Western appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1885-18??, 1888-03-24
cLEvELAND's SCHEMES.
why Public Office as Now Constituted
May BE Called q Private Trust.

why Public Office as Now Constituted
May Be Called q Private Trust.
In his letter of acceptance, dated
August Is, 1884, Grover Cleveland
said:
:. When an election to office shall be
the selection by the voters Of one Of
their number to assumes for time,
public trust instead Of his dedication
to the profession Of politics; when the
holders of the ballot, quickened by a
sense Of duty, shall avenge truth be-
trayed and pledges broken, and when
the suffrage shall be altogether free
and interrupted, the full realization
OF government by the people will be
at hand; and of the means to this end,
not one would, in my Judgment, be
more effective than an amendment to
the Constitution disqualifying the
President from reelection. When we
consider the patronage of this great
office, the allurements of power, the
temptation to retain public place once
gained, and more than all, the avail
ability a party finds in an incumb bent
whom a horde of ofice-holders, with a
zeal born of benefits received and fos-
tered by the hope of fayors yet to
come, stand ready to aid with money
and trained political service, we recog-
nize in the eligibility of the President
for a reelection a most serious danger
to that calm, deliberate and intelligent
political action which must character
ize Il government by the people,
The limit of credulity is very nearly
reached when it is considered that the
language quoted above was written by
the present President less than four
years ago. Since his Inauguration he
has publicly recognized the existence
Of but one paper in this country.
That comic journal bears for its motto
the quotations: 'sWhat fools these
mortals be- The inference is that he
imagines the ten million voters OF the
country are to be counted in this cate
CORY. IS,
On no other hypothesis can it be ac-
counted for that he is a candidate for a
second term. Starting out with the
apothegm that "a public Office is a
public trust, /" he can justly be consid-
cred the originator of all the trusts
that have been formed during his adj
ministration.
No 'ttrust' established since
March 4, 1886, from the Standard Oil
to the sugar combine" has been
manipulated more zealously in the
interests of it's chief stakeholder than
has the patronage at Washington.
1.-The allurements of power were en-
ticing and strong enough to impel Presi-
dent Clevelandto begin scheming for
denomination before he was fairly domi-
ciled at the White House. His every
move has shown that it did not require
a horde of jealous office-h holders to con-
VINCE him that he was the chosen child.
of destiny. As the constitutional dis
ability he suggested had not been
adopted "the temptation to retain
public place once gained'' met with
little resistance in the Presidential
mind.
y
ment has been with that one object in
view. When there was no such law in
existence as that fttingly referred to,
as it is administered, as 'snivel serv-
ice" the Federal patronage was never
more openly used in forwarding the
ambition of one man. From the re-
appointment of Postmaster Pearson, of
New York, in Difference to the Mug
,wumps, down to the selection of col
lector OF the per capita tax on tar
antulas at Galveston, the second term
was always in view. Not one of the
chloride Oh office-holders" from Port
land to San Diego or from Tacoma to
st. Augustine who does not s.stand
ready to aid with money and trained
political service" the behests from the
Executive mansion.
AS now constituted public Office is a
private trust, with Mr.. Cleveland as
the sole beneficiary. Chicago Inter-
Ocean,