Waterbury evening Democrat., 1889-09-10
THE FIRST SIX MONTHS.

The first six months of President Harrison's administration have gone into history. And what history they make! A history of broken pledges, prophecies unfulflled, spells and pen sion grabbing, stepping to acts that ought to be beneath the dignity of an American statesman!
 In his letter of acceptance, and again in his inaugural address, President liar rison expressly promised to extend the scope of civil service reform, to make no removals for political reasons only, and to pay the least possible nttsnt on to partisanship in the distribution of offices. But what has he done? He has ade more removals, during the first x months of his administration, than any president ill twenty-eight years, for poll tical reasons pure and simple. He has wholly ignored fitness ill the matter of appointments and has paid attention entirely to partisan service, using his office to reward his friends and punish his enemies. In New York he has allow ed Boss Platt to control the federal pat ronage, leaving Warner Miller "outside the breastworks" where he fell last November. In Virginia Boss Malone has bossed the job of building up fed eral machine whose duty it will be to help secure Harrison's renomination and reverse the democratic majority in the state. In Louisiana he has resurrected Kellogg. Warmoth, Pitkin and other politicians who had long since become a stench in the nostrils of the whole country. Certain offices in Pennsyl- vania have been placed at the disposal of Matt Quay as a reward for his services in putting where it did the most good the money raised by Wanamaker, who was given cabinet position and the disposition of certain other offices in the keystone state as the price of his iberality. Never ill the memory of liv- ing men has such a shameless disregard of civil service pledges been witnessed as that which Harrison has treated us to during the first six months of his ad- ministration.
 We were told during the campaign last fall that, if tariff reform won and high tax protection were defeated, the country would go to ruin. Tariff reform was defeated, high tax protection won, and not in years has the country seen so dull spring and summer as that which followed the republican victory. Every prophecy made by Harrison and his horn blowers has failed of fulfllment, every scare declaration has been proven a lie, every prediction has turned out in an exactly contrary way until even republican manufacturers are crying out for change of policy in regard to the tariff.
 The pension bureau has been placed in the hands of an incompetent blather- skite whose every public utterance is thorn in the side of the president and his advisers and whom he dare not re- move for fear of the political consequent ces. Pension attorneys, claim agents, favored pensioners, deserters, bounty jumpers and camp loungers have found favor in the eyes of the individual whose highest idea of statesmanship is con- tained in his declaration "God help the surplus l" The pension list has taken a jump which has caused the national debt to show an inrcease of millions for two months consecutively and which may cause it to keep on growing. With 8 pension list that already exceeds the an nual expense of maintaining the enor- nous standing army of Germany, and with this growing at the rate of ten million dollars a month, the country may we'll stand aghast and tremble at the future. It may we'll deplore the con- dition that confronts it.
 With country that is staggering un- der the burdens of war tax, it's indus tries hampered and in some cases pros- trated, it's debt increasing alarmingly and it's gratuities growing under the rulings of blatant demagogical pension with spells grabbing on every hand and a broken presidential pledge peeping from every nook and cor ner of the land, what a spectacle arises as one studies the history of the first six months of President Harrison's admins tration It is, indeed, shameful record, a sad and inglorious history God grant that this country may never look upon it's like again!
 
 NEWS OF THE DAY.
 Hon. K. E. Dunn, 8 prominent Maino man, is dead at his home in Wateryille.