Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-11-17
THE PRESIDENTS ENEMIES.
Harrison is Not Worried About the Probable
Attitude of the Serate-UucOmpIimen-
tary Criticisms of the AdministratiOn-A
Desire for Office at the Bottom of the


tary Criticisms of the AdministrntiOn-A
Desire for Office at the Bottom of the
Trouble.
CORRESPONDENCE OF THE DISPATCH!
WASHINGTON, November l6.-The mutter-
ing of approaching war between the President
and the Senate or, rather of war of the SEN
ate on the President, does not seem to have
disturbed that high official to any great extent.
Senator FarweIl swoops down the White
House with something of the woltishness of
the ancient AssYrian on the camp of his enemy;
he finds that he cannot make collector to
order for the port of Chicago; he gets himself
interviewed in the newspapers, and tells how
''me and Cullom' will take the President in
hand and discipline him when the day comes
for the confirmation by the Senate of the
nominations that have been made during the
past summer; his threats are direct; he pro-
poses to show the President that the Senate is
superior to him; that the Chief Executive is
the creature and not the master of the law
making power; and in the midst OF the storm
raised by the millionaire OF gimp and gingham
the President coolly packs his gripsack. buckles
his cartridge belt about his waist. swings his
game bag over his shoulder. grasps his double
barrelvd Dreech loader and goes duck hunting
in the swamps of Maryland. This is direct
intimation that when the time comes he will
bring down a Senator as easily as he brings
/ down duck.
Criticizing the Administration.
Were "me and Cullom" all of the army of
the enemy the President might rest assured
that bis supremacy will not be disturbed. One
Senator does not make rebellion any more than
one swallow makes summer. But Illinois is not
| by any means the only State that has produced
Senatorial "kickers," Such States and such
Senators are scattered all over the Union
| wherever there are Republicans, and where
there are no Republicans the Democrats, such as
Mr.. Wade Hampton, are taking matters in
hand and telling the world how a Republican
administration promised them faYors and then
| refused to make good their promises. 1 wish
1 could give to the public the criticisms of the
President and his Cabinet officers that have
heard in private. To no part of the world
would they be more interesting than to those
| gentlemen. Cleveland was excellently well
cursed by members Of his party and by Sen
ators and Representatives, but the estimate of
him was complimentary compared to the esti-
mate of Mr.. Harrison by the Republicans. It
is possible, however, that the threatened re-
fusal of the Republican Senators to confirm
appointments may amount to no more than
that of the Democrats four years ago. When
the time came for the sensational outbreak the
fiery statesmen became as meek as lambs. and
when Republicans endeavored to reject some
of the nominations the Democrats on nearly
every occasion stood in solid pnalanx by the
President, and, with few of the Republicans
to assist them, would always carry their
point So it may be in the pres
ent instance, though there is no doubt
the disafection is far more widespread among
the Senators of the majority now than it was
among the minority then. And now there is |
this other difference, that in the event of the
disaffection of two three or half dozen |
Republican Senators there will come no Demo |
cratic response to the cry for help from the |
President. No few kind hearts among them |
will stand by him such as stood by MIR. Cleve-
land in the ranks of the Republicans. Demo
Gratis are not made of that sort of stuff. There |
are no Mugwumps among them. They will be |
delighted with every evidence of iuharmony |
among the Republicans, and will do all they |
can to foster and aggravate the feeling.
No Kind Words for Harrison.
But the antipathy to Mr.. Harrison is far !
more extended than merely to the boundaries |
of the United States Senate. Let me state as a |
simple fact, without prejudice, and with much |
sympathy for the President on account of the |
position in which he is placed that 1 have not |
heard single Republican speak a really sim |
cere kindly word for the Chief Executive since 4
his return from his summer vacation. Up to |
that time judgment of his administration was |
in a manner suspended 1t was expected that |
promptly on his return he would begin reor- |
ganizing the unclassified service, and soon re- |
lieve the departments of all Democrats not |
held in place by the force of the civil service |
law. Instead of that practically nothing has |
been done in that direction.
ions, and Others who have ever been in the |
service, have not been molested. and what is |
the most aggravating feature of this matter is |
that no Democratic influence has been exer-
cised to keep them in and they have been con-
stantly expecting their own removal They |
give the President or the head of the depart |
ment in which they are employed no credit for |
their kindness. They sneer at them and poke |
fun at their Republican fellow employees, and |
guy the Republican applicants for their places,
and, in short, hold the whole administration |
and the party in contempt for keeping them in
Office. Several of these chiefs of divisions who
live in Maryland went home to vote the other
day, and made themselves conspicuously OBJ
noxious by the insulting manner in which they
spoke of the President and his administration.
They helped to pile up the majority against the
Republicans, and then returned to their desks
10 insult anu duuOy RepuUllCdu tHlplOyeS Dy |
various inelegant methods of rejoicing at the
defeat of the grand old party" nearly all along
the line.
Where Reform is Needed.
Now. as a constant advocate of the right
kind of civil service reform, say that this is
not only a proper excuse for righteous indIgna-
ton, but it is in antagonism to the reform of
the civil service to permit such conduct in
either Democrats or Republicans. Mr. Cleve-
land and his heads of departments fired such
fellows out of office without benefit of the
clergy. Many poor Republican. mistaken as
to what was right and decent, was summarily
discharged because he had mouthed too freely
the scandals in circulation about the President.
This is extremely aggravating to Republicans,
but the reason of it is that the struggle between
party leaders for the control of the patronage
prevents the President and heads of depart
ments from making changes they would like to
make.
The moral of all this Kicking on the part
of Senators and dissatisfaction of the rank and
file of the party is that every feature of the
public service. apart from that on which abso.
lutely depends the duty of making operative
the principles of the dominant party shoulc be
removed entirely from the influences of party
politics. The present system, improved as it
is over the old, is menace not only to the eff
cheney of the service, but to the usefulness of
the administration. Senators are offended at
the President, not because he does not carry
out the principles of the party, but because he
does not appoint their henchmen to office. Of
course so long as the control of offices is within