Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1892-06-16
SERIOUS FLAWS.
Questionable Methods of the Present Ad-
ministration.

SERIOUS FLAWS.
Questionable Methods of the Present Ad-
ministration.
Some of our contemporaries, with
feeling that it is easy to pardon and
natural to entertain. are congratulating
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 De able |
to devote itself exclusively to the dis |
cussion of the economic questions put |
in issue This is true. however, only to |
a degree It 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.. Harri- |
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 a high standard of public conduct in
certain departments Of his administra
ton But in the anxiety which every
decent journalist feels to avoid every
thing like unnecessary persona atty, and
to carry on political discussions as a
gentleman with gentlemen, there will
be a temptation to ignore certain chap
ters in Mr.. Harrison's 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
ment of the census bureau third, and
| some things in the work of the land Of
fee the fourth, and in some respects the
| most Important
| Joe II
| government of the country or for the
preservation of public morals that
| these questions shall be overlooked, or
| that the voters shall be allowed to
think that they are of no consequence.
Mr.. Wanamaker's appointment was the
first 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 evil
dence that this was the case has never
been refuted. It has never been seri-
ously questioned, and Mr.. Wanamaker
himself, who is the only man VINO could
have disproved the charge. has never
successfully essayed to do so. The of
Tense 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 1ntolerable to any honorable
man. It lay in the power Of Mr.. Wan
amaker if he were innocent Of knowl
edge as to his corruption to show that
; he was so. He not only failed to dc
, that, but he allowed himself to be de
prived of that power without protest
L. - Il
committee into whose hands his con
tributiOns had gOn'- These facts con
/ stitute a case that the general body O
? voters will have to consider. 1t would
!; be a great misfortune if they should not
OF the other matters to which we have
t referred, one, at least, will be mad'
clear by the Investigations of the house
The pension bureau and its amazin.
t commissioner are now undergoing in
u ouiry More than enough has alread,
u been elected to show that Raum'S COZ
duct has been of a kind that MIR. Harri
i son should not have tolerated. He ha
been proved to have put himself unde
r pecuniary obligations to one of tn
most active and powerful of the pensio
It attorneys, who, on his part, has re
n ceived exceptional favors from the BIT
reau. This is only specimen of tn
n ways in which he has prostituted hi
1t office To the president, who is at ono
a lawyer, a veteran of the war for tn
&c union and the highest official in tn
land, the nature of such conduct on tn
?, part of a man intrusted with the admin
istration of the pension Office cannc
but be clear. It is inexplicable that
,e should have permitted it without col
a sideration, and the consideration cal
not have been a worthy one As to til
w census bureau, we regret that TT
,e chances now seem to be that its unpril
cipled chief will escape official exposul
ce through the favors that he has granite
to democratic congressman. As to tt
is land office, there is also curious bin
ness or silence in Washington. I'll
r, facts are not obscure, and could readi
ne be got at Whether that be obtaint
or not, it is plain that there is enoue
at in the history of the Harrison admin
p tration to compel the attention of tho
1d who believe that pure government
N preferable even to a tranquil preside
n tial canvass, and who recognize Il
duty of securing the former at the ri
II. of interrupting the latter.-N.Y Y. Time