Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-05-26
A HINT TO HARRISON.
The Course of the Administration In the
Spoil System Not Altogether Con.ist-
ent-Bad Appointments Made By subor-


Spoil System Not Altogether Consist.
ent-Bad Appointments Made By subor.
lnntes.
Special Telegram TO The Dispatch.
WASHINGTON, May 25.-whether the Ad
ministration of President Harrison is old
enough to warrant judgment in regard 70 1t is
question which each individual will settle foE
himself In his own way, but there are certain
phases of it which one may refer to without
passing Judgment. and without assuming to
arraign, and YET which may seem to take the
form of adverse criticism. Ordinarily it has
gone along much like other administrations
which were not marred by any great or un-
usual shock. Its good features were unavoid-
able. Its other features are, to say the least,
somewhat grotesque. There has been a tre-
mendous deluge Of Office seekers. This was to
be expected In some directions there has
been remarkable deliberation in the matter
| of removals from Office of Democrats. That
was promised, not only in the Republican
platform, but by Mr. Harrison, in various ways.
Now what is the fact?
While Mr.. Harrison has pleaded in extenua-
tion of his slowness the civil servive reform
ideas the necessity of carefully examining the
| characters and Endorsements of applicants, the
consumption OF his time by visitorf, and many
other excuses, he has found time to appoint
more of his relatives than any of his predeces-
sors in the same length of time, and in his ap.
pointments, and those of his subordinates, all
idea of civil service reform has been held in
contempt. " WIN ndl,o one stroke Of his pen the
| officials shall end four years from the date of
| appointment, and in the same breath he de-
clared that the end of such terms shall date
from the day of confirmation.
| Some Little Difference.
In one case he has declared that Senators
shall control the patronage of State in the
| matter of offices which must be filed by the
consent of the Senate and in other cases, such
| as the Philadelphia postmastership and inter-
nal revenue collectorship Of Springfield, ILL.,, he
| has totally repudiated the notion that Senator
should assume more authority than any one
else, In the Springfield affair there was
furnished an instance of even more fragrant
contempt for the time.honored authority of the
| great American Senator than IN the case of
| Conkling and Platt during the early days of the
| term of President Garfield.
Neither of the Illinois Senators were con-
suited in the appointment of Wilcox, and this
| and other instances make it absolutely certain
| that when the Senate comes to take up the
| question of the confirmation of these ''recess
| appointments" there will be one of the grand
| est rows ever witnessed between President
and Senate The spirit of kicking is very much
abroad, as was shown in the Halstead affair.
! There are FIVE or six Republican Senators who
have not the lest fear of the President before
their eyes, and will seize upon any opportunity
| to pillOry that dignitary, simply because they
have not been shown the consideration that has
been accorded to others IN the matter of patron
! age.
| If Mr.. Harrison has evinced some vague re-
spect for civil service reform in his own actions,
| he has suggested nothing of the kind to his
| subordinates. The removals in the Postal
Service are on scale never before known in
the history of the country. There is no pre-
| tense of waiting until the end of the incum-
| bent's term. The only obstacle in the way of
| the immediate removal of every Democratic
proceeding faster in the consideration of the
rival claims of Republicans No attention is
paid to the necessities of the service.
A Rather Serious Charge.
In the appointment Of postofice inspectors
and railway employees hundreds of good men
have been dismissed and hundreds of poor
ones put in their places. That process is inter-
fered with now by the Civil Service Commission,
but wherever that obstacle does not interpose
| the work OF the executioner goes on with
glee and dbloodthirstiness never exhibited before.
1t would seem that Mr.. Harrison should at
| least give some attention to the performances
OF the postal authorities in his own city of In
| dianapolis. but within few weeks after the
| appointment of new postmaster for that place
| BY Mr.. Harrison himself, we find the appOintee
filling his office with men notoriously unfit, de-
| spite the civil service laws and examinations.
One Of his appointments is that of man who
was arrested and served term in prison for
keeping gambling-house. Others are from
the ranks of the lowest and most ignorant ward
wOrkers-mere party hangers-on, hustlers and
bummers Surely Mr.. Harrison cannot be igno-
rant of this and yet no more removes or CEN
! sures Postmaster Wallace than he does Mr..
| Wanamaker or Mr.. Clarkson for their perform
anceS in the higher offices.
l don't know that much fault would be found
with this if it were not for the hypocrisy of the
whole business. Ii the administration would
stand bravely forth and say: 1--WE may be
wrong, but we are not hypocritical. and we
frankly admit that we intend to fill the civil
service as far as we can with our personal and
political friends and factional tools Of those
who hold control of the situation, President,
heads of departments, Senators and Repre-
sentatlves, regardless of their fitness or Of the
wishes of the people to be Immediately served"
there would at least be feeling of respect for
the frankness of speech and selfgraiulation
that the fight between purity and corruption is
an open one. But while all this deviltry is GO
ing on it is nauseating to be dosed daily with
lot of miserable cant about conscientious de-
liberation and desire to I'LL the offices with
the best men.
The Reform Element Alienated.
If the administration were only affected
there would be little regret, but the civil serv-
ice is ruined and the future success of the party
put in jeopardy. The reform element is alien
ated. From among the thousands of office
seekers the mere personal friends and political
favorites of the administration ana of the State
bosses are given places, and all of the other
fellows and their friends are mad, No matter
how great the principle at stake the
effect Of the pernicious spoils sys-
TEN, the abuse of the control of patron
age by the President and all others who
can abuse it. is enough to wreck the strongest
party in a single term of four years. In their
greed to control this patronage for their own
purposes those who are masters of the situa-
tons fling to the winds all solicitude for the
fate of the tariff, are willing to let the party
take its chances if they can but carry their
point for the time, trusting after they have cap
tured what they want to, loud talk about the
purity OF the ballot. and the passage Of "ring-
ing resolutions" of reform in political conVen-
tions.
The business of the country, the manufac-
turing interests, every merchant and every
workman, suffers more than any Jne can esti-
mate from the perniciOus abuse of the control
of patronage. If the present feeling is any in
dication of the future it promises defeat for
the Republican party In 1892: and with all the
circumstances attending the triumph of great
party principle last year in full view, II the
party should be led to defeat in that coming
contest the damage to the cause Of the pro-
tective tariff would be irretrieyable AS mat
tiers stand, the protective tariff has more
dangerous enemy in the spoils system than In
the Democratic party led by ex-Confederate
Brigadiers.
To Die nm Easy Death.
From the Louisville Courier-Journall
The old lady of Ohio, who is liz years Of age,
and still smokes without injuring her health,
should try cigarettes.