Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1888-05-24
Secretary Fairchild.
HIS SPEECH ATTHE MEETING AT
BROOKLYN.
Reason for His Faith-Not Free
Trade" but "Free People,"

New YORK, May y19.-Secretary Fair
child in addressing the Brooklyn DEM
ocratic Association tonight, after re-
viewing the organization and functions
of the Treasury Department, complain
ed of the responsibility and power i'm
posed upon and given to the Secretary
of the Treasury. The want of balance
between government receipts and ex-
penditures, he said, makes the will and
judgment of the Secretary at times O
most potent factor in the business of
the country. This was Unnecessary, it
was wrong, and it should be the mis-
sion of the Democratic party to do
away with the wrong. "When the head
of department of the Government"
said the Secretary, "is charged with the
conduct of business so complicated and
important, and with responsibilities so
heavy as those which have tried to de-
scribe, it will be readily admitted that
it is most important not only for him,
but for the country and the party
whose credit is involved in his success
or failure that the subordinates upon
whom he must depend and by whom
most of the actual work must be done,
should be skillful and acquainted with
their work, and it is equally important
that they should heartily desire the
success of their department and of him
who may be at its head.
| This, he said, presented the problem
of civil service reform in his judgment
in the right to remove subordinates
without question, aud without the pre-
sumption until the contrary is proven
that removals are made for other pur-
poses than the public good should be
conceded ana maintained. Any curtail-
ment of this right would infeeble the
public service, divide and dissipate Of
fetal responsibility. At the same time
no officer with due regard for the sue
cess of the trust confided to him would
use this power except with care and af-
ter grave consideration. The civil SER
vice law. as it is found upon the statue
books, had not only been rigidly en-
forced, but its application had been eX-
tended by executive rule, and its spirit
had been observed without formal rules
since the advent of this administration
in certain large branches of the Treas
ury Department, in some of which the
most fragrant abuse of the power of ap-
pointment and removal had heretofore
| PiCNollCu' CpCdhlbS VI tuLlll lCIollhl
Secretary Fairchild said: "The Presi-
dent has done his part; his advice is be-
fore the country. Mr.. Manning did his
part bravely and ably; all Democrats
love to honor his memory; how better
to do it than by honoring his teaching?
The Democrats of the ways and means
committee have done their part by
framinga conservative, careful bill, fol-
lowing in its general features the ad.
vice of your president and of your great
Democratic secretary of the treasury.
The Democrats of the house have sup
ported this bill in debate with rare abil-
ity and unanswerable logic. The ques-
tion involved is not free trade but free
government, free people. Democracy
has principles, it has convictions which
cannot be satisfied by merely filling
government places with men labelled
Democrats. Let us trust the people;
let us believe that they know as much
as we know, and in trusting them let
us be true to our Democratic faith. Nc
party deserves success which is not will
ing TO meet defeat rather than give up
its faith. Let us be thankful that the
Democracy does deserve success"