Fair play., 1892-06-11
SERIOUS FLAWS.
Questionable Methods of the Present Aa-
mIuist tipu,

Some of our contemporaries, with a
feeling that it is easy to pardon and
natural to entertain, are congratnIating
themselves that by the nomination of
Messrs. Harrison and Cleveland by
their respective parties the country
will escape all scandal in the presiden-
tial canvass, and the press will tie able
to devote itself exclusively to the dis
cussion of the economic questions put
in issue. This is true, however, only 10
degree 1t can hardly be said TO be
wholly true. So far as Mr.. Cleveland
is concerned, there can, of course. be
no question raised Of personal char
acter. So far as concerns Mr.. Iarri.
son. no one will throw any doubt on his
private life, or accuse him of having
made improper gains in his great Office.
Or hesitate to acknowledge his fidelity
to high standard of public conduct i'm
certain departments of his adminstra-
ton. But in the anxiety which every
decent journalist feels to avoid every
thing Like unnecessary personality, aud
to carry on political discussions az n
gentleman with gentlemen, there will
be temptation to ignore certain chan
tcrs in Mr.. Harrison public career that
are not agreeable, but are important.
Of these the appointment of Mr.. Wanna
maker Is one, the management of the
pension bureau is another, the manage
mcnt OF the census bureau third. and
some things in the work of the land of
flee the. fourth, and in some respects the
most important.
1t cannot be desirable for the good
government of the country or for the
preservation of public morals that
these questions shall lie overlooked, or
that the voters shall be allowed to
think that they are of no consequence.
Mr. Wanamaker's appointment was the
hrst In the history of the government
that could reasonably be believed to
have been obtained by raising large
sums OF money for the election of the
president making it. The strong evi-
dence chat this was the case has never
been refuted. 1t has never been scri-
ously questioned, and Mr.. Wanamakcr
himself. who is the only man VINO could
have dlSproved the charge, has never
successfully cssayed to do SO. The of
fense against the people is aggravated
in this. instance by the notorious cor
ruption attending the disbursement of
the fund raised by Mr.. Wanamaker.
That, indeed. made the situation of the
postmaster general one that would
have been Intolerable to any honorable
man. 1t lay in the power of Mr.. Wan
M t-,, y h. r
edge as TO his corruption to show that
he was so. He not only failed to do
that, but he allowed himself to be de-
privcd Of that power without protest
10y the destruction of the records of the
committee into whose hands his con-
trISutionS had gone. These facts CON
stitute case that the general body Of
voters will have to consider 1t would
be great misfortune if they should not
Of the other matters to which we have
referred, one, at least, will be made
clear by the Investigations of the house
The pension bureau and its amazing
commissioner are now undergoing in
quiry. More than enough has already
been elected to show that Raum's con-
duct has been of a kind that Mr.. Harri-
son should not have tolerated He has
been proved to have put himself under
pecuniary obligations to one of the
most active and powerful of the pension
attorneys, who, on his part, has re-
ceived exceptional favors from the bu-
reau. This is only specimen of the
ways in which he has prostituted his
Office. To the president, who is at once
a lawyer, veteran of the war for the
union and the highest official in the
land. the nature of such conduct on the
part of Il man intrusted with the admin
istration of the pension Office cannot
but be clear. 1t is inexplicablc that he
should have permitted it without a con-
sideration, and the consideration can
not have been worthy one. AS to the
census bureau, we regret that the
chances now seem to be that its unprin-
cipled chief will escape official exposure
through the favors that he has granted
to democratic congressman. As to the
land Office. there is also a curious blind
ness or silence in Washington. The
facts are not obscure, and could readily
he got at. Whether that be obtained
or not it is plain that there is enough
in the history of the Harrison admins
tration to compel the attention of those
who believe that pure government is
preferable even to a tranquil presiden- |
tial canvass. and who recognize the |
duty of securing the former at the risk |
Of interrupting the lattcr.-N.Y. Times |