Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1889-02-28
JUDGE EDGERToN.


JUDGE EDGERToN.
almost seem as IL you were willing to play false
with the mugwumps TO enable you to win with
Democrats. Aud here permit mo to define
the term fnugwump as referring to O class of
political reformers who have the spirit OF ref
ormation without the common sense AID good
judgment to reform, as reforms are not effected
by unju st personal denunciatiop, but by reason.
"rhe result of the election placed you in
dilemma from which few people would have
known how TO extricate them selves You found
n man on your hands whom the mugwumps had
declared war upon. an enemy 10 their civil
service reform theories, and your plan OF becom-
ing their representative in the future would be
weakened or defeated IL an assurance OF your
fidelity TO their cause could not be secured. Ac-
cordingly, it appears that you decided upon tho
removal OF the head OF the commission, and,
dceming Mr.. Thompson a good enough mug
wump for them, you therefore demanded my
resignation that you might appoint MIN, ap-
parently os an atonement for your previous IN
action.
Mr.. President, with duo courtesy to the high
Office you hold, allow me to say hat you are q
very peculiar man, n positive man positively
wrong or positively right and therefore an un-
safe man TO trust; AMI that element in your
aracter l believe lo1 TO your defeat. Pope
says: The most positive IN n arc the most
odulous, since they most believe themselves
and Gdvise most wit h their fel 'ow -fatterers and
worst enemits.' Being one of that kind OF posi-
tive mon yourself, you havo KEEP some men OF
like character around you who are positive only
in tier maiace and conceit. They flatter you
and Lave tho con seit that would magnify
TIA, msvlves and the mnlignity that would
detrnet from others. Juvenal says There
is nothing man VIII not believe
in his own favor You we're credulous enough
TO be We've that you were ec;ed President by the
mugwumps, and, therefore, you permitted them
to mali. your real friends and 10 flatter you
into n policy which lod TO your defeat. You arc
n man who would not permit your real friends
to admcnish you with freedom and conhdence,
and rs u result yoI have suffered for the want
tf friends aud your wr r5cked and wretched
grea.ne s has discovered that there is no true
success in life without the power and blessing
OF friC ndship You believe that your viii and
power 10 enforce IL was above all powers, but
the will of the people expressed II n constitu-
tional way has taught you that there was
wiser aud better way than that chosen by you.
"Ha,ir sworn TO support the ciyil-service
law it has been my constant eSort 10 do 50 but
never d d sw oar TO support mugwump inter
pretation Of it, based on monstrJus hssum-
tlon that the commits sion was independent OF
law. How many poor unic rtunates have Eeen
denied the. advantages nnl beuehts OF tho
law by questions never contemplated I'd by IL, and
how many expenses have been incurred through
uLn necessary and devious requirements and
practices, 1t is not my purpose at this time TO
state.
"You will be censured and condemned because
you INT no trr st in your own party, but believed
yourself to be better than your own and greater
than all parties. You have ascer,ained that tho
many are not made for the one. You can hnd
CO many reasons for removing me as the Demo-
cratic party, through an indifference which was
simply retaiato.y, had for removing you. 1
shall be quito willing TO remain with you in the
DOM OF defeat"
The Judge then gives his understanding of the
civil-seryice law, and nlluding to his removal
says:
Il do not ask you to give any reason for this
act. l know, and 80 do you, that the only one
you could give would be that 1t was your will,
for If you attempted to give any other your own
previous rds would prove 1t to be untrue. In
my interviews with you before the reno al you
expressly disclaimed having any reason for it
except my refusal to resign TO enable. you to
make Mr.. Thompson 8 nomination.
"The people have tho right TO know the truth
In all matters OF this kind, and for this reason
only do ! address you. cannot, like you,
make prayer for relief to the public, such as
the article seemed to DO in the Baltimore Sun of
The 1lth inst This is the first time in the his
tory OF the Government that an outgoing Presi-
de mt has found IL necessary to advertise through
the newspapers his particular work durin his
term Of office and his claims upon his party and
the country for approval. Between the lines
can be cad the special plea for collection.
Il can point TO another removal than mine,
beyond q parallel to 60 down through history
when shall be forgotten. Before do So let
me refer, as proof OF your ignorance OF public
opinion and not OF your indifference TO 1t, to
what you say in tho Sun article OF Mr.. Burnes,
of Missouri, as one not guilty OF the annoyance
10 which YOU were subjec, cd by the country
members OF Congress introducing to you their
constituents, b cause he always Presented his
constituents at public receptions. IL MIR. Burnes
were living no could toll yol another reason,
which he Oft en- tod 10 Others, that he had been
rudey treated by you, and mad no respect for
you personally, and ascribed the defeat OF the
Democratic party TO your ignorance OF 1t. IL
was nee SSnry tnnJ you bnOlu make bOIno buCn
explanation for your attack upon tho way
back members, but you were unfortunate in
the selection OF your witness-ono OF the ablCst
and noblest legislators in Congress.
But TO the case Of removal, which must be-
como nn important part Of the history OF the
country. / was OH the floor OF tue House OF
Representatives during the time the votes OF
the Electoral College were counted and heard the
announcement of the result--that Ben amin
Harrison was duly elected President OF the
United States but the words that burned deep
through the empty boxes Of the administration
could not be officially added though known to
be true, in place OF Grover Cleveland, removed
BY whom, and for what eause removed? The
| answer is now being made I'm every home, in
every business in the land, ana history will in
| scribe IL uron all fits records"
Judge Edgerton criticses the conduct OF one
| OF tho other Commissioners, without mention
| ing his name and concludes as follows:
Il am justified in stating one single fact OF
| mischievous distrust and wrong doing on tho
| part OF commissioner in charge Collector
| Magone, OF New York, addressed to me n per-
sonal letter, thus marked on the envelope, the
postage paid, no Indication that IL could DO of
hcial on the inside also marked personal and
| this letter was opened and read by the commits
| sioner in charge and forwarded to tho other
| commissioner, then in Boston, and by him an
swered before the letter was sent to me, then at
| home I'm the West From such sources as this
have come nearly all of the attacks upon me,
/ and I doubt not, most OF the misrepTssenta-
/ tions of my opinions made to you. Whether
| they had any influence is questionable