The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-03-31
Cleveland, expresses itself as follows concern

! ing the showing made:
sThat was damaging speech in which
Senator Harrison of Indiana, on Friday, gave
some facts about the civil-service-reform work
of President Cleveland We have just been
reading this speech, and If there are many
| more such facts as Mr. Harrison brought out
we incline to agree with our Washington cor
respondent, who advises the civil-service re-
| formers to put Grape on their hats and en-
deavor to reconcile themselves to the death of
their policy. If Mr.. Harrison gave fair exam
Piles of what Mr. Cleveland has been doing
and countenancing the country will no longer
wonder at the suddenness with which he
pulled down his curtains when the people be-
gan to talk about publicity"
1t were the easiest thing possible to sub
| stantiate all that the Senator has touched
| upon. The facts are familiar to thousands
| The President nor any of his Cabinet care to
deny any of them, but are content to ignore
| all reference to these scandals. The lofty in
difference manifested goes to prove that the
professions made in the campaign were dis
honest There can be no other conclusion.
| No conscientious man could make such
| pledges and violate them so completely. The
| scandalous circular sent out by the Postmas-
ter-general, with the consent, if not by the
direction, of the President shows his insin-
cerity in ali that he had SO loudly protested
It is humiliating to be obliged to make such
an admission concerning the chief magistrate
of the Nation, but it is SO palpably true that
| denial is out Of the question, if indeed the
| President or bis friends care to make denial
| The challenge to point to q single State in
which the public service has been bettered has
never been replied to, for the very good rea-
| son that reply is impossible. The dare may
be made even broader, and it may be demand
ed where the service has not been impaired
Scandals have been almost as frequent as APP
| pointments, at times. The most infamous
means have been resorted to to get rid of Off
Gals, SO as not to appear to violate the spirit
Of the civil-service rules, ard the administra.
ton has acted on the principle that the aver
| age voter could not sound the fraud thus at
| tempted. The thin disguise put on was in
tended to satisfy the mugwump, who, pre-
sumably, was regarded as very credulous
individual, as in fact he was. Commenting
on Senator Harrison's showing, that several
newly-appointed officials had actively
engaged in partisan politics since entering
upon the discharge of their duties, the Her
aid indorses the Senator's opinion that these
men should be removed, just as the President
has removed Republican officials for the same
offense. The Herald declares that ''every
honest man, Democrat or Republican, in the
land will say the same" But suppose they
do, what good will it doP The President has
shown that he regards a dishonest partisan
Democrat as better than tried and honest
Republican, and that he thinks Democrat
incapable Of offending the law that works so
disastrously to Republicans. Civil-service
reform has been made burlesque all over the
L.