Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1894-03-08
REMOVALS FROM OFFICES.

sition to removals from Office upon po
litical considerations is that the public
service may be injured by such prac'
tices. Suppose, for the sake of argu'
ment, that this is true; is the ground
an adequate one?
The highest and most vital interests
of the people are totally unconnected
with this public service. A Sherman
silver law will produce distrust, panic
and financial disaster, no matter what
may be the politics of the clerks in the
Treasury and employees of the mint
Mckinley duties will strangle our COM
merce, paralyze our manufactures and
starve our laborers, without regard b
the political views or even the bust
ness capacity of the customs officers
who collect them. Federal election
laws will menace our freedom and
right of local self-government, what
ever may be the character of the dep
uty marshals appointed under them.
The financial, commercial and social
interests of the nation depend on the
general effects of legislation and gov
eminent policy; not on the clerks who
are concerned with details of admins
tering our laws
1t is clear, then, if we are believers
in Democratic doctrines and principles,
that the first and most imperative
demand of the people is that the Dem
ocratic party be kept in power, for in
no other way can these laws be passed
and those policies maintained upon
which our progress and prosperity
depend; the needs ofthe public service
are subordinate to this. 1t is a duty
which the party leaders owe to the
country to avail themselves Of all law
full and fair means to this end.
1t cannot De disputed that nothing
so tends to discourage those who have
worked for the success of the party,
or to engender indifference and apathy
among its rank and file, as the failure
to recognize the claims of the workers
to reasonable reward in the way of
offices. Such encouragement and in
difference are the sure harbingers of
party defeat And thus it comes
about that failure to divide the So
called "spoils" among the victors
means, in effect, treason to those high
er principles and policies upon which
the life of the party depends; and
hence that the best interests of the ma
ton, without regard to partisan consid-
erations, imperatively demand that
Democrats be substituted for Repub-
lican office holders, at whatever cost to
the public service" short of abso-
Lutte generalization.
But except for the purpose Of this
argument, we decline to admit that
such removals and substitutions would
in anywise impair the efficiency of
the public Service. 1t is an axiom
that no man is indispensable, under
any circumstances. And can it be
said that among sixty millions of peo-
pie, more than half Democrats, at
least one man of that party cannot be
found in every way as competent to
Eli any given position as the Republi-
cans who have so long fattened on its
Such proposition is
absurd. And in the present hard
times one would moi have to light
lantern and search the market-place
to find sturdy Democrats willing and
competent to fill any Office under the
government.
The sting of the present situation,
however, lies in the fact that the
servants of the people, in whose hands
rests the appointing power do not
even deign to explain or excuse their
neglect of the duty which, as we have
pointed out, they owe to the nation
as well as to their party. They
pursue the even tenor of
their way, broken only by fishing
excursions and Understanding expedi-
tons; and the claims of worthy and
able Democrats are not only ignored
by them, but they dispense lavish
promotion to the Republicans who
make use of their bounty only to be-
tray them. If this lasts much longer,
the opportunity to repent and lead
better life will forever be denied to
these nnfaithful stewards.
II gives us great pleasure to an
nounce that Hon. VIM. L. Wilson is