Omaha daily bee., 1889-07-29
FROM A DEMocRATTC sTANDporNT

y
Programme will therefore attract very
general attention. It appears that Mr..
Carlisle was moved TO this discussion by
the article OF Senator Morrill, in the
July number OF The Forum, although he
admits that he does not suppose the
statements OF the Vermont senator are
in any proper sense authoritative, "or
even that he has in every instance cor
rectly expressed the views OF majority
OF his party" A contrary presumption
is warranted as to the statements and
views OF Mr.. Carlisle. It may be possi-
Bile to gather from these some idea OF
what may be the democratic pro-
gramme.
In considering the matters which
Senator Morrill, indicated as among the
'perils in front OF the present admins
tration, !" namely, the execution of the
civil service law, the question of silver
coinage, and the negro problem,
Mr.. Carlisle says as to the first
Of these that the delay OF the
president in appointing civil SER
vice commissioners, and his post
ponement of the order classifying the
railway mail service, ''show conclu-
sively that there is no great anxiety for
the enforcement of the law as it stands" ]"
Those familiar with the facts, even dem
ocrats, will fail to find any justice in
this view. The present administration
found the civil service commission re-
duced to single member, and it knew,
also, that for three or four years the
commission had been dcmoralized by
personal feuds. 1t was also impressed
with the urgent necessity Of re-
organizing the commission by the
appointment OF man in known
sympathy with the reform, and who
would be likely to work in harmony for
Its promotion. preceding admins
tration had suggested the democratic
member and he was accepted. The
| task of the new administration was to
find an entirely acceptable republican
member, and it has been very generally
conceded that it did so, at least so far
as his zeal and interest in the reform
are concerned. The desire thus shown
| by the administration to constitute the
commission Of civil service reformers
must appeal to all candid men to be
conclusive of an anxiety for the en-
forcement of the law as it stands,
and nothing has occurred since the
commission was reorganized to warrant
| a different view. 1t has been pursuing
without restraint policy looking to
| the rigid enforcement of the law. AS
to the postponement of the order CLASH
| flying the railway mail service, it was
| done in the interest of the service and
as an act of justice to men, many of them
ing the closing months of the last ad-
ministration on the score Of offensive
partisanship. The service was suffer-
ing seriously from the incompetents
who had been given the places
Of experienced and capable
men, and it was absolutely
necessary to the efficiency of the service
that those who had been removed solely
for political reasons should be restored.
Especially was restoration due to the
veterans who had suffered from the hos
tility of the democratic administration.
The postponement was brief, but it was
sufficient to allow of great improve
ment in the character of the service and
to do justice to men who had been faith.
full and competent officials. 1t will be
in place to observe here that the appli
cation of civil service rules to the rail
way mail service is not working with
entire satisfaction. Those in charge O
this branch of the postal service the mos
difficult of any, complain that since the
classification they do not as rule ge
suitable men, aud that the lnevitabl,
result must be damaging to the eff.
cheney of the service. The situation
would undoubtedly be much worse bu
for the postponement which allowet
the restoration OF experienced and ca
pable clerks.
Mr.. Carlisle is nquestionably correc
in assuming that the republican part.
will not stop the coinage of silver. Tha
was an early hobby of the last admins
tration that found little approval ever
from its own party, and the Wall stree
influence that dictated it and was all
powerful with President Cleveland
first secretary of the treasury, is no
now potential in shaping and directin.
the financial policy of the country. Mr.
Carlisle thinks that the ''so-called negr
problem is one that will continue to We:
the republican party as long as it
compelled to rely for success upon tn
solid colored vote, and no solution of i
will be satisfactory unless it subject
that vote to the exclusive control @
partisan officials, appointed to see tina
it is always cast or counted for the re
publican candidates" In order to effec
this, Mr.. Carlisle charges tina
it is q part of the republican
programme to enact, ''without any con
stitutional authority" federal reg
istration and election law. OF cours
Mr.. Carlisle regards such an expedien
as pregnant with evils, but he makes n
effort to show that the political condi
tions in the south are not such as woul(
justify such law. He does not attemp
to deny that there are hundreds o
thousands of voters in that section WIN
cannot exercise their political right
without some such protection. 1t |
quite possible that legislation OF tn
| character that has beeu DronOsed an,