. Mr.. Cleveland means to say to those
men that their powers, politically, are moi
enlarged by the fact that they hold office, and
no greater exertion is required of them in di-
recting primaries and conventions than before
entering Office "Individual interest and &C,
tivity in political affairs are by no means con-
demned," says the President, and we under
stand the order to be directed against in
creased activity and disgusting oficiousness
and dictation, as was the case under Repub-
lican rule.
The order has been construed by some as
forbiddance of officeholders to take any part
in party politics. We don't so regard it, and
think the order a timely and wise one. The
fewer the office holders in convention, the
.nora satisfactory will he its work