Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1888-08-23
Reformer Cleveland.

Frank Leslie tInd)
The shameful showing of the Tribune,
with its names, dates and facts, sets forth
that 21S appointees of the reformer Presi-
dent have been directly connected with
the criminal classes. The disgraceful list
includes two murderers and two hirelings
of assassins, seven forgers, three rioters
--one appointed to be judge of the
court by which he had been imprisoned;
five indicted for frauds against the revc-
nue., and others for violating the pension
laws; many guilty Of robbing the mails
appointed mail-agenis or postmasters: and
one who when appointed was in Jail for
robbing the identical Office to which he
was appointed; an impeached State
Treasurer. defrauding county treasurers;
men guilty Of robbery, theft, embezzle.
ment, grand larceny, bribery. wife.beat-
ing, black. mailing. keepers of gambling
houses and houses of i'll fame, and many
Others guilty of scarcely less heinous
oifenses. To come down to few speci-
fications: A deserter from the Union to
the Confederate service was appointed an
Indian inspector in August, 1885. The
person appointed pension agent at Col
umbus, Ohio, deserted in the face of the
enemy, was court.martialed and sentenc-
as clerk of railway mails, had been in.
dicted three times for forgery, arrested
three times in Cincinnati for obtaining
money under false pretenses, once in
Texas for robbery, twice for theft in
Kentucky, and who stole money order
before he was one month in Office, and
who is now awaiting trial The person
appointed as postmaster at Newark. Ohio,
in
sheriff of Licking county The foreman
Of Norfolk navy yard was the leader of a
mob that broke up Republican meeting
at Portsmouth during the last campaign;
was arrested, tried and fined. One in
ternal revenue collector, appointed by The
President, was active in the Maine Gar
cclon frauds. The 'pernicious partisan"
appointed statistical agent for the Ohio
Agricultural Department was in Jail
for three months for stealing promissory
note, but escaped the penitentiary on
technically. One person, appointed
mail agent, was sentenced 10 the pen.
itentarv for two years for grand larceny,
two years for robbery, and was also in
dicted for riot, for robbery, and for as
sault and battery. We cannot, of course.
undertake to vouch for the strict accuracy
against these and other appointees but
the evidence upon which the charges are
made is regarded by that journal as con-
elusive, and, as to many of them, is &C.
Cessible to all inquirers. Can the adj
ministration afford to stand mute, or re-
fuse to plead, guilty or not guilty, to
such a formidable and seemingly fatal
indictment? 1t is idle for Mr. Cleveland
and his supporters to pretend that he is
not responsible. He entered upon the
executive office with distinct and positive
pledges that the public service should be
divorced as far as possible from partisan
ship; that in certain of its departments
changes should be made only according
TO the personal character or fitness of the
officials. He promised that the ''rascals
should be turned out" and that the
service should be cleansed and elevated
by the appointment of capable and honest
men to positions of trust and RESPONSE
bility. He has not kept his promise. 1t
is indeed possible that he may have been
now and then deceived, but it is absurd
to pretend that, with the exercise of
ordinary care on his part he could have
been imposed upon in all or One-quarter
Of the cases cited by the Tribune. The
only possible conclusion is that he has
abandoned deliberately the policy pro-
claimed by him when a candidate, and
that the integrity of the public service is
to be henccforth secondary to partisan
considerations. The country may well
stand amazed at such an exhibition of in
difference to official obligations and the
most solemn personal engagements