The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1889-03-05
BY THE PRESIDENT.
CONTINUED FROM FIRST PAGE

= e - s o'oAu the OpprODrluLN WHICH must
iai. upon the nation that ruthlessly breaks IT.
The duty devolved By law upon the Presi-
dent to nominate and, by and with the advice
ana consent of the Senate, to appoint all public
ohcers' whose appointment is not otherwise
provided for in the constitution or by act of
congress. has become very burdensome, and
It's wise and efficient discharge full of difficulty
The civil list is so large that personal knowl-
edge OF any large number of the applicants is
impossible. The President must rely upon the
representations of others and these are often
made without any just sense of responsibility.
have right, think, to insist that those who
volunteer or are invited to give advice as to
appointments shall exercise consideration and
fidelity. A high sense of duty and an ambition
to improve the service should characterize all
public officers. There are many ways in which
the convenience and comfort of those who have
business with our public officers may be pro-
NOTED by thoughtful and obliging officer, and
! shall expect those whom l may appoint 10
justify their selection by conspicuous
efficiency in the discharge of their duties.
Honorable party service will certainly not be
esteemed by me disqualification for public
Office, but it will in no case be allowed to
serve as a shield of official negligence, incom-
potency or delinquency. 1t is entirely credita-
BILE to seek public office by proper methods and
with proper motives, and applicants will be
treated with consideration. But i shall need,
and the heads Of departments will need, time
for inquiry and elaboration. Persistent i'm
portunity will not, therefore. be the best sup
port Of an application for Office. Heads of de-
partments, bureaus, and all other public officers
having any duty connected Herewith will be
expected to enforce the civil service law fully
and without evasion.
Beyond this obvious duty hope to do some
thing more to advance the reform of the civil
service. The ideal, or even my own ideal,
shall probably not attain. Retrospect will be
safer basis of judgment than promises. We
shall not, however, am sure, be able to put
our civil service upon a partisan basis
until we have secured an incumbency that
fair minded men of the opposition will ap-
prove for impartiality and integrity. As the
number of such in the civil list increases re-
movals from office will diminish.
While treasury surplus is not the greatest
evil, it is a serious evil. Our revenues should
be ample to meet the ordinary annual
demands upon our treasury with a
sufficient margin for those extraordinary
but scarcely less imperative demands
which arise now and then. Expenditures
should always be made with economy and only
upon public necessity. Wastefulness, profit
gacy or favoritism in public expenditures is
criminal. There is nothing in the condition of
our country or our people to suggest that any
thing presently necessary to the public
prosperity, security or honor should be un-
duly postponed. 1t will be the duty of Con-
gress usually to forecast and estimate these
extraordinary demands and having added them
to our ordinary expenditures to so adjust our
revenue laws that no considerable sur
| plus should remain. 1t will fortunately
be able to apply to the redemption of
the public debt any small and unforeseen ex-
cess of revenue. This is better than to reduce
our income below our necessary expenditures
| with the resulting choice between another
| change of our revenue laws and an increase of
the public debt. 1t is quite possible, l am
sure, to effect the necessary reduction in our
revenues without breaking down our protective
| tariff or seriously injuring any domestic in
dustry.
| The construction of sufficient number of
war ships and their necessary armament
should progress as rapidly as is consistent with
| care and perfection in plans and workmanship.
/ The spirit, courage and skill of our naval
officers and seamen have many times in our
| history gwen to weak ships and inefficient guns
rating greatly beyond that of the naval list.
That they will again do SO upon occasion do
not doubt, but they ought not by premedita-
ton or neglect to be left to any risks and
/ exigencies.
| We should encourage the establishing of
| American steamship lines. The exchanges of
| commerce demand stated, reliable and rapid
means of communication and until these are
provided the development of our trade with the
states lying south of us is impossible.
Our pension laws should give more indiyid-
ual and discriminating relief to union soldiers
and sailors and to their widows and orphans.
| Such occasions as this should remind us that
| we owe everything to their valor and sacrifice.
| 1t is subject of congratulation that there is
a near prospect of the admission into the union
| of the Dakotas Montana and Washington.
This act of justice has been unreasonably de-
layed in the case of some of them. The people
who have settled those Territories are intelli-
gent, enterprising and patriotic and the &C.
| cession of these new States will add strength
| TO the nation. 1t is due to settlers in the
! Territories who have awaited themselves of the
invitations of our land laws to make homes
| upon the public domain, that their titles should
! be speedily adjusted and their honest entries
confirmed by patent.
| 1t is very gratifying to observe the general
interest now being manifested in the reform of
| our election laws. Those who have been for
years calling attention to the pressing necessity
| of throwing about the ballot box and about
the elector further safeguards, in order that
the elections might not only be free and pure
but might clearly appear to be SO, will well
| come the accession of any who did
not SO soon discover the need of
reform. The national Congress has not as yet
taken control of elections, except in that case
where the constitution gives it jurisdiction, but
has accepted and adopted the election laws Of
the several States, provided penalties for their
| violation and method of supervision. Only
| the ineficiency of the State laws or the unfair
| or partisan administration of them could sug-
| gest departure from this policy. 1t was
clearly, however, in the contemplation of the
| trainers of the constitution that such an ext
gency might arise and provision was wisely
made for it. No power vested in Congress or in
the executive to secure or perpetuate it should
| remain unused upon occasion. The people of
all the Congressional districts have an equal
interest that the election shall truly express
the views and wishes of majority of the
| qualified electors residing within them. Their E.
i suits of such elections are not local and the
insistance of electors residing in other districts
| that they shall be pure and free does nor SAVIOR
at all of impertinence. If in any of the States
| tie public security is thought to be threatened
| by ignorance among the electors the obvious
| remedy is education. The sympathy and
help of our people will not be with
held from any community struggling with
special endorsements or difficulties connected
with suffrage, if the remedies proposed pro-
coed upon lawful lines, and are carried out by
| Just and honorable methods. How shall those
| who practice election frauds recover that re-
spect for the sanctity of the ballot which is the
first condition and obligation Of good citizen
| ship: The man who has come to regard the
ballot box as juggler'a box has renounced his
allegiance. Let us exalt patriotism and
moderate our party contentious. Let those
who would die for the flag on the field of battle
give better proof of their patriotism and high
glory to their country by promoting fraternity
and justice. A party success that is achieved
by unfair methods or by practices that partake
of revolution is hurtful and evanescent even
from a party standpoint. We should hold our
differing opinions In mutual respect, and having
submitted them to the arbitrament of the bal
lot should accept an adverse judgment with the
same respect that we would have demanded of
Our opponents if the decision had been in our
favor.
No other people have a government more
worthy of their respect and love or a land SO
magnificent in extent, SO pleasant to look
upon and SO full of generous suggestions to
enterprise and labor. God has placed upon
our head diadem and has laid at our feet
power and wealth beyond definition for calcu-
lation. But we must not forget that these gifts
are made upon the condition that justice
Il