Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1888-01-16
Continued from second page. !


| Republican President, as | have said, was
| zation of the party, all men holding Federal
Office disappearing from it, committees and
staff Of political workers.
| On the I4th day of Julv, 1856, the Presi--
dent issued his famous order from the Execu-
tive Mansion in Washington, TO the heads
| of the Departments III the service OF the Cen
| eraI Government As this whole proclama-
| ton has Deen read from the desk of the Sec
/ Rotary, will not here take mp the time of the
/ Senate by repeating IT. In it the President
| declares that his purpose is to warn all sub
| or,iiBates in the several Departments and all
| ofice-hoider- under the General Government.
against the use of their official positions in
attempts to control political movements in
their localities. In il he declares that office
| holders are the agents of the people-not
their masters" In it he warns Federal Of
| fciais against offending, by display of OBJ
irusive partisanship. their neighbour. who
! have relations with them public officials.
| In it he declares that they have no right as
office-hoiders to dictate the political action of
| their party associates. In it he declares
that the duty OF the office -holder to his party
is not increased to pernIcious activity By of
| ce-holding."
| These plai declarations of the President
4 form policy under which, if properly fol-
| lowed the civil service of the country would
| indeed be divorced from politics. The In
| dependents felt this, and taking new courage
| from the Presidents declarations. and forget
| ting how far the performance had fallen short
| of bis promises in appointments and removals,
| still chung, in many eases, 10 the Democratic
organization.
The Civil Service Commissioners, or at
least two of them, interpreted the statute in
accordance with the Presidents instruction.
and this added weight to the Executive direc-
ton. But the leaders and the masses
of the Democratic party felt
by this time that they clearly I'M
derstood the situation, and at this point be-
gins to be clearly marked the change OF tone
among these leaders in their comments upon
the President They realized fully that in
view of coming elections the party must ride
two horses that the President was to steadily
maintain in all his public declarations the
cause of Civil Service Reform. with the
view of retaining the support of the
Independents; but that as in the case of
appointments and removals no real obstruc-
ton was to be placed in the way of any and
every ottice-holder participating, whenever
he chose, IN caucuses aud conventions and in
the elections y hich followed.
Whether the advantages to he derived
from this double presentation first became
Clearly discernible to the Presidents eye or
to the eyes of his party leaders is not a mat
ter of Importance. The beauties of the
situation, to party which had straldled and
presented two fronts upon almost every great
question before the people, were at once
apparent, and the President and his party,
while speaking in different voices, were at
once reconcled and came to bed together.
The conventions in the different States and
in the Congressional districts at once fell
under the old management, and were con-
Quoted as in the palmy days of Democracy,
previous to the war.
In the Indiana election, in November,
1856, the participation of Federal office
holders in the primaries and subsequently in
the election raised scandal of which papers
in that State at the time and afterwards,
| were fall. In the elv-cOnttsted districts
these men left their business and their homes
and de voted themselves to securing the nomi
| nation and election of the members to whom
they had owed their appointments In the
Matson district, in the Holman district. and
especially in the Fort Wayne district the in
trusion of Federal Office -holders into every
stage of the canvass previous 10 the uomina-
ting conventions and elections was so often
siye that honest people revolted and defeated
the Democratic candidate. Whoever will
read the testimony offered in the Lowry
White contested-election case will find ample
proof of Iii, statement.
When 1857 came round the Presidents
declarations and proclamations were treated
as waste paper and the President himself
seems 10y this time to have fallen into such
harmony with the spirit of his party that he
/ mt IL r,stl bnl Il. a
gard of his previous expressed sentiments
and directions, but himself joined in the
NOV cement His most intimate friends both
! in aud ont of office, took charge of the
| conduct of conventions and elections in the
! year which was considered a. having close
a bearing III its results upon the great COM
! my battle of 1888.
At the Saratoga meeting of the Democratic
State committee OF New York, when the
prelimnaric> of what then looked like the
dawuiig contest between the national Admin
istration and the State administration were
to be settled. Deputy Collector john \. Ma
sou and Second Auditor William F. Creed,
of the New York custom-houSe, were most
prominent and active.
At the Pennsylvania State convention more
than forty of the Federal officials of that
State appeared to marshal the forces of the
administration. The names of some of these
have been furnished me as taken from a
Democratic newspaper: +. J. Bigler, col
lcctor of Internal Revenue; ID. o. Barr.
surveyor of the port of Pittsburgh; McNey
and Ryan, special Treasury agents; Fletcher,
chef clerk in bureau of the Navy Depart
mcnt; Glozier, hull inspectors Guss, cleo
margarine inspector; Chester and Warren
and Bancroft, from the Philadelphia mint,
and many others. In baltimore the naval
officer, the appointment clerk, Higgins, and
Indian Inspector Thomas. Customs Agent
Mahon, Postmaster Brown aud his assistant.
nited States marshal and deputies, deputy
collector of Internal Revenue, and host OF
clerks, inspectors, and japtors monopolized
the direction of the entire campaign
might go on and give like instances in
other States but leave that to be more
fully brought out by the committee which
hope will take the matter in charge.
\ Mr. HAwLEY.-May make an inquiry?
|. Mr. HALE.-C ertainlv
NJ. H,wLEy.-ls the Senator certain that
these men have not been Indignantly and
Ivirtuouslv removed!
Mr.. INE.-Not only have yet to learn
of removal for such action, but have vet
to learn of any censure being visited upon
one of these men. In some eases they have
been promoted, and in any caae where a
change has been made il has been by acct
dent. or by something entirely disconnected
with the Administration. | do not know of
case where the President has put his
strong hand upon these men and made it
seen that he meant to perform what he had
promised. In fact, So gross was the violation
of every principle of Reform and of the
Presidents directions and pledges that even
the Evening Post declared that this playing
fast and loose with orders and promises,
which the President is now permitting among
those around him, will be used in the cam
paign with terrible effect"
But the President has not hesitated 10 deal
deadly blows at reform with his own hand.
A remarkable manifestation of the desire of
the people for practical reform in the
selection of important officers was shown in
the city of New York previous to tA last
election. Public suspicion had for long
time rested upon officials in the muni-
cipal government, and had at last
demanded and secured an investigation. which
disclosed the most currupt and shocking