The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1889-06-26
Onr Alleged Postmaster.

He admitted that he didn't understand,
and hadn't tried to understand. the law
which he was sworn to carry out. He adj
mitted that he had appointed men to i'm
portant positions, in violation of the civil
service rules-men who had been dis
charged for offenses involving moral tur-
pjtude. He admitted having been in
formed of the facts, and having ignored
them without investigation, because re-
publican politicians, some of them rela-
tives of the persons involved, had told
him there was nothing in them" He
admitted having retained these persons IN
his employment after their true charac-
tiers and the fact that they we're in the
service in violation of law had been made
known to him. And then he pleaded that
he meant well; that he had intended to
obey the law, but hadn't paid much at
tention to it," and didn't understand its
provisions; that THOMPSON was really the
man in charge, etc, etc, finally promising
to do better in the future.
Despite this humiliating exhibition of
incompetence, or worse, the Ne,rs straight
way fell to soldering over WALLACE. He
was such a good man, such very good
man such an excellent citizen; he meant
so wen; he had been so cruelty imposed
upon, and he was going to be so good, so
very good in the future, that, really, the
people OF Indianapolis without regard to
party, ought to fall down upon their
knees and thank the high muck-a-muck
in the white house for making him post
master instead of Col. MERRILL or Ben
RICHARDSON or any of the other ten thou
sand applicants.
All of which was very nauseating in
view of the facts. Personally, Mr..
WALLACE is, of course, very amia-
bic old gentleman. He is good
citizen. and has enjoyed the re-
spect of the community. But he
is III no sense a better man or better
citizen than the venerable AQUnLA JONES,
whom the Ne,gs and Journal bounded so
persistently during his entire term of
Office. The truth about Mr.. WALLACE is
that he is not fit to be postmaster. He
| has already demonstrated this. He has
made some of the very worst appoint
ments that it is possible to conceive of.
He has put the most important and re-
sponsible positions into the hands OF dis
reputable characters. Everybody in this
community knows who and what MAR
SHALL P. WOODS is. President HARRISON
knows, just as well as he knows who and
what HARRY MCFARLAND is. We do not
believe Mr. WALLACE would have selected
WooDs for this or any other place. But
he permitted WooDs to be foisted upon
him by the party bosses. just as he per
mitted BILLY PATTERSON and MOORE and
HAMLIN and the rest of the scurvy gang
to be foisted upon him. He allowed him
self to be coaxed, or wheedled, oil
buIlied, or intimidated into quarterinf
these fellows upon the public service
some of them in violation of laval o.
them in disregard of the public interests
and of the character and efficiency of the
public service.
The Ne,Cs' theory seems to be that be
cause Postmaster WALLAcE's name il
WALLACE, and because he is so 'eminently
respectable" and all that sort of thing, h'
must not be judged by the same rule
which are applied to persons whose names
are not WALLACE and who are not so emf
nently respectable. THE SENTINEL take
no stock in this theory. 1t measures Post
master WALLACE by the same standard
applies to all other public servants. Anc
it saws, very frankly, that he has al:ead,
shown that he is not fit to be postmaster
that his apologies and excuses for his vic
lations of law are an affront to common
sense; that his attempts to whitewasl
the characters of the disreputablec creature
whose public employment is a publ
scandal, are disingenuous and extremel
discreditable TO him; that, in short, how
ever admirable Citizen WALLACE may be
Postmaster WALLACE is anything but a
agreeable figure to contemplate.
1t isn't pleasant to have to say this, bu
unpleasant duties must not be shirked.
Mr. f L. THoRNE writes THE SENTINEL
expressing some doubts whether il
charity and influence in the matter OF tn
CLAY county troubles are we'll directed
while conceding that they are honest. Nj
THoBxE very truly says that nothing
more touching, more pitiful, than the or
of hungry children and hungry womer
But he believes that "all able-bodied me
should feed themselves, and that the
should beg their own bread, is an impt
sition on the people," He adds:
: II they are not well paid, does that warral
them to stand idle and beg? The good Poop
are willing TO feed their babes and their wive
but they should find bread for themselve
What if, as in your paper il is said, to work
/ | such prices is slavery. Is slavery worse tina
, | beggary? is it worse to earn bali enough
eat than TO beg all? Feed and clothe ar
r care for the babes and their mothers, under a
r ! circumstances but let stout, able-bodied me
feed themselves
We 10 not agree al all with NJ
THoRNE. The Clay county miners are NJ
beggars. They are industrious men-me
who have lived lives of toll, and endu
. ance, and self-denial, and bardshi
who are now engaged in a strugg
: for the right 10 live. We belle,
: that in this struggle they are entitled
and should receive the sympathy ar
support of all right thinking people. The
cause is the cause Of humanity and ju
: tice. They are fighting for principle; f
principles, we might say among them Il
nrinciple OF arbitration, which alone is