Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1891-10-01
HARRISON AT HOME.


The Condition of AnAirs in the Presidents
Own State.
A correspondent of the New York
Sun, writing from Indianapolis, tells
why the president is unpopular at
home. OF course. the spoils are the
main cause of his nnpopularity. He
has offended, it seems. both the civil
reform element and the spoilsmen, the
former because he has selected his ap-
pointees from among the latter, and
the latter because he has ignored, or
but partially recognized, their chiefs
AS Indiana republicans are divided into
two classes only in reference to the
spoils, the president has not succeeded
in pleasing any body, unless those who
got the offices are satisfied with the
situation.
Ex-Treasurer Huston and Col. W. w.
Dudley are, as is well known, among
the disguised gentlemen. They have
both been disappointed, as they both
expected to assist in the distribution of
the spoils; and it is said that Harrisen's
supporters in the convention of 1888
issued a great many promises which.
by reason of the presidents refusal to
cooperate with them. they have been
in which an Ohio Sherman delegate
was bought over to Harrison with the
offer of an internal revenue collector
ship, the president declining to deliver
the goods when demand was made.
It is said, too, that when his old
friends call at the white house, the
president appears to think it great
condescen sion to shake them by the
hand. This class of people is probably
not very large. as it is very generally
understood that when a caller from In
diana goes to the white house, he is
after something else than a hand shak-
ing seance.
The result of all this is that the
presidents city, county and state are
now democratic, the diSaffected pol
iticians either refralning from voting
or casting their ballots for the demo-
cratic candidates; and the statement is
made that even if renominated Mr..
Harris on cannot carry Indiana, but
that many of the leading papers of the
state are openly fighting his ambition
for second nomination.
All this is very, very sad for Mr..
Harrison. and very. very joyous for his
secretary of state; but it is not wholly
discreditable. 1t is true that consider
able casuistry is required to distinguish
between the right of accepting Office at
the hands of men whose methods are
such as those employed by the blocks
of-five supporters of the president and
the wrong of allowing those supporters
to dispense the patronage; but there is
a distinction, if not a difference, and
| the president deserves some credit for
recognizing it. His post-inaugural
scruples, will, however, prove incon-
| venient in their consequences if it hap
pens that both Huston and Dudley de-
| termine to become active in opposition;
for these gentlemen have long operat-
ed the machine and they know every
wheel and spring. They made Harri-
son with the machine, and they can
unmake him, and make his successor
on the repu blican ticket.
The moral of this seems to be, that
if man is too good to give offices
! through the hands of those who deal in
! blocks of five, he should be too good te
| take Office through those hands. But
the moral did not occur to Harrison un
til after March 4, 1sS9.-Louisville
COufier-J Ournal.