Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1889-07-25
HAaR,soN AND REFORM.
How BIafne's Shadow Has violated HI
Solemnly-Maae Pledges.

How BIafne's Shadow Has Violated His
Solemnly-Maae Pledges.
The ST. Louis Civil-Service Reform
Association numbers among its officers
such p.o.saiaent Republicans as
MessrA John B. Henderson. Henry
Hitchcock and Emil Preetoriua We
congratulate these gentlemen on the
high sense of duty which has led the
association to express it's disapproval
of the Harrison Administration. The
and published in the annual report of
its executive committee show that
while the average rate Of changes in the
fourth-class post-offices was only per
cent. greater under Cleveland than
under Arthur, the Harrison Admins
tration is making changes at the rate
of Is ger cent. year, or from 1000 to
1000 week The highest rate Of
changes heretofore in any single yea,
as the association shows, twas ia the
year ending June 80, 1886. when it
was 36a per cent: but the average
rate under Cleveland was % 1-S per
cent; under Arthur. 18 per cent !;
under Hayes, 16 per cent; under
Grants second administration, 10 per
cent, under Grants first, 1871 per
cent, and in the first year of Grants
about % per cent"
It must be remem bered in consider
ing the figures that Mr.. Cleveland
found the service entirely partisan.
There were go Democrats in it, yet on
averaging the changes made during
his four years, it appears that there
is only a smel percentage of differ
ence between the average OF changes
made by him In order to restore the
equilibrium in the service and the
average male by Republican Presi-
dents in arranging their administra-
ton machines. While this COMPARE
son is highly creditable to Mr..
Cleveland. it is a strong condemns
ton OF Mr. Harrison, who in q riot
of spells bossism displaced 1900
fourth-class postmasters from March
to June 16.
''Who then is responsible for this
state of affairs?" asks the association,
and in answering its own question it
says:
It may be SAID that Mr.. Harrison can not
have personal knowledge of all the changes in
the vast number OF Offices under the Govern.
ment and that he can not be held accountable
for every act of his subordtnates And this il
true. Yet there is homely fashion among
the American people Of holding the President
responsible for tho general conduct of the
administration in all its departments. and of
looking to him the authoritative head to
correct all abuses. In this spirit may we'll
ask of the Pr esident that he put check upon
this headsman in his work of official decapita-
nd fhnt hic s1ho rdi in afoey to DIV
understand, as he himself has formally de-
clared, that ''only the interests of the public
service should suggest removals from Office, "
and that. in appointments to every grade and
department., fitness and not party service
should be the essential and discriminating test
and fidelity and efficiency the only sure tenure
OF ofice.
We are confident that General Hem
derson will fully agree with us when we
assert that the President is rightly to
be held responsible for this demorali-
cation. General Henderson, in the
early days of the Administration, went
to the White House an6 demonstrated
against the Presidents policy of dele
eating to local bosses the Executive
authority to select public servants un-
der the different departments. The
remonstrance was useless. President
Harrison has de putty in every Con-
gressional district in the country, and
all these deputies are actively coop
Grating with him in using the Offices
in an attempt to control State politics
from the District of Columbia.
If the Administrator has done this
while it was new in power and while
the pledges it had made were still
fresh, what can General Henderson or
any other friend of good government
and efficient service expect of it, now
that all its pledges have been indecent
ly violated and the worst combin alton
of bosses effected that the world ever
saW?-St. Louis Republic.