The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1888-10-11
Democratic Reform

of the present Democratic Administration
clearly illustrates the rank hypocrisy Of its
reform professions The Mu9wump> claim to
have voted for Mr.. Cleveland in ISL on the
single ground tina; he was for civil service re-
form, and 80 slender was h> declared majority
in the pivotal state Of New York which really
went Republican that he may he said to owe
hi election 10 them. He thus secured the
Presidency Il a Reformer OF The Civil Service.
In lii letter of accei tance he pro laimel HIM
self. a. he did in a letter 10 George William
Curtis uure>ervedly in favor Of the most
thorough enforcement OF civil service rules.
His violation OF these pledges i notorious. In
JULY lat the New York Tribune gave a detail
el review of Democratic appointments Which
were shown by Democratic testimony TO Elo-
late every rule Of :itne>> and to disregard every
profession OF The President. The Tribune i'll
yited investigation and correction. but UP to
the present time exception las been taken to
but one of the many eases cited, ana the re-
maiu,itg stand uncliallon-e,l a. the record Of a
bogu, reforner. III II cases tho civil service
law ha> been directly violated by appointments
and in seven ny removals: the intent of the
law la> been violated in niue other appoint
ment> specified and in s. removals. besides ;'>6
cases in which the facts without names are Civ
on. Men have bean appointed in great ma
iority u CASES expressly for partisan services.
The appointing power has been used 10 sup
,o~t - relatives Of the President. hi wife BIZ
tabiuo, officers. prominent Senators and other
officials and in II other eases specified 10 pay
personal or political obligations.
The Pre- >iIent's list OF Judicial api ointment,
includes two murlerer-. and the tools Of two
others. five notorious lueli>> and three riot
or>-one 10 lie Ju lie Of the very coItt ly
which he had been imprisoned six weeks. 1t
include, five person, who had been iH,ii ted or
convicted for frauds against the revenue. APP
pointed to he officers Of the revenue service. 1t
includes jury-.iXer. a dca,l-bca. a lawyer
guilty Of defrau'ing clients and an attorney
who had cleared notorious bandits by contriv
i'm defeat of justice. all appointed 10 be
judges. Persons were appointed pension agents
who had been indicted for Violating pension
laws. Persons guilty Of robbin@ tie mails
were appointed po>tna>ter> OF mai agents
one when appointed was in Jail for robbing the
Very office 10 which b. was appointed. Liquor
sellers. their sons or attorneys were appointed
internal revenue officials. An inlpeached STATE
Treasurer, defrauding county or town trea>tir-
er>. seven forger>-ome of whom had serv-
"a two terms for ;hat offence. but knew
Cleveland personally and men guilty Of
robbery. embezzlement, theft. malfea>ance.
tapping church TILL grand larceny. brib-
cry. obtaining money under false pretenceS.
Of Il printing steal mileage steal and Il
patent fraud. of keeping gambling houses
and houses of resort for the vile Of both sexes,
of assault and battery. distributing and insult
ing women. of a>>aulting lady Temperance
lecturer with cluh. of wife beating, of black
mailing and selling offices and Of selling official
information. WITH an editor Of q rogUe> paper
and Brooklyn police officer who dis
missed for arre>ine in her bed at } \. NJ. a sick
woman against whom there was no charge and
compelling her to walk mile to q >tation-a
these are chosen instruments of reform.
Scarcely les offensive i the list of men who
have been notorious for political crimes-but
theyar too many to enuinerate here. Tho list
of criminals embraces 49,. not including %
persons guilty of political crimes. of 80 other
persons directly connected with The criminal
classes But besides these there are mentioned
only ~ persons guilty OF the crime OF treason.
though fully one third Of all the appointees of
Mr. Cleveland. an army Of thirty or forty
thousand men, are of that class. Among the
Rebels. those who We're the yileSt in character
come to the surface; like the person who wears
scarf pin made of the skull Of a Union
soldier. or the one who hoped Union blood
would lie deep enough for his horse to swim
ill.," The men whose language about Lincoln
and Grant about Blaine or the wives Of Union
veterans was TOO vile to be printed have found
appointments from Mr.. Cleveland, with one
who personally insulted Mr.. Blaine and another
who nsulted General Logan. and two desert
ers from the Union army. There Were living
three years ago. perhaps dozen Rebels who
had never sought removal of disabilities, and
Mr.. Cleveland selected three Of these for for
egn missions But why enumerate further.
President Eieveand'> civil service record is
abupdantly ventilated. Two of the cases cited
are those of Maine men, and our readers will
readily supplement them with ether unit APP
pointmcntS. if nothing worse is to he said of
them.
The tariff reform professions of President
Cleveland and his party are equally insincere.
Both the President and his party are controlled
in this matter by the South, which ruled the
Democratic party with an iron hand before the
war but from motives Of policy has only be-
gun to reassert itself under the present Adj
ministraton The South holds all the import
ant eharmanships in the Democratic House
and its rule is absolute in the White House and
In all the Departments. To Mr.. Mills of Texas
was entrusted the duty of reforming the tariff.
Not to 20 into unnecessary detail he proceeded
to do this by retaining a tariff Of 30 to 100 per
cent Southern products, including that
article of prime necessity, sugar, and of plac ~
on the free list the products of the Republican
States North and West. New England. for
which the South has no love, was specially
aimed at in his bill for the destruction of Amer
lean industries and Maine in particular is
singled out for punishment This is reform in
the tariff as practiced by the present Admins
traton and it makes a fitting companion
picture for that illustrating the c, service re-
form of President Cleveland.
1t was stated last week that the town cleo
tons just held in Connecticut showed Republic
can gains, and that such changes as have taken
place are in the great majority of cases favor
able to that party. The city of South Nor
walk, heretofore largely Democratic, elects
Republican mayor and five of the six council
men. The Democratic majority In Meriden
has dropped from 800 last year to so. The re-
suit in Hartford is substantially the same as
last year, the Republicans electing two select
men and the Democrats three. The vote was
small throueho the State, owing to the bad
weather. In most of the towns, the chief con-
test was on the license question A large ma
jority of the small towns, under the local OPP
ton law, vote for no license. The larger towns
and cities are for license. The Prohibition
vote is no larger than heretofore.
The Journal thinks that as Portland's candi-
date for the GubernatoriaI nomination was
defeated by an eastern man, the Speakership
of the House should be conceded to Portland,
particularly as she presents so good man for
the place as Col. Fred N. Dow. 1t is not good
politics for the eastern section of the State to
claim all the State offices, and the issue of
locality having been raised in the Gubern atorial