Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1889-10-10
The Truth Plainly Told.

The address of George William Curtis
before the National civil service reform
league at Philadelphia was q scathing
arrangement of the Republican party
and the Republican administration on
the charges of hypocrisy and shameless
violation of the pledges upon which
they obtained power. II was not
empty denunciations but a review of
facts that admit of no answer or excuse.
-Four years ago Mr.. Curtis said of
President Cleveland, then recently
elected and inaugurated, that he was
not committed to the prosecution of re-
form as the candidate OF a party which
seriously desired it or promised it," vet
it will be remembered that the same
speaker subsequently admitted the SUBJ
stantial progress made by reform under
the domination of that party and its
successful candidate. What was said
of President Cleveland on taking office
could not be said of President Harrison,
1.-THE promises of the successful party
last year." says Mr.. Curtis in his Phila-
delphia address, "were as ardent as thew
were detailed and absolute" The plat
form pledged the party to- many things
but to nothing with such reduplicated
and reiterated zeal as to reform in the
civil service, and having done this in
the most precise and positive words it
pledged the party with especial fervor
to keep its pledges" The candidate
for President was equally ardent in his
protestations. 'He declared that it
would be his sincere purpose if elected
to advance reform. He said that fitness
and not party service should be the es-
sential test in appointments, that fldel-
ity and efficiency should be the only
sure tenure of office and that only the
interest of the public service should
regulate removals from office"
How have these pledges been full
filled? Mr.. Curtis in his address gives
columns of illustrations of how they
have been broken and of the contempt
in which they have been held by those
who made them but year ago. The
Republican press which then teemed
with reform articles now repudiate their
own utterances. mo jeer is too con-
temptuous for reform, no epithet is too
acrid. No oplatform of the opposition
was ever denounced by a party press
with greater scorn than that with which
a representative body of the admins
tration press now spurns its own" Re-
publicans in high position sneer at the
reform and denounce the law they for
merly lauded. State conventions of
the administration party in three of
the great States which it controls,
Pennsylvania, Iowa and Ohio, which
formerly declared loudly for reform,
are this year silent. "These,n says Mr..
Curtis, ''are facts wholly without pre-
cedent in our political history"
That is the record of the Republican
party; how stands the ease with the Re-
publican President? What is the ex-
ecutiI action; does it conform TO the
platform promise and the Presidents
pledge? Mr.. Curtis says:
The knowledge of every citizen in his
own community answers. The daily
record of the newspapers for seven
months answers. The general political
prescription; the policy which Presi.
dent Harrison when senator defined
as "the frank and bold, if brutal, meth.
cd of turning men and women oui
simply for political opinion" the clean
sweep which is proceeding in the post.
office; the alarm which prevades every
branch of the service; the open, fragrant
contempt for publicopinion, for private
information and for the party promise
which was shown in the appointment
of the late commissioner of pensions
the executive refusal to include the cen
sus service in the rules and the removal
Of public officers conspicuously fitteC
by character, ability and experience
who have absolutely and confessedIy
disregarded politics in their devotion t.
official duty and the public service; al
these facts and such as these answet
the question. How has the executiv,
action conformed to the party promis'
and the Presidents pledge?
Mr.. Curtis cites cases in support o
the charges against President Harrison
and declares that "there is no othe
civilized government which pursues ii
its public service q course which tn,
President truly described as brutal ant
which he has chosen to pursue" Their
was never, he says, in dismissing thi
part of his subject, "a more comprehen
sive and significant declaration of re
form made in the party platform thar
that under which the present admin
istration came into power. But NJ
party ever broke faith with itself ant
with the country more completely.
Nor was there ever truer charg
brought against political party of ad
ministration than is contained in tina