Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1888-02-15
attistellaneo'1s 8eadi'tg.
For the Yorkyille Enquirer.
CALHOUN AND CLEVELAND.
BY DIR. A. w. MILLER.

For the Yorkylle Enquirer.
CALHOUN AND CLEVELAND.
BY DIR. A. W. MILLER.
Americas most illustrious states
man, the Hon. John. G. Calhoun,
gave utterance, in Congress, Februa.
ry 9th, 1885, to these momentous
truths, which deserve to be serious
ly pondered, Especially at this time)
by the people of the United States:
Gas greatly as these causes have
added to the force Of patronage of
late, there are others OF different
nature which have contributed to
give it far greater and more dan
gerous influence. At the head Of
these should be placed the practice
so greatly extended, if not for the
first time introduced, of removing
from office persons we'll qualified,
and who had faithfully performed
their duty, in order to fill their places
with those who are recommended,
on the ground that they belong to
the party in power, a practice en-
dangering our political institutions,
and the liberty of the country.
Cases of such removals may be found
in the early stages of the govern
ment; but they are 80 few and ex-
ercised so little influence, that they
may be said to constitute instances
rather than as forming practice.
It is only within the last few years
that removals from office have been
introduced as a system; and for the
first time, an opportunity has been
afforded of testing the tendency of
the practice, and witnessing the
mighty increase which it has given
to the force Of executive" patron
age; and the entire and fearful
change, in conjunction with other
causes, it is effecting in the charac-
ter of our political system. Nor will
it require much reflection to perceive
in what manner it contributes to in
crease so vastly the extent of execu-
patronage.
$50 long as Offices acere considered
as z1t5lic trusts, to be conferred on
the honest, the faithful and capable
for the common good, and not for
the benefit or gain of the incumbent
or his party; and so long as it was
the practice of the government to
continue in office those who faithful
ly performed their duties, its patron
age, in point of fact, was limited to
the mere power of nominating to ac-
cidental vacancies or to neWly-crea-
ted offices, and could, of course, ex-
ercise but a moderate influence, eth
er over the body of the community
or of the office-holders themselves;
but when this practice was reversed; ;
when offices, instead of being consid-
cred as public trusts, to be conferred
on the deserving, were regarded as
the spoils of victory, to be bestowed
as rewards for partisan service, with
out respect to merit; when it came to
be understood that all who hold office
hold by the tenure of partisan zeal
and party service, it is easy to see
that the certain, direct and inevita-
BILE tendency of such state Of things
is to convert the entire body of those
in office into corrupt and supple in
struments of power, and to raise up
a host of hungry, greedy and subser-
Went partisans, ready for every
service, however base and corrupt.
Were premium offered for the best
means of extending to the utmost
the power of patronage to destroy
the love of country and to substitute
a spirit Of subserviency and man
worship; to encourage vice and
discourage virtue and, in a word,
to prepare for the subversion Of lib
erty and the establishment of despot-
ism, no scheme more perfect could be
devised; and such must be the ten
dency of the practice, with whatever
intention adopted, or to whatever
extent pursued"
Such were the oracular utterances
of that patriot-statesman-that lofty
spirit, npon whom
every god did seem to set his seal,
TO give the world assurance ofa MAN"
What a. rebuke do his words ad-
minister to time serving politicians
who would crawl to wealth or pow
er over the purity of the common
wealth and the liberties of the peo-
ple to the buzZards that would
fatten upon the nations vitals,
screeching over the carcass: TO the
rictors belong the spois
What a distressing spectacle to see
the interests of great people tossed
to and fro by the schemes and in
trigues and chicane of men who have
neither the fear of God before their
eyes nor the love of their country in
their hearts. eve cannot but dread
some impending calamity, when we
see the honor and prosperity and
glory of a nation made the sport of
the party tactics and the little selfish
schemes of little men, who, by the
visitation of God, happen to have
some control over great subject and
some influence in great common
wealth :" who are unable to extend
their vision beyond the domain of
self, or the narrow circle of party
pitiful pigmies, who can rise to no
ioftier ends than the flesh pots of
Egypt, contemplate parasites who
would thwart the policy and obstruct
the efforts for reform of our noble Pre-
sident, whose amplitude of mind, in
tegrity Of purpose, simplicity of de-
sire, consistency of action, evince
that his conceptions are raised to the
magnitude and Importance cf his
momentous duties,-that his COM
prehension isas broad as the country
for which he acts, his aspirations as
high as its certain destiny.
! "a statesman is a sublime charac-
ter-a jobbing politician too little for
contempt"
An impartial comparison of the
present administration with all that
have preceded it,-noting the diff
culties contended with, and the OBJ
stacles to full success in the way of
each,-places President Cleveland
next to President Washington. And
should his course, to the end of his
career, prove to be as admirable as
it has been thus far, it will be no
easy question for the American peo-
pie to determine which of the two
should be "first in the hearts of his
countrymen." The President of the
whole country, he should be made
President by the whole country
without opposition, the unanimous
choice of the people. Such singu-
lar distinction would be due to him,
by reason of singular merit, homes
ty, Justice, courage, unsWerving de-
votion to principle. Should it not
he accorded him. it would ONLY prove