The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1889-02-19
EDGERTON'S SAY.
The Removed Civil Service Commits
sion Writes an Open Letter to
the President.
CleveIand's Defeat Ascribed to His
Mugwumpism and Lack of Sup
port by His Party.
A Communication which shows That the
Judge. Removal Hit Him ina
Very Tender spot

WASHINGTON, Feb. ls.-Judge Edger-
ton, who was recently recently re-
moved from the office OF civil ser
vice commissioner, has written an open
letter to the president. He will say among
other things: 81 was was indebted to you
for the only appointive Office ever held;
you now declare by your action that you
regret the appointment. 1, with equal
right, can say 1 regret its acceptance.
Your regret was never made known 20 me
by you In any word or utterance, or action
until now, at the close Of your administra-
tion. and on the day before my re-
moval. Ipresume there were prudential
political reasons why you did not
make my removal until after
the election. In this regard it would al
most seem as II you were willing TO play
false with the mugwumps 20 enable you 70
win with the democrats. The result OF the
election placed you In 4 dilemma from
which few people would have known how
to extract themselves. You found n man
on your hands whom the mngwumps had
declared war upon, an enemy 10 their civil
service reform theories, and your plan of
beng their representative In the future
would be weakened, II no assurance OF
your fidelity 10 their cause could be Sc
cured. Accordingly IL appears you decided
upon removing the head OF the commission
and deemed Thompson q good enough
mugwump for them. You therefore de-
appoint him, apparently as an
at0nement for your previous inaction."
The Judge says: "There is nothing o
man will not believe In his own favor.
You were credulous enough to believe you
were elected president by the mugwumps,
and therefore you permitted them 70 ma
| lign your real friends and TO hatter you
into the policy which led to your defeat.
| You are the man who would not permit
| your real friends TO admonish you with
freedom and confidence, and as . result
| you have suffered from the want of friends,
and your wrecked and wretched greatness
has discovered that there Is no true sue
cess In life without the power and blessing
/ Of friendship. You believed your will and
power 10 enforce II was above all powers,
| but the will Of the people expressed In q
constitutional way has taught you there
was a wiser and better way than that
chosen By you. You will be censured and
condemned because you put no trust In
your own party, but believed yourself 70
be better than your own and greater than
| all parties. You have ascertained that the
many were not made for the one. You
can find as many reasons for removing me
AS the democratic party, through an In
L
had for removing you. 1 shall be quite
willing TO remain with you In the gloom OF
defeat.
"Mr. President, With due courtesy to the
high Office you hold, allow one 10 say, you
| are very peculiar man, positively wrong
or positively right, and therefore an unsafe
man TO trust, and that element In your
| character, believe, lead To your defeat.
Pope says: "The most positive men are
the most credulous, since they most be-
lieve themselves and advise most with
| their fellow -natterers and worst enemies"
Being one of that kind Of positive men
yourself, you have some men OF like char
acter around you, who are positive only In
their malice and conceit."
The Judge proceeds 10 give his under
staeding Of the civil service law, and con-
tlnues: II do not ask you 10 give any
you, that the only one you could give
would be that II was your Will, for II you
attempted 10 give any other your own pre-
vious words, would prove II untrue. In
my interview with you before my removal
you expressly disclaimed having any
reason for IL, except my refusal To resign to
enable you to make MI. Thompson's nomi-
nation. "Removed" is word OF far reach
ing potency, especially when the record
does not explain II. | am conscious OF this,
and deeply palned by the consciousness.
The people have the right TO know tho
|
this reason only do address you. | can
not like you make prayer for relief To the
public such rs the article seemed 70 be In
the Baltimore Sun on the l4th inst. This Is
the first time In the history
OF the government that an outgo-
ing president has found IL neces-
sary TO advertise through the newspapers
his particular work during his term OF Of
fee, and claim upon his party and country
for approval Between the lines can be
read a special plea for reelection. L can
point to another removal than mine, be-
yond parallel, TO go down through history
when shall be forgotten. Before do so,
let me refer as pr, OF OF your Ignorance OF
public opinion and not OF your indiffer-
| ence To n, 10 what you say In the sun ar
ticle OF Mr.. Burnes. Of Missouri, rs one
not guilty OF the annoyance to which you
were subjected by the country MEM
Sen Ser' q their c0ntsess constitutions, because
he always presented his constituents at
| public receptions. III Mr.. Burnes were liv-
Ing he could tell you another reason, which
he often told TO others, that he had been
rudely treated by you and had no respect
for you personally, and ascribed the de-
feat OF the democratic party to your igno-
rance OF IT, II was necessary you should
make some such explanation for your at
task upon the "way-back" members, but
you were unfortunate In the selection OF
your witness, one OF the ablest and noblest
Legislators In congress. was on the hoor
of the house Of representatives during the
time the votes of the electoral college were
counted and heard the announcement OF
the result that Benjamin Harrison was
duly elected president OF the United States,
but the words that burned deep
through the empty boxes Of the
added, though known 10 be true. in
place OF '.Grover Cleveland, removed by
whom and for what cause removed" the
answer now beng made In every home, In
every business house In the land, and his
tory will inscribe IL upon all its records"
Judge Edgerton attributes Cleveland's de-
feat TO his disregard Of the opinions and
advice OF the most eminent men of his
party and TO his political ingratitude, and
continues as follows: sin the statement OF
your public acts as printed Ia the Sun arti-
Gle, referring TO this declaration, when
Mr.. Cleveland came into Office he found
the departments filled with incompetents,
who had found permanent lodgment there
through favoritism, etc. how can you say
you find the departments filled with incom-
petents, and yet retained them all In ONCE
during your administration? There Is
mistake somewhere. Did Iou not know,
Mr.. President, that nearly three-fourths OF
ali the persons now In Office In the depart
mental service were there in lss5r You
will soon have no power OF removal, and
the places they hold wall not be- subject
70 your clearing out efforts. You have
shut your eyes TO the fact that these clerks
have been active and successful In aiding
, you In your own clearing out And the
, poor civil service ellgibles still have a wide
scope. You have secured for them the
outside, while the incompetents are rejoic-
ing within. You do not understand the
, civil service law, Mr.. President Its exam
nations are not made for those inside, but
; for those outside. Your theory Of inaction
would defeat the law. You have not dared