Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1886-02-11
onrrnnAxD,s eRsAr woRK.
HAS ANY President Undertaken "A
GreRterl

HAS ANY FretfucNt unuoEtahkcn n
GreRtcri
New York Staats-zciturg.
The President has chosen an unofficial
way to pour out his heart upon the.eitua-
ton which the Senate has produced
through its well-known demand upon the
Attorney General The Republican sena-
tors will be able to understand from the
remarks which the President has made to
the correspondent of the Boston Herald
that they must give up the idea that the
President will communicate his reasons
for removals. He regards thisas imprac-
ticable, and believes that the Republican
senators ought to assume that be has
made no removal without good reasons,
and that he will apply such reasons TO
Democrats as well as to Republicans.
With regard to his earnestness in civil
service reform, he expresses himself pre-
cisely In the same way as he has done to
various persons both before his Inaugural
ton and since and this has inspired that
firm confidence in him which We have
often expressed.
The President finds the essential point
of civil service reform in the proposition
to separate otiiceholders from politics
MS long as they hold their offices" What
both parties have solemnly promised in
their platforms, while most members of
their national conventions have regarded
it as merely fine phrase is what Mr..
Cleveland recognizes as his mission.
How far he is in advance of the great
part of his people in this question may
not have been so clear to every mind
before reading this heart's-outburst of
N i
enthusiastic Mugwump who wrote down
the declaration of the President, is
thereby SO entirely filed with enthusiasm
that he exelaims Next to the creation
of the nation and the salvation Of its life,
this is the greatest work that any Presi-
dent has undertaken |"
And SO it is. If it can be brought about
that the American people shall learn that
its party organizations must not be in
trusted to officeholders and office seekers:
that oficeholders are not maintained to
carry on politics, but to fulfil their official
duties then the political movements of
this country, and at the same time its
government, would assume an entirely
different character. NO more radical
transformation in the conduct of our
public affairs can be imagined than TINT
which the President desires to bring
about.
But will he not fail in this undertaking ?
His opponents in both party camps mt
urally expect this with confidence but
they no longer venture to break out
against him as they did in the beginning.
Their idea then was that only one election
would be necessary in order to make an
end to this 'swindle.n But now the first
election is over, and the President per.
sists in his policy as determinedly as ever;
in fact, even more determipedly. In that
election the Democrats had to learn that
the safety of their party depends upon
their supporting Mr.. Cleveland's policy
and the Republicans have found out tc
their terror the vanity of their expecta
ton that the Democratic party would GO
into battle host without leaders BECAUSE
the discontinued Democratic spoils poll.
ticians would not go with them,
| Yet it must be admitted that not only
Democratic spoils politicians have beer
undeceiyed by the President, but, un
doubleday, the great mass of the Demo
Gratis as well. They had grown up in til,
ideas of half a century ago, and believed
that the President would have nothing
more pressing to do than to turn out tn,
hundred thousand Republicans who holt
offices, and to put in u hundred THOUSAND
Democrats, merely as reward for part,
services, and with the understanding tina
in the future party service would be ex
pacted from them as their first duty. BE
sides, there is vast number of The on
ponents of this revolving conception 0
the public service who did not dare II
hope from the President an energetic op
position to the continuance Of such
shameful system; but their disappoint
ment is in every respect agreeable Il
them. BY this time they may have foun,
out that the President has resolved to d.
everything that lies in his power to carr
through the reform. His strength ma,
not suffice to accomplish the work With
the period of single administration, bu
during this time the education of tn
people in reform will have made immens
progress, and, Whatsoever party shal
hereafter hold the helm, it will not dar
to refuse its cooperation in the reform.