The Portland daily press., 1888-10-25

The New York Evening Posts favorite
way Of demolishing an adversary is to nick
name him or call him liar. But it has
lately encountered gentleman with whom
neither of these plans appears to be effective.
The gentleman is Mr.. Henry c. Lea. of
Philadelphia, who four years ago was
prominent Independent. To callhim "Hen"
isn't likely TO extinguish him, and to de-
nounce him as a liar" is impracticable mas
much as Mt Lea can prove from the files OF
the Post that his view of Mr.. Cleyeland's
attitude toward civil service reform is very
nearly the same as expressed by the Post
itself. 1t finds itself compelled therefore
to treat him with some consideration
and to allow him to present his case against
Mr.. Cleveland In its columns. 1t was a
serious mistake the Post thus made, or was
compelled to make. for Mr.. Lea's letter is
unanswerable, Mr.. Lea says:
-, To me one Of the most deplorable features Of
have admired and respected as leaders of the re-
form are beguled into sacrificing il by the device
the country after his betrayal OF that upon which
virtually he was elected in 1884. They have thus
rendered themselves accessories to the recru-
the President In his endeavor 60 strangie reform.
DO You not see that lin aiding him to eliminate il
which It played In that Of 1884, and his violation
power 70 Teegate the reform to the hopeless posi-
ton OF dead issue-of 2 fad which has served to
amuse a few idealists for time, to be now cast
aside and forgotten as factor In practical poll
you are doing is TO proclaim to the machine mana
gers OF both parties that your demand for the re-
form Is mere stage thunder, which they may safe
~ disregard in the future.
Now this is precisely the view which the
Independent press had always held until it
became necessary to abandon it in order to
support Mr.. Cleveland. They had argued
over and over again that if the politicians
were ever to be compelled to accept civil
service reform it could only be done by con-
yincing them that treachery to it or desertion
OF 1t was certain to be followed by punish
ment in the shape of defeat But here they
all are permitting and even aiding Mr.,
Cleveland to escape that punishment. They
admit his recreancy. but allow him to slip in
another issue and obscure the issue which
for years ago they declared dwarfed in
importance all other issues. Mr. Lea re-
fuses to do this. He alone of all the most
prominent of the Independents of 1884 main
tains consistency Common sense" he
says, shows that the overthrow of abuses
so deeply rooted as those of the spoils sys-
tenn can only be accomplished by the friends
OF reform insisting upon 1t resolutely as the
main issue, from which they will not allow
themselves to be led astray Mr.. Cleveland
has proved traitor, and the only use to be
made of him is as an example. If Gen. Har
rison should prove false we can serve him in
the same way. anc eventually the politicians
Will recognize that we mean business. To
be diverted from our object by the herring
which Mr.. Cleveland has adroitly drawn
across the scent is to show that we are not
In earnest, and that we can be made the
playthings Of any astute politician. There
is room on the barn door for any number Of
chicken-hawks, and no farmer refrains from
bringing down one because he may subse-
quently have to shoot another" These are
the views of an Independent who sets civil
service reform above free trade.