The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-05-30
FEDERAL oFFICE-HoLDERs.

| Mr.. Cleveland during ms HiSt f~i'h'
that their Influence should not be
felt in the manipulation OF poiltical
primary meetings and nominating
conventions" The other is the Jack
sonian idea "To the victor belong the
| spoiIs." carrying with it the duty OF
the victor to be active in poiltlcal
| management, and to control the con-
yentions in the interest of the men who
gave the ''victors" their offices, as
practised by Mr.. Cleveland's Office
| holders in the present administration
| in the attempt to control the coming
| National convention.
There is much to be said against the
| Jeffersonian idea on the ground that
| holding office ought not to take away
from the citizen his right to independ-
emit action. that he is still citizen and
outside of office hours ought not 10
| he denied the exercise of that political
action that secured his appointment
TO office. Here are men like Mr. Ay-
cock. and Mr.. Glenn, District Attof-
news. They were active political FAC
TORS in the campaign that elected Mr.
Cleveland, being the two electors-at-
large. In fact, it was their active ana
efficient party service, coupled with
their capacity, that secured them the
positions they now hold. They have
lost none of their love for the party
They want to see its continued success.
They are recognized leaders, and the
qualities that gave them position
would be useful to their party in the
campaign, and yet the Democratic
National platform, inspired by Mr..
Cleveland's order that they should not
take part in politics, makes them IN
eligible as delegates to conventions,
and silences them, as far as it controls
their actions. That declaration read:
Public office is a public trust.
We reaffirm the declaration OF the
Democratic National convention OF
1876 for the reform of the Civil
Service, and we call for the honest
enforcement of all laws regulating
the same. The nomination of
President, as in the recent Republi-
can convention, by delegations
composed largely of his apprentices,
who hold Office at his pleasure, is
scandalous satire upon free popu-
lar institutions and a startling IL
Illustration of the methods by which
a President may crafty his ambi-
ton. We denounce policy under
whicfs Federal office-holders usurp
control of party conventions in the
State, and we pledge the Demo
cratic party to the reform of these
and all other abuses which
threaten individual liberty and
local self-government.
In connection with the platform
utterance, the following order by Mr.. |
Cleveland, promulgated in 1886, shows
what the President thought about |
Michigan methods before he had made
up his mind to control the Chicago
conventions:
''Office-holder are the agents of
the people, not their masters. Not
only is their time and labor due to
the government, but they should
scrupulously avoid in their politi-
cal action. as we'll as in the dis
charge of their official duty, Of
Tending, by the display of obstru-
siye partisanship, their neighbors
who have relations with them as
public officials. They should also
constantly remember that their
party friends, from whom they
have received preferment, have
not invested them with the power
of arbitrarily managing their pol
itical affairs The influence of
Federal office-holders should not
be felt in the manipulation OF
political primary meetings and
nominating conventions"
So far as our observation and read
ing 90, North Carolina is about the
only State in which the Federal Office
holders this year have not violated tins
platform pledge. Whether it is be-
cause they are truer to the platform
than others we need not enquire. As
rule they have observed the Presl-
dents celebrated order and the plat
form declarations, even if they did
wholly approve the policy of disfran-
chising, so far as party enfranchise-
ment is concerned, Federal office
holders.
1t is a pity, for decency's and con-
sistencys sake, that the office-holders
in every State had not initiated their
example. If so we would have had no
Michigan and South Dakota and Ne
braska scandals.
A PAGE OF DISGRACEFUL HISTORY