The Hazel Green herald., 1893-01-13
THE POPULAR VERDICT.

uarrIson's Administration Fun OF OHcnses
TO American Voters.
The verdict of the country upon the
| administration of Benjamin Harrison
is uumistalSablc. IL has been rendered
with such emphasis that il is impossible
TO misintcrprct il. The administration
and all It's works have been repudiatcd
by the American people. Two years
ago the country registered such a vote
of want of confidence as has never be-
fore been recorded against any admin
istration in our history. But the ma.
iorities against the administration,
overwhelming rs they were, lost some
what of their moral force because Of
the very large abstention of voters in
nearly all the states. 1t was urged 10y
The supporters of the administration
that while this abstcntion might bC
held To indicate Jack of positive en-
thusiasm for the president and his pol
icics, it did not signify absolute dis
approval OF them, and il was confident
ly predicted that in 1892 when a full
vote would be registered, the verdict of
1890 would be reversed. Wen, the full
vote has been polled-by far the largest
in the history of the country the
verdict of 1890, instead of being re-
vcrsed, has been reatlirmed and made
more emphatic
The causes of the unpopularity of
the Harrison administration arc not far
to seek, and that they have proved so
potent speaks well for the moral Stauu-
ards as wei as for the intelligence and
patriotism of the American people
The administration began ITS existence
under n cloud. Mr.. Harrison owed his
election not to the uupurchased suf-
fraFcs of the people but to bribery aud
corruption OF the most fragrant dcscrip-
ton. He obtained the presidency in
1855 only through the lavish aud cor
rupt expenditure of money, eytortcd
from the tariff rings and other pluto
cratic combines organized to prey upon
the national treasury and TO dcspou
the people OF their substance. lie him
self inspired and coopcratcd in the
raising of this money, and TO a great
extent directed it's disbursement. With
all of this outlay he did not receive a
majority nor even a plurality Of tho
popular vote. lie was IN an actual mi-
nority of 4S5,63t ON the popular vote
and fell 9G,4S4 below Cleveland. He
was therefore minority president, not
only in the sense that ne had failed 10
receive II majority of the popular vote
but that his leading competitor had
received plurality. He was the Off.
cial product OF money and not the
choice OF the people.
The catalogue OF Mr. IIarrison's Of
feuseS rs president is u long one. When
he bestowed cabinet position upon
John Wauamakcr as a reward for the
lattcr's services in raising corruption
fund of S400, 600 for use I'm securing his
own election, he scandalized the coun-
try When he called the notorious
stephen Il. Elllins who had long been
notorious as jobber and n boodler, To
his cabinet, he repeated this otfense.
When he turned the census bureau
over 10 man of Robert Il. Porter'S an
tecedents with full license to pcrvert
il from its legitimate uses To those of n
party machine, when he put such fell
low as Green H. Raum at the head of
the pension bureau and retained him
after his incompetency and dishonesty
had been fully revealed; when he con-
ferred an important official position
upon u criminal like "Oave' Martin in
Philadelphia and recognized" in n
similar manner such characters rs Il.
ii. Nebckcr, Sam kerehevel and Henry
MacFarland in Indiana, Mr.. Harrison
advertised himself rs unmindful OF the
properties of his high office, and rem
dered Il impossible for honest men,
who were not blinded by party spirit
or personal partiality, 10 retain faith
In him, however much they may have
desired 20 do SO.
Aside from his prostitution of the
patronage To the service of his own
interests and of the supposed interests
OF his party Mr.. Harrison few in the
face of enlightened public opinion
when he identified his administration
with McKinleyism and the wicked
force bill II was the habit of repub-
lican organs aud orators in the recent
campaign to eulogize his administra-
ton as a ''clean" one, and 20 claim
that the democratic press and the dem
ocratic speakers admitted II 10 be such.
Nothing could have been farther from
tho facts. While Il is true that In
consideration of tho presidents sad do
lnestlc uiiiictlou, the spolesmen OF the
.deaocratic party, Though the press