The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1889-03-27
What the Records show.

What the Records Show.
There are very few who realize the ex-
tent to which President CLEVELAND went
in divorcing craftsmanship from the public
service. He was fiercely attacked during
the last campaign by professional civil
service reformers for his alleged failure to
observe the spirit OF the civil service law,
and vet the records show that under no
administration since the early days of the
republic did partisan considerations have
so little weight and public considerations
so uniformly govern in the management
of the civil service as under that of
Mr.. CLEVELAND. When it is re-
membered that the democratic party,
which elected Mr. CLEVELAND president,
had been out of power for twenty-four
years; that during all that time democrats
had been practically debarred from enter
ing the government service in any capac-
lty, high or low that under the five re-
publican presidents the offices had been
regularly treated as partisan spoiis, and
the machinery of government system
atically employed as an instrument of
party ACKNOWLEDGMENT; and that, notwith-
standing Mr.. CLEvELAND's refusal to fill
the government service with his own par
tisans, the democracy unanimously re-
nominated him and cordially supported
him for reelection, the immense superb
ority OF that party to the rival organization
as an agency of good government becomes
manifest. And by the same token the
perversity and malice of the professional
reformers who went up and down the
land last summer denouncing Mr.. CLEvE-
LAND as spokesman" and throwing up
their hats for BENJAMIN HARRISON, a man
who never, by single word or action,
showed his capacity to rise for a single
moment above the level of the grossest
partisanship, are brought into bold relief.
Now let us look at few figures, taken
from the official records, which tell their
own story, and reveal many of the pro-
fessional reformers in the characters of
humbugs and hypocrites. In the treasury
department of the $40 employees on the
pay-rolls March last, 1880, receiving
81, SS5,000 annual pay, were appointed
prior to March 4, 1855, and only 440 re-
receiving SS7S, $40 annual pay, were
appointed during Mr.. CLEvELAND's adj
ministration. In the interior department
there were 1874 "hold-overs," having
100000 annual pay, and only 456 APP
pointees OF Mr.. CLEvELAND's administra-
ton, drawing but S550,000 annual pay
In the postoffice department there were
AS "hold-overs," with an aggregate salary
of S55OOOO, and 143 Cleveland appointees,
with an aggregate salary of $4,000. These
are the three most important departments
in Washington. They probably employ
four-ifths of all the persons in the gov
eminent service at Washington. And
yet IL will be seen from the above figures
which were compiled by the New York
Herald from the official records-that re-
movals during Mr.. CLEvELAND's term
were scarcely more numerous than
they would naturally have been if his
predecessor had been of the same party.
Whether Mr.. CLEVELAND pursued the
wisest policy in this matter is question
about which democrats differ. But no
one can deny that be established pre-
cedent which HARRISON cannot refuse to
follow without covering himself and his
party with utter disgrace. Nor can any
exaggerate the meanness, the duplicity,
the total lack of consistency and the rank
treachery to the principles they profess to
cherish, of the self-styled civil service re-
formers who, in the face of this record,
opposed President CLEvELAND's reelection
and lent their feeble efforts to promote
the candidacy of his rival, man, who,
through his entire career, had been
identified with machine politics; the init
mate friend and associate of men like
DUDLEY, DORSEY and the "Slick Six" and
the nominee of the party which, during
its twenty-four years OF power, debauched
the public service toa degree that had not
been witnessed in any other civilized
country on earth for century.