Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1897-10-16
SENATOR GORMAN SPEAKS.

United States Senator Arthur P. Cor.
man has addressed the following letter
to the publisher of the Baltimore Sun
Mr.. Edwin F. Abel, the Sun. Baltimore:
Sir-I address this letter to you in
your capacity as the responsible head of
the A. S. Abel Company. After more
than seven years of violent and abusive
criticism of me, you have at last seen
fit to formulate the grievances in the
exploitation of which you have amazed
not only myself, but the great body of
the democracy of Maryland. In your
issue of the 9th instant you 1, have an ed;
itorial leader entitled, 1.-The Sun and
the Democratic Party" which for the
first time puts into definite form your
reasons for war upon me, which has
now become war upon the democratic
organization of this State. You de-
nounce as absolutely untrue" the
charge made in the Frederick Citizen
that you are making fight against the
democratic party, and [ am willing to
believe that you really think you are
stating fact, but you are certainly
antagonizing with great bitterness
what nine-tenths of the democratic
voters in Ma. ID regard as the party,
and the only fec. I. bis antsgorism,
in the I. t nf its success, will be to
perpetuate Ieru blican rule, and, there.
fore, the negaiion of democracy. You
may differentiate the Organization"
from the party" and employ all the
resources of sophistry to illustrate your
point. The fact will remain, however.
The great body of the democratic voters
will still see in you an enemy. and still
hold you largely responsible for any
defeat that may overtake the cause of
their love and loyalty. The people of
this State. who, following in the foot
steps of their fathers have supported
your newspaper, made it rich and pros
porous, and invested it with authority
and influence, will still wonder that you,
out of mere enmity to me, should devote
the strength which they gave you to
the defeat of the cause which they hold
sacred, and which. as you claim, your
newspaper has advocated for more than
half a century. You may try, but you
can never explain this to their salts
faction. You can never persuade them
that you are not joined with the repub.
licans to overthrow the democratic
party in Maryland. They do not up-
derstand your 6ne-spun distinctions.
They look only to practical results.
But you have now defined your posi-
ton as regards myself, and if 1 fail to
recognize loyalty to the democratic par
ty in your attempt to destroy the dem
ocratic organization, can at least fol-
low what you say in that respect.
Your counts against me are three in
number, with fourth specification for
good measure. You base your opposi
ton to me on my alleged hostility to
what you reverently describe as "the
trinity of reforms'-civil service, tariff
and ballot reform. You charge that /
have been the enemy of all three, aud
you tell the people of Maryland that for
this reason you have denounced me and
endeavored to cut short my public Ca
reer. You admit, to be sure, that the
questions involved are all three ques-
tons of opinion. You could hardly do
less, for your present allies, the repub-
licars, have always antagonized what
you are pleased to call tariff reform, and
it is notorious that thousands of the
best and purest men in the land have
thought, and still think, i'll of civil SER
vice reform, while the very pioneers
and prophets OF the Australian ballot in
this country would repudiate with con-
tempt and ridicule az an impudent I'M
posture the Maryland laws now mas
querading as ballot reform. You are
we'll within the truth, therefore, in
speaking of them as questions of opin-
ion. Whether you are within reason
and justice in denying me my right OF
personal judgment and conscience is not
so clear. You say they are questions Of
opinion, and yet you denounce me for
having mine. Perhaps you hold that,
languishing in the shadow of your dis
approval, 1 have not the same privi-
leges as other men. 1 can believe it,
The matter is of small consequence,
however. Let US come to serious
things.
1t is true that I am opposed to what
you term "civil service REFORM" as it
has been developed and illustrated by
the machinery of the commission. l
voted for the act originally. The theory
attracted me, and I subordinated my
judgment to my hopes but the theory
has given place to condition, aud my
experience and observation have con-
WINGED me of my error. am unalter-
ably opposed, except in judicial places,
to life tenure of Office. 1t is incompat'
ible with our free institutions. l be-
lieve that the highest standard for ad
mission to the civil service should be
honesty and capacity. When appoint
ed, persons in public employ should be
free from political assessment, but | am
unalterably opposed to any rule which
will prevent the people, at stated and
fixed periods, from changing their pub
lie servants.
1t il true, also, that / criticised the
so.called Australian ballot" law as it
was presented to the Maryland legisla-
ture. / was as earnestly in favor OF
law which would secure free ballot
and fair count as you. But l believd
that the fact, as drawn, notwithstand
ing the many excellent provisions found
IN all election laws, contained other
provisions which would facilitate the
process of coercion, and give undue
power for corruption by capital and
corporations at the expense of the
weak, the ignorant and the defenseless,
and that it would restrict the influence
of the democratic yeomanry OF the
State, an influence never yet exported
tn the neoDle's iniurv. But this cues.