The Democrat. (Scotland Neck, Halifax Co., N.C.) 1884-1896, 1886-11-26
..rO THE VICTORS BELONG
THE SPOII.S.'

In the last number of that excel
lett college magazine, the Wake
Forest Student, there are, besides
many interesting contributions, sew
,ral editorials Ct merit. There is
one however which teaches, II
seems, dangerous and falsely. moral
loctrine. The we'll written article
entitled Civil Service Reform Is
meaut. The author IL en- A. Nj
member Of the curreat senior class.
| believe, and sincerely trust, that
hi. production doe. not represent
the true sentiments of the Wake
Forest boys upon the subject. lie
tries to get in the same line with
Curtis and Cleveland and for an am
ateur is really successful. If l did
not know the author l would judge
that he hates both parties and is =
mugwump Of the deepest dye. He
condemns both parties alike. The
political errors Of students are ex-
cusable, but if the Student enters
politics 1t must be watched and, il
needs be, corrected, else 1t Eay tx
ert hurt Influence upon hun
dreds of true democratic boys. .
| Civil service refot n has been
stvled. in the columns Of the State
Chronicle, 1.-The high moral idea
of the age.' 1t will not do for
Wake Forest senior to fail to agree
to anythlng called moral idea. If
anything is truly moral idea, we
! all will support it. Sometimes the
schoolboy forgets humanum est
errare, forgets that passions rule
men a1d never thinks to question
the morality of so-called moral
idea. This civil service fool'shness
rewards foes alike with friends.
That is immoral. 1t rewards re pub
licans with office. If the democrat
ic party is right, then the repub }ican
party is wrong. Then for the dem~
ocratic party while in power to give
even a small part of the Offices to
members Of the republican party,
supporters of wrong is clearly to
do an act Of immortality. Giving
an office to one supporter of wrong
principles encourages hundreds of
others to support the wrong mere
strongly, knowing their associates
fare no worse at The haads Of theil
victors ON account of the evil they
have done. Again, whenever. al
earnest and hearty supporter o!
right principles, + mean a democrat
sees s supporter Of false principles
republican, given an office of hon
or, trust, or profit Ey so-called
, democrat in preference to a sut4bl,
democrat, be despises the office-giver
becomas aisgn.ted, and wei
grounded idea enters his mind tha
{ his support of the right amounts te
r nothing and in his heart is put
: seed Of disintegration Of parties, ant
, that meaus the farewell to reDubli
, can institutions and the establish
3 ment Of monarchy, and then to-
, last vestlge of that liberty which
our ancestors 80 dearly bought viii
+ be gone. and as history repeats it
t self. sc. civilization and mankind vii
! begin Tor the first time to rep.a
t themselves by going back to an
4 cient despotism and barbaric coarse
8 ness. Away with such civil .rrsic
e reform, for in tue end its evils sr
j inconceivable
= The Student says: ''He (Cleve
q landD believes that athe principle Q
b civil service Is r,gh';--and it i
t right Can Mr.. Cleveland believ
i no error? Can he support ns wrong
n Is it impossible for him to be Eyl
ocrite? Is he inAllible? Is he d
:. yine? That sentence is 4 sad con
: mentary upon original thoa.ht, bu
y that IS the onl y reason that many civ
II service advocates can give for thei
!. position on the subject -becaus
q CLEVELAND believes in it, Tn
a condde nee that t1an place. in his fe
v low man IS admired, but when tia
+ confidence becomes fanatic, then &C
4 miration becomes disgust.
q The Student says. too, whe
J. Cleveland began. to enforce the e3
isting civil service laws that demo
o cratic ed tors began to abuse him
# Is that nsa a mistaken It Was whel
# he went beyond the law to appoin
. and retain Republicans that demo
4 cratic editors called halt. Blu
> there was no halt. The consequence
4 was that On Nov. 2 the election