The Hazel Green herald. [volume] (Hazel Green, Wolfe County, Ky.) 1885-19??, 1892-07-15
MOI 100 CLEAN.
Questionable Methods of the Present Ad
nlInirtration.

na,ural 10 entertain. are congratulatinp
themselves that by the nomination of
Nessrs. Harrison and Cleveland by
their respective parties the country
will escape all scandal In the presiden.
t,al canvass, and the press will oe able
20 devote itself exclusively To the dis
cussion of the economic questions put
in issue. This is true, however, only TO
a degree. II can hardly be said TO be
,ybolly true. So far as Mr.. Cleveland
Il 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
nrivate life, or accuse him of having
made improper gains in his great office,
or hesitate to acknowledge his fidelity
70 a high standard of public conduct in
certain departments of his administra-
ton. But in the anxiety which every
decent Journalist feels tn avoid every
thing like unnecessary personality, and
20 carry on political discussions AS
gentleman with gentlemen, there will
be temptation to ignore certain chap
ters in Mr. IIarrison's public career that
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.
II cannot bc desirable for the good
government of the country or for the
preservation of public morals that
these questions shall be overlooked, or
that the voters shall be allowed 10
think that they are of no consequence.
Mr.. Wanamakcr'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. 1t has never been scri-
ously questioned, and Mr.. Wanamaker
himself, who is the only man VINO could
have disproved the charge, has never
successfully essayed IL 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 lntolerable to any honorable
man. 1t lay in the power of Mr., Wan
amaker IL he were innocent of knowl-
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
by the destruction of the records of the
committee into whose hands his con-
tributionS had gone. These facts con
stitute II 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
quirv. More than enough has already
been elected to show that Eaum'S con-
duet has been of kind that Mr. llarri-
son should not have tolerated. lie has
been proved 10 have put himself under
' =
most active and powerful of the pension
attorneys, who, on his part, has re-
ceived exceptional favorS from the bu-
reau. This is only a specimen of the
ways in which he has proStituted his
office To the president, who is at once
lawyer veteran of the war for the
union and the highest official IN the
land, the nature of such conduct on the
part of a man intrusted with the admin
istration of the pension office cannot
but be- clear. II is incNplicahlc that he
should have permitted it without 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
10 democratic congressman. As tn the
land Office, there is also n curious blind
facts are not obscure, and could readily
be got at. Whether that be obtained
or not. it is plain that there is enough
IN the history of the Harrison admins
tration 10 compel the attention of those
who believe that pure government II
preferable even TO tranquil presiden'
tial canvass, and who recognize the
uuty OF securing the former at the risk
OF interrupting the latter.-N.i. Times
AGGlnE NTAl TRlITA