The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1888-07-25
ILLINOIS POLITICS.
Opening Speech of the Campaign by
the Republican Candidate for
Governor.
National and State Politics Discussed
and Handled In a Mastery
Manner.


Republican candidate for Governor, deliv-
cred an able speech, from which We make
copioas extracts. Said he:
We arc now eatcring upon political canvass
the Is of which must prove of hfsh anu
lasting importance to the people OF this nation
A lons-ostaJlis Led American policy, vital 20 all
inter sts il trial before the voters on one
hand, while upon the other an administration
that gnined power under n mask OF reform ana
by tho most solemn promises OF n Jonersonian
virtue Is To receive attention in response to the
defnnnl hat its doings and pretentions sinai DC
ratified n November.
The r, sult of this campaign must also so
long way toward determining whether any ef-
fort in the future is to be made 20 enforce tine
provisions OF tue Constitution relating TO sur
irag3 Ia the South. or whether we are 10 3 Z
down helplessly and allow political pnfty 10
enjoy the perpetual I. iits OF violence anu iraud
Such questions may we'll receive the candid con-
siderntion 81 candid men,
This campaign u.s. hope 20 be n battle of op-
posing principles and not petty iusilla1e OF
personal dctracton and calumny.
MIR. Cleveland elected upon his speated
and irsistent ASSERT N that he would II etc,ed,
enforce in the civil service of ths country these
principles:
l. That ppointments 10 and changes in tAs
public service ought in no case TO be made for
political reasons.
herence or service should 10 the sole ground OF
all appointments in the civil service
3. That active partisanship by persons en-
gagged in the public service should not be toler-
ated.
T. That the eligibility for reelection OF the
President, by reason OF the temptation IL offers
to the use Of patronage TO crafty personal ainDi-
ton, Is serious danger 10 the proper auinlills-
tration OF the government.
Yet Mr. Cleveland in face of these pledges, has
dragged the public service down into the sewers
of party politics and has permitted the civil
service 70 become the battening ground OF cam
paigu strikers wherein the dirtiest political
service finds high and sure rewar
Every utterance of Mr. Cleveland three or four
years ago was pregnant with civil service re-
form. viii the slogan, Public onice is public
trust" was heard to reverberate through the
land from the lips of IA party which in practice
had never treated public Office as anything else
than private benefaction 20 be used Tor Ter
sonal gain and advanc ement.
No tedious stats les Ore needed 10 prove the
recreancy of this administration TO its promises.
Scarcely had the ink with which the President
wrote his reform inaugural become dry before
the ak OF the administration headsman began 90
be wet with Tho blood of Republican officials
whose efficien end iaithtulness were unques-
eioned and WHO were slain 80 ely that their
places might be filed by Demo rats.
Even private character was not safe from as
sassination ut the hands OF the executive head
of tho nation in tho search for causes" which
would help To mnkB partisan acts seem TO ac-
cord with ante-slection prof 'ssious and we hnd
this same executive, he time approx ched
when he should in all honesty respect mis- own
declaration OF the great danger lying in n Presi-
dents personal ambition u renominate himself,
not only setting at naught his argument
but sliding down from his.high pedestal into the
very camp of tho party spokesman where he has
been wholly invisible TO the longing eye of the
-rnugwump" for, loi these many months. All
the alleged abuses which before election fur
nished the texts OF Mr.. Clevelnnd's various hon.
lilies on reform now hold nlimited sway under
his administration. Penicious activity by OFF,
cials in party management, the levying OF as-
sessments upon government employ for cam
paign purposes the removal OF faithful officials
TO make places with which To reward ignorant
party hepers-all these vices and many more
about which Mr.. Cleveland theoriZed well
that no won the admiration OF Mr. Curtis and
slaa
ington for the past two years and that, too, not
only in violation of the Presidents personal
pledges but in violation of the statute law of the
land. Oh, reform, thou art a jewel, but thou art
not Demcratl
The exclamation of the man who said "What
are here for?" has in my judgment as much
promise Of real reform in it as can be found in
the heavy and self-righteous gatherings of the
present spoils administration. Above all the hy-
pocrisv and sham of the past four years rises the
great fact that the President gained power by
professions and promises which he knew his
party would not allow him TO keep. and which il
is evident he mover meant to keep whom he made
them
Mr. Cleveland makes much better figure as
an avowed spokesman than he did in the
guise OF n efOrmer. In the height OF the exhibit
tion he ressmbled n hippopotamus trying to bal
ance a slack rope. All is now changed. The
laft "mugwump" has disappeared down the back
stairs of the white house. followed close by the
masterful boot OF the Democratic "bouncer," and
henc,forth there is TO be none to modest the
President or TO make him afraid. IL is 70 he
hoped we shaiI in future have less OF hypocrisy,
whatever may be the fate Of the civil service.
A campail OF the most vrulent abuse and
falsehCod waged ostensibly for reform deceived
some Republicans into slisving that there was
corruption in high places, and that the public
good required change; and when the change
did come it was found that this Government had
never been, from the hour OF Washington's first
Inauguration. more faithfully, honestly. or effici-
emily ministered than IL on the very day
that Arthur passed it over into the hands OF
Cleveland. Having by these means deceived the
people aud gotten control OF the Federal Govern
ment. tho same tnctics are now being adopted %
gain power in thd'State OF Illinois 1t is charged
that the Republican partyof the State has been
extravagant and corrupt in the levy of taxes aud
in the expenditure of the peoples money; that
il has by fraud AID corruption increased the ex-
pendtures of the State 100 in one year.
will try 20 answer this charge, and that, too,
without the aid OF brass band playing March
ing Through Georgia"
Some one has said Patriotism is the last
refuge Of scoundrel :" a kindred proposition,
and a truer one. would be that revenue reform
is the last refuge OF the Democratic party in ILL
nois Revenue and taxation form favorite
vantage ground from which Democrats appeal
to popular prejudices and, on this ground, as
in last ditch, the Democratic party of Illinois
and OF the nation has been standing for the last
twenty five years, shooting the poisoned arrows
OF SANDER at the Republican party.
Those who remember with what facility the
Democratic orator OF 1883 and 1884 could demon
strate that the revenues had Slapped the na-
tons life and that the Republican party had by
excessive taxation destroyed the Union rom
within moro efIectually than the rebels could
destroy IL from without will not be surprised to
find that some of the same men able 70
prove by n little Democ -ntic arithmetic that the
State Of Illinois is being ruined BY taxation 70
support its asylums, its homes for the soldier
and tue orphan, and its normal schools.
The Democratic party has been in control OF
the National Government for more than three
years, and IL ia now demanding that it's control
be extended over the imperial State OF Illinois.
To this end that party met i'm Springfield las
May, nominated State ticket, and adopted a
platform of principles. Now A. is fair 20 say
that IL there existed any good reason why the
Republicans of this State should Yield their
control 70 he Democrats that Democratic con.
vention would have been swift to find out and
state in i,s platform the particular reason why
such change should have been made have
read with some the Democratic State plat
form, and the following ia the only char.e find
against the Republican pnrty of this state:
Not less urgent, they THE Democratic party
believe Is the demand for reform I'm state taxa
tion than in National, md they call the serious
attention OF the voters OF Illinois TO the enor
nous increase in tho expenditure OF public
money by the present Republican admiiistra
tion for the support Of the state Government, IN
itself the cause OF the utmost concern 20 tax
payers. SO alarmngly have these expenditures
Increased that the people were taxed TO raise
the sum of "a, 32S 00O for the year 1887. a sum NJ
least a, 500 900 I'm excess Of the former year
sum large that IL demonstrates that the
longer the Republican party remains in power
I'm the State the moro corrupt and extraYagan
It grows and justihes tho demand OF the peopls
for change, not only 70 the end that such ex