New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-02-19
IsCLEyELAND MUGWUMP9
111pGE EpGERToN EVIDENTLY THlNhS d.
AND GIVES HIS REASONS.
AN OPEN LETTER WHICH THE PREslDENI 49,
NOT ENJoY-wHY THE IMAM OF DESIlNi
WAS "REMOVED"

. uacnntl, removed from the once vi NNli 81
commissioner has written open letter 10 'Ao i0'
dent, In which he says a., ,Ao o,iv
To the PRESIDENT 1 indebted to you TOT inc oas
sDno,ntiva ONCE ever held You now declare 'n NV
regret the appointment. can say that rcEie . -
ceptance. Your regret was never msue AU - a. the
Won in any word utteranee or acuon "'s -. -
closa of your Administration, and on the Gay oeo' '
renewal II YOU had any just or unjust cause VI YIN
p.,nt against me- you had not before thss Vne mSe ~
known 10 me- II you believed me unn' ior ' 80,
or negec;ful OF duty. you should have IeHooo , o s
400 bu, presume there prudential POLITICAL reasons
why Won did not make the removal until atter one e'
rha rasut OF tho election placed you IN upemina.
You found man on your hands whom inc MuE" uV ,-e
declared an enemy their Civil Service reform
and your plan Of becoming their representative ~ -
,tro would DO weakened defeated II some Insurance. u
,,. eaeu,v IN their cause could not DO secured Ac-
oordinQly It appears that you deeoeo upoN
tina removal OF the head OF the Oonin1
sion. and deeming MI. Thompson gooo enOus"
Npg,Sumn for them you therefore. demanded my resg
nation that you might appoint him On July =" 900
was good enough Civil Service Commissioner lOr Sou'
as Won stated In your letter Of TRANSMISSION 70 Nos
Of the fourth report OF the Commission -. -,
Allow me 10 say that you are very p e0uns A- "S
a nostve man. positively wrong or positively rgh@ anu
therefore an unsafe man trust; and tat eleneh' ~
your character believe led to your oeiea| iou WIZ
creduous enough 10 believe that you were e'eoeu
dent by the Mugwumps and therefore you peIin''u N
10 malen your real friends and TO aer you into pocy
which LED IN vour defeat man who would not
permit your real friends to admonish you win iIeoo
and confidence and result you have suuereu lof '
want Of friends your wrecked and wetched greatness
has discovered that thcre is no true success IN he "
the power and blessing OF friendship
Men are wrong for want Of sense. / may have been
wrong in many things connected with the Civil service
Commission but win say that have consistently anu
inconsseny maintained Civil Service law and never
made utterance against It, Having sworn TO support ~
n has been my constant effort to do so; but never uo
swear to support Mugwump Interpretation OF H. oasea
on the mcnstrous assumption that the Commission was
independent OF law.
Mr. Edgerton, after giving his opinion OF inc ONi
Service law dn which he declares that he was not
In favor of extending the law 10 every branch OF the
Governmental service says:
In one important case / differed from the Commits
sion. and been quite generally denounced Tor doing
by the Mugwump papers. reief 70 hue VII
which reads: whenever dismissal from the ENecut'e
Civil Service made written statement Of the cause Of
dismissal be filed with the order Oh dismissal anu
become part of tho public records This was poposou
BIZ Commissioner Lyman and adopted by MI ODeny Nho'
after advising with several Mugwumps in New.fofA'
submitted IL you for your approval You re1ee'ea ~
and differed by doing with tbs majority o. the Commas
sion but agreed with You were severely eehsuieu
by the newspapers which have demanded my to
noval The records OF the Commission only VIII snow
wherein differed with my colleagues on the questions
considered and there cannot found any page one
word which shows me DO o vioator Of the law
You caused be placed upon tho Congressional record
this announcement OF nomination by you, to be confirmed
by the United States Senate Hugh s. Thompson, OF
south Carolina TO be Unlted Civil Service Com
missioner in place OF Alfred p. EdgeEton, removed
do not ask you 70 give any reason for this act
know and do you, that the only one you could give
would be that It your will, for II you attempted 70
give any other your previous words would prove u
70 be untrue In my interview with you before the re-
uoya you expressly discsied having reason for IL
except my refusal to resign enable you to make Mr.
Thompson's nomination.
.Reuovedn Ia word Of far reaching potency, especially
when record does not explain t. am conscious OF
his and deeny pancd by the consciousness The people
have the IigaR know the truth in all matters OF TINS
kind and for this only do address you cannot
Ike YOU make prayer for relief TO the pubic sueh as
the article seems 10 be In Thc Baltimore Sun OF Feb
ruary H. This Is the first time in the history OF the
Government that an outgoing President has found IL
necessary TO advertise through the newspapers bis par
tcular work during his term OF ONCE and his claims
upon his party and the country for approval Between
he lines can be read the SPECIAL plea for reelection
can point to another removal an mine beyond parallel
10 70 down through history when shall be forgotten
Before do So let refer proof OF your Ignorance OF
public opinion and not Of your indifference 70 H. what
YOU say in 1.-THE Sun" article Of Mr. Bunes OF Missouri
as one not guilty OF the annoyance 70 which you were
subjected by the country Congress Introducing
10 you constituents because he always presented his
constituents public receptions II Mr.. Burnes were
living could tell you another reason which he often told
10 others that had been ruey treated by you and had
the Democratic party TO your ignorance OF It.
Iut 70 Of removal. was on the floor Of tho
House OF Representatives during the time the votes OF
the Electoral College werS counted and heard the an
nouneement OF the resultthat Benjamin. Harrison was
duly elected President Of the United States but the
words that burned deep through the empty toxes OF tho
Administration could not be officially added, though
known be "In place of Grover Cleveland,
moved" BY whom, and for what cause, remoyedi Tho
Is being made in every home, In every bust
in the land, and history will inserlbe IL upon all It,
records You had declared 10 the country that "publo
Office IS public trust" The Democratic party had
Declared that you should be its trustee. You 10
your high In the confidence your party and with
respect Of your opponents ali wishing you honorable
success But It disclosed that you aid not
know the party which had made you is You
believed you had Will, and thcrefoc destiny, that
would enable you rise above your party and disre
gard the opinion and advice Of its most eminent
This you attempted and therefore disregaded your obIi.
cations your parys trustee. You forgot that there
such thing political gratitude, aud that It was
| neither vice nor q crime.
In the belief that you wore false 70 your trust 10
both parties. removed by the action Of both.
II you can find many reasons for removing me as
the Democratic party, through indifference which was
simply retaatofy had for removing you shall be quite
| willing 10 remain with you In the gloom OF defeat
1t was known TO you that was not in favor o: inves
legations into the act Of officials upon newspaper other
irresponsible charges but OF the commissioners.
after entering the duties Of his Office began
attacks debates in Congress- especially upon
the speeches OF Senators Harrison, Plumb and Ingalls,
then attacked Mr. Eaton former commissioner, the
result being the commissioner making the attack apollo
| pized.
Then began general attack upon Democratic oncIals
OF your own selection, upon the assumption that every
was an intentional yolator Of the Civil Service law.
opposed those investigations unless distinct charges by
| responsible persons made
opposed TO the action Of the majority Of the Com
mission inviting 70 conference Washington the
trcs Of the customs and postal examining boards
reason that such conference not the authorized
work OF the Commission The controlling fact concerning
this conference that there money In the
Treasury appropriated for travelling expenses OF the Com
mission which had been expended and this conference
| was devised TO prevent It's to the Treasury
TIE ILLNESS OF POSTMASTER PEARSON.
None Of the officials at the Postonce could OF would
give any information yesterday 10 the
sickness which has kept Postmaster Pearson away
! for several days. circulated that he had
| disease. he hfa