Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1888-11-29
HARRISON REFORM
POINTERS FOR oFFICE-sEEKERs.

4
ent of the Cincinnati Commercial Gazette,
in Especial to his paper of the 21st inst,
says:
"F. D. NJ" comes nearer sizing up the
| PreSident-elect than any other of the
thousand and one correspondents who
have written about him. He must be
on the "inside," or is gifted with sort
of second sight His statement that the
Post-ofice Department ought to and
will be thoroughly weeded out is based
upon a knowledge both of the weakness
es of the department as at present man.
aged, and of the tirmness and conscien-
tiousness of Gen. Harrison.
The General has had some experience
with the Democratic administration of
that important branch of the public ser
vice. The campaign that has just closed
demonstrated to every one the inefficien-
cy and political dishonesty that rule in
the mail service. A great deal of the
wretched service was due to the incOm-
potency of the men employed, but much
of it was due to the raScality of those
connected with the service. Important
letters were opened and their contents
distracted. So close was the espionage
upon political matter that hundreds of
private letters were opened.
During the last two weeks of the cam
paign it was almost impossible for the
Republican managers to get any of their
mail delivered promptly. The Demo-
cratic managers boasted that they had in
their possession copy of every letter and
circular sent out by both the National
and State Republican Committees. The
country can rest assured that as soon af-
ter the 4th of March as possible the Post
Office Department will be thoroughly
renovated and the ineompetents and
dishonest rascals that have been put
there by the Democrats will be ordered
to pack up their traps and go into some
other employment. Gen. Harrison is a
Civil Service reformer of the right stripe,
and will reform every department of the
public service for the good of the ser
vice.
There seems to be a feeling among
those who occupied places under former
Republican administrations and who
were called upon to give way to some
Democrat, that they have a right to be
reinstated. In short, they have an idea
they have mortgage on the positions
that is bound to be respected by all fu-
ture Republican Presidents. Those men
are doomed to disappointment. Some
of them doubtless will be reinstated, but
the vast majority will be permitted to
roam at large in the pastures of private
life. The President-elect has will of
lieves that an infusion of new blood in |
the arteries of the Government will not
be detriment to the service.
1t is not best for either the country or
political party that one set of men
should permanently hold all the official |
positions, and that new blood could on
ly get in by the death of some one who
had worn away or dried up in office.
Gen. Harrison realizes this, and also
that this is great big country, with |
thousands of men in it, and in filling |
places he will seek to get in young and
fresh men, leaving the old ones to the |
rewards they have already had. He
will not make changes rashly but when
he makes one it will be for the bettering |
of the service and for the honor of the
country.
X X
In regard to rewarding persons for
mere personal service to himself, what |
he said in one of his speeches to visit
ing delegation during the campaign may |
be taken as sort of keynote. He said:
81 am not unaware of the fact that |
some of you had another Convention
preference, but l have always believed |
that Convention preferences should be
free in the Republican party applause
and that no prejudice should follow any
Republican on account of that prefer
ence. AS party men, we will judge
man by his post Convention conduct"
In the same speech he stated that the
Republican party was not organized for
spoils. He is party man in the truest
and best sense of the word. He be-
lieves the best interests of the country
can be subserved only by the retention
of the Republican party in power, and |
he knows that can only be done and |
those interests only subserved by keep
ing those to the front who advocate and
believe in those principles.