The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1889-02-19
HTS BUNCOMBH RECORD,
Judge Edgerton Uses Some Very
Plain Language
TO PRESIDENT CLEVELAND,
ADtstiugulshed Democrats Estimate
of Growers Bogus "Roiorm" Pro,
i'essIons-A soathing Open
Letter to tho President :

AuNhtE w kllc AEHhANShh
WARRINGTON, Feb, lS.-Judge A, r
Edgerton, tDem,) who was recently re.
moved from the office Of Civil Service
Commissioner, has written an open let
ter to the President, He says among
other things;
was indebted to you for the only up,
pointive Office / ever held, You now
declare by your action that you regret
the appointment, !, with equa right
can say that regret the acceptance,
Your regret was never made known to
me by you in any woE1 utterance or acc-
tion until now at the close OF your ad'
mlnistration and on the day before my
removal, OF course, II you believed me
unfit for the position or negleCtful oi
duty, you should have removed me long
ago, but Ipresume there were prudential
political reasons why you did not
make the removal until after
tho election. In this regard 1t
would almost seem as II you were will
ing to play false with the Mugwumps
to enable you to win with the Demo'
Gratis. And here permit me to define
thoterm "Alugwump"' rs referring to a
class OF political reiormers who have the
spirit OF reformation without the com.
mon sense and good judgment to re-
fern, as4eiorms are not affected by un-
Just personal denunciation, but by rea.
sou, The result Of the election placed
you in a dilemma, from which few peo.
pie would have known how to extricate
themselves. You found man on your
hands whom the Mugwumps have de-
clared war upon as IN enemy to their
Civil Service Reform theories, and your
plan OF becoming their representative In
tho future would be weakened or de.
ieAted il some assurance OF your fidelity
To their cause could not be secured. Ac.
cordingly II appears that you decided
upon the removal Of the head Of the
Commission, and deeming Mr.. Thomp-
son q good enough Mugwump for them,
you therefore demanded my resignation
that you might appoint him, apparently
as an autominlc for your previous inac'
ton.
A PECULIAR MAN.
Mr.. President, with due courtesy TO
tho high Office you hold, allow me to say
that you are very peculiar man, posi-
tive man, positively wrong, or positively
right, and therefore an unsafe man to
trust; and that element In your charaC-
ter, l believe, led TO your defeat.
Pope says: "The most positive ment
are the nest Credulous, since they most
believe themselves, and advise most with
their hollow aatterers and worst
enemies."
Being one OF that kind Of men your
self, you have kept some men OF like
character around you, who are positive
only in their malice and concett. They
tlatter you and have the conceit. that
would magnify themselves and the
malignity that would detract from others.
Juvenal says: "There Is nothing Q
man will not believe in his own favor"
You were Credulous enough to believe
that you were elected President by the
AIugwumps, and therefore you permit
mitted them to malign your real friends
andto ilRtter. you into policy which
led to your defeat.
NOT TRUE TO MS FRIENDS.
You are man who would not per-
nit your real friends to admonish you
with freedom and confidence, and as
result, yotshaye suffered for the want Of
friends, and your wrecked and wretched
greatness has discovered that there
| Is no true success in life without the
power and blessing OF friendship. You
believed that your will and power to en-
force it was above all powers, but the
will OF the people expressed in a consti-
tutional way has taught you that there
was q wiser and better way than that
chosen by you. a.,
Having sworn to support the Civil Ser.
vice law, 1t has been my constant effort
to do SO but never did swear 10 sup |
port Mugwump Interpretation OF 1t,
based on a monstrous assumption that
the commission was independent Of law.
How many poor, uniortunates have been
denied the advantages and benefits Of
the law by questions never contemplated
by II, and how many expenses have been
Incurred through unnecessary and
devious requirements and practice, 1t Is
not my purpose at this time TO state.
You WILDE censured and condemned,
because YOU put no trust in your own
party, but believed yourself TO be better
than your own, and greater than all par
ties. You have ascertained that the
many were not made for the one. II
YOU can find as many reasons for remov-
Ing me rs the Democratic party, through
an indi ference, which was simply retail.
atory, had for removing you, l shall DO
quite willing to remain with you in the
gloom OF defeat.
UNPRECEDENTED ACTION.
The Judge proceeds to give his un.
derstanding Of the civil service law and
continues. Tho people have the right TO
know tho truth in all matters Of this
kind, and for this reason only do I i'd
dress you. ! cannot like you,
make prayer for relief to the
public, such as the article
seemed TO DO In the Baltimore Sun Of the
fourteenth instant. Thisis the first time
In the history Of the Government that an
outgoing President has found II necessary
to advertise through newspapers his
particular work during his term ot ot.
ice, and his claims upon his party and
the country for approval. Between the
lines can bO read tue special plea for re.
election,
10 PREVENT FlLLlBUsTBRlSa.