The Louisiana Democrat., 1889-01-16
POOR OLD HARRISON,
The President Elect and the Difficulties
He viii Have to Meet.

nc VIII rave TO Meet
In his letter of acceptance Harrison
recognized and pledged himself to re-
sist the spoils appetite of his party.
81 know he said, "the practical
difficulties attending the attempt to
apply the Civil-Service rules to all ap-
pointments and removals. It will,
however, be my sincere purpose, if
elected, to advance the reform"
This, with more to the same effect,
was said in Endorsement of platform
pledged not to make appointments
and removals on partisan grounds,
and the Indianapolis Journal is now
warning Republicans that they must
cordially recognize" his position on
the subject. "These expressions, it
says, "construed together, show the
extent to which the Republican party
is pledged not only to an observance
of the Civil-Service law, but of the
idea and principles on which it rests,
viz: to give stability and efficiency
to the civil service by progressive
abolition of the spoils system and q
substitution of a higher rule of ac-
ton.
This language appears in a paper
which upheld Dudley's frauds and
which speaks for the beneficiary of
them. No one therefore need take it
for more than it is worth.
Whatever Harrison's intentions may
be, there are certain facts he must
recognize and be governed by. One Of
these is that the Democratic Admins
tration has faithfully enforced the
Pendleton law; that the civil service
as far as the law extends is now both
nOn-partisan and efficient. The Demo-
cratic party favored the system tor all
offices which do not require Demo-
cratic principles for their proper ad
ministration. The Republican poll
ticians now demand that these offices
shall be vacated to make room for
them. They want to see every man
who has served under Demo ocratic
Administration turned out. without
any regard whatever to his politics.
That is their idea of non-partisanship,
and "a progressive abolition of the
spoils system. They want the Offices.
There are many reasons why they
should not have them. The Civil
Service law and the precedents estab-
lished under it by President Cleveland
are strong reasons. and they must
have some weight with Harrison, but
his knowledge of the character of the
politicians who are applying to him
for Office ought to have more weight.
He has seen them at work in Indiana
and other States. He knows that as a
rule they are both dishonest and inde-
cent, entirely unfit for any Office or
trust. Doubtless he would prefer not
to appoint them. He has some family
pride and some regard for the names
of honored ancestors who are dis
graced by his present associations
with the Quays, the Dudleys, the
Blaines and the FOrds. He has sense
enough to know that he can not re-
ward the fine-workers from the public
treasury and pretend that he is moved
to do it by high-minded patriotism.
He has been shaking hands with the
tough element of his party at q great
sacrifice of his own feelings. and he
would like now, no doubt, to put on
his gloves again. But he knows just as
we'll that these short-haired gentry
handled the ''bloclls of Hve' that
elected him; he knows they have an
uncomfortable appetite, and that if he
does not surrender to them he will
have no chance for denomination.
AS soon as he is sworn in he will
have the mob around him, and it will
laugh at his pledges. 1t will be an in.
teresting situation. Louis Re.
DIblic.