The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-02-26
THE FEDERAL OFFICES.

before in the history of Utah has TIE
clamor been so great. Four years ago
when there was change OF admins
tration from Republican to Democratic
it was naturally to be expected that an
army of patriots would forge to the
front with appeals for the places from
which the rascals were to be turned out.
The Democrats were hungry. They
had been patient and long-sufferlng,
and nothing was more natural than
that they should desire some OF the pie
upon which their enemies and Cypress
ors had been so long feasting. But
eager and mad as was the rush then,
it was as nothing compared to to-day 8
spectacle. From five TO fifty april
cauts. it is said, have already applied
for every Office in this Territory in the
gift of the President. Those who do
not want Office are appealed to to help
the ambitious. Petitions and appeals
are going to Washington by every mail,
and some Of the papers forwarded give
men characters such as they never
dreamed of protesting. Not only this,
but the noble army of Utah office
seekers in Washington daily increases.
Some have gone to the capital in search
OF political influence; others have car
ried their influence with them; some
hope to arrange matters within few
DAYS and return to assume the duties
of their offices; others have gone with
the expectation of camping" at the
capital for weeks, or even months,
laying daily siege to the White House
until they ascertain their fate.
All this is very interesting, if net
amusing, to the disinterested on-looker,
and it will all grow more interesting
and more amusing as the weeks and
months go by. Necessarily the dis
appointments, as compared with the
successes, must be at least twenty-five
to one, and the twenty-five will furnish
the amusement while the one supplies
the interest.
In this connection The HERALD
desires to reiterats what it has said so
many times during the past dozen
years, namely: That it hopes the
Offices will be given to persons not
heretofore residents of this Territory
We assume that it will be
General Harrison's desire to give Utah
in common with the country at large, a
good administration. in which event he
will disregard, so far as Utah is con-
cerned, the party platform which de-
clares that the Federal offices in the
Territories should be filed by bona 6de
citizens of the dependencies. The doc
trine is a good one, and should be
faithfully adhered to everywhere else
but here; but to stand by that rule in
Utah would be to give bad government
and cause trouble. If there is place
in America where there should be alb
solute impartiality in the Federal of
ficer, that place is in Utah, and 60
where else are the men who
stand any charcs of getting office
so partial and full of prejudice
This is only stating the truth frankly
and fairly, and not with the view to
rejecting on the character or integrity
of any aspifant to Office. Let sn hon
est man familiar with the community
and who will be fair with himself, try
TO fit our Republican citizens of prom
inence and intelligence to the federal
offices, and see how soon he will find
himself in deep distress. Beginning
with the courts, where would he fine
four Republican members of the local
bar for Chief Justice and Associates
who have beea impartial in their lives
and in whom and whose interpretations
of the law the public would have the
trust and confidence which itmust have
in the bench before there can be
Iod administration If there is 8
lawyer here whose bias is not known
and whose prejudioe5 are not pro-
neunced as to local questions, who is
hep There is none 1t may not be the
fault of the gentlemen of the bar, and
they may not be aware of the fact, but
it is true that all are more or less
afflicted by the local prejudices and very
nearly all occupy positions on one side
or the other of the local quarrel. And
SO you may run down the list of Federal
Offices, and fail to find persons to fill
them who would be acceptable to more
than fraction, or who would be above
the suspicion of being subject to
the dictation of o petty ring.
1t is not that our own citizt rs do not
poss ess the ability, but the home strife
has disqualified them.
tits pointed out by those who favor
home mon, that scrubs are frequently
sent here from abroad This is true
enough, though the Improvement in
this matter within the past few years
has been SO marked as to encourage the
hope that in time The evil will be cured.
Furthermore, the argument ie not a