Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-11-24
SEMI-OFFICIAL WARNING.
Significant Words of Harri-
 sons Private Secretary.
CIVIL SERVICE FULLY APPROVED
The Clean Sweepers Are Cautioned Not to Be Too Sanguine-A Probably In- spired Editorial Written by MT. Hall ford-Ofice Seeking Discouraged.

spired Editorial Written by MT. Hal
 ford-OfHce Seeking Discouraged.
 INDIANAPOLIS, Nov. 24-Upon one after another of the questions of executive policy The Indianapolis Journal, whose editorial writer is President-elect Harrison's private secretary, sounds warning and suggestive note.
 In the utter silence of Gen. Harrison upon all these matters there can be no more sig nltcant indication of the trend of his opinions than the editorials MT. Hal ford writes He has been Gen. Har- risons companion and political ally. In all his canvasses for the governorship, senator ship and presidency, Halford has been in his counsels and at his elbow. The doctrines of Halford upon such subjects as civil service reform and solid south are set great store by here, and office holders and office seekers read the utterances in The Journal, "Civil Service Reform sand Clean Sweep" with compla- cency or discontent, according to whether they were in or wanted to be-
 Ut was," the article says, ''the doctrine and practice of to the victors belong the spolls,' which created a necessity for civil service reform. The movement did not come any too soon. And, if held to its original purpose, it cannot be too earnestly prose- cuted for the welfare of the country. The fact that 1t has been made more or less odlous by hypocritical professions and Peck snltt1an pretenses is not the fault of the movement itself. The movement is essen tlally right. Civil service reform in its true sense, that Is, in the sense introducing an eIe- ment of stability into the civil service and conducting it a basis of merit and eff clency rather than of mere political Spoils- CIVIL service reform in this sense has come to stay, and will move forward rather than backward
 The Republican clean sweepers should not be unreasonable in their demands on the next administration. The Democrats made that mistake four years ago, and Republicans should profit by their example. The more unreasonable the demands and expectations in this regard the greater the liability to dis appointment, and of its proving source of party weakness. Those who make it forget that the Republican party is fully committed by its platform pledges to civil service re- form, and that Gen. Harrison has de clared himself in full sympathy with 1t. They forget that the clean sweep ing business was one of the main counts in the indictment against the Democratic party and the consequent demoralization of the public service one of the principal causes of its defeat. If there is any honesty in poli- tics, the Republican party is pledged to use ulSCI III IeIIlONdlS from once as well as in appointments thereto, and to use both primarily for the public welfare rather than for supposed party advantages Above all, our friends, the clean sweepers, forget that Gen. Harrison will be surrounded by some restrictions in the matter of removals and appointments which he cannot disre- gard. The civil service law must be obeyed It has not been altogether ignored by the present administr4 tion, and it would be scandalous for a Republican administration not to give it a still fairer construction
 After remarking what offices are and are not included under the civil service law, the writer concludes: "From what has been said it is evident there are many things to be taken into account ill connection with the demand of the clean sweepers, and if they have the welfare of the party at heart they will recognize the necessary limitation of the situation. One thing they can rest assured of, the president-elect is as old and earnest a Republican as any of them, and can be de- pended on to do the very best thing for the party, as well as for the country"