Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-02-07
MR.. CLEVELAND AND THE DEM.
OCRACY.
His Mission to Divorce ONCE from Par
ty POlitiOs-Wfn He be Able to ReYo-
IutiOnize Public Opinion?

IutiOnize Public Opinion?
FrOm the Veao York Stats Zeitwn0.
The President has chosen an unofficial
way to pour out his heart upon the situa-
ton which the Senate has produced
through it's welI-known demand upon the
Attorney General. The Republican Sem
ators Will be able to understood 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 this
as impracticable, and believes
that the Republican Senators
ought to assume that he has made no re-
moval 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 precisely in the same
way as he has done to various persons
both before his inauguration 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 ofticehOdeTs from politics as
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 a fine phrase, is what Mr..
Cleveland recognizes as bis 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 read
ing this hearts outburst of Mr.. Cleveland.
No wonder that the enthusiastic Mug
wump who wrote down the declaration of
the President, is thereby so entirely filed
with enthusiasm that he eXclaims: Next
to the creation Of the nation and the SAL
walton of its life, this is the greatest work
that any President has undertakenp
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 officeseekers;
that oficeholdeTs are not maintained to
carry on politics, but to fulfill their official
duties; then the political movements OF
this country, and at the same time it's
government would assume an entirely
different character. No more radical
transformation in the conduct of our pub
lie affairs can be imagined than that
which the President desires to bring
about.
But will he not fail in his undertaking?
His opponents in both party camps natu-
rally 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. But now the first
election is over, and the President per-
sists in his policy as determinedly as ever;
in fact. even more determinedly. In that
election the Democrats had to learn that
the safety of their partydepends upon their
supporting Mr.. Cleveland's policy, and
the Republicans have found out to their
terror the vanity of their expectation that
the Democratic party would go into bat
tie host without leaders because the dis
cOntented Democratic spells politicians
would not go with them.
Yet it must be admitted that not only
Democratic spOils politicians have been
undeceived by the President, but, I'M
d0ubtedly, the great mass OF the Demo-
Gratis as we'll. They had grown UP in the
ideas of half a century ago, and believed
that the President would have nothing
more pressing to do than to turn out the
100000 Republicans who hold offices, and
to put in 100000 Democrats, merely as
reward for party services, and with the
understanding that in the future party
service would be expected from
them as their first duty. Besides,
there is a vast number of the OPP
pOnents of this revolving concep-
tion of the public service who did not dare
to hope from the President an energetic
opposition to the continuance Of such
shameful system; but their disappoint-
ment is In every respect agreeable to
them. By this time they must have found
out that the President has resolved TO do
everything that lies in his power to carry
through the reform. His strength may
not suffice to accomplish the work within
the period of single administration, but
during this time the education of the peO-
pie in reform will have made immense
progress and, Whatsoever party shall
hereafter hold the helm, it will not dare
TO refuse its cO-operatiOn in the reform.