New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-08-09
4 STRIKING CONTRAST.

The Pennsylvania Republicans began their
warm approval of the Administration of PreSi-
dent Harrison in these words:
We cordially indorse the Administration of President
BENJAMIN Harrison because steadily devotes itself TO
the work of broad and intelligent administration by
competent and usty officials and makes its rule OF IN
flexible duty the faithful observance, not the hypo-
critical evasion, OF the public statutes.
This tribute to the character of the appoint
mentS made under the present Administration
is we'll deserved. In fact, it is only when we sec
how few Of the selections made are successfully
criticised that we realize with what care the
work has been performed. The election of Cen
eral Harrison made necessary large number
of removals, was, indeed, a call for them. a
great many incompetent and worthless men
had been appointed under President Cleveland
whom it was necessary to remove if the public
service was to be restored to its old efficiency.
This work has been going on with more or less
rapidity during the five months since the in
augulaton, but there have been so few mis-
takes that the opposition newspapers have had
TO play continually on harp of half dozen
strings to keep up any noise at all.
The readers of the Mugwump papers will
bear us witness that few appointments, of
small Importance, and to the number, per-
bapS, of six or thereaboutS, have furnished
their whole stock in trade Of complaints on
this head against the Administration. The
charges against these have been reiterated, even
to the point where the Mugwump papers them
selves grew weary, for they seem to have
dropped them. Once in a while, to be sure,
there is brief revival, as when "The Evening
10 o4ho IL, hdr no oh
had made against the postmaster at Wilson,
n. u, being assured by Democratic paper,
"The Buffalo Courier,n that they were tech
meal and malicious, and that the postmaster
was 4 man of good character. Thousands of
amendments to Office have been made since
the change of Administration, and a large pro-
portion of them, no doubt, necessarily made,
and yet the number of new men against whom
any objection can be brought is so small that
the opposition are left almost without ammuni-
ton. This is u remarkable record
Is it necessary to recall the record of the
Cleveland Administration in this respect THE
TRIBUNE published it in full some three years
after Mr.. Cleveland had been in Office and
the accuracy of its showing, except in al
solitary instance, was never questioned.
Leaving OuU VI COHSiutIdJlOn "
which objection was made simply on fitness,
THE TRIBUNE found that 1877 downright
criminals had been appointed to Office, not in
Guiding in this list men guilty Of political
crimes, Of whom there were % ; and that 9
persons directly connected with the criminal
classes had also received appointments, max
ing total Of more than 200 persons Of this
stripe who had succeeded in getting places
under the Democratic Administration. We
shall not rehearse the list. 1t was a dreary
catalogue, and not one likely to crafty the
patriotic pride of any American. But when
the present Administration is being so per-
sistently assailed for making changes, many of
which were rendered absolutely necessary by
the disgraceful appointments under Mr.. Cleve-
land, it will do no harm to remind the public
of one powerful and pressing reason for re-
mOVals.