The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1897-08-20
MCKINLEY Ill DITATING A BACKWARD
STEP,
published by authority of the Maryland
D.mucIutIc Edit rs AsSociatiuu.l

published by authority or the Ma yiand
D.mocIutlc Edit Us, ASsociatiun.l
The Republican party won the battle
OF 1895 in Maryland upon its promises.
1t must fight the battle OF 1897 upon
its performances Now it has record
IL this State; then it had none.
Two years have wrought i vast
change III the situation. When their
personally respectable candidate ior
governor went through the State pro-
claiming the gospel CT REFORM many
voters believed him and voted for him,
but the sequel has taught the people at
large what the experienced already
knew, that the cry OF reform is al
ways to be taken with suspicion, for be-
hind it usually luril selfish ambitions
and sinister purposes. 1t i an easy
matter to preach reform, when 4 party
las no recent record to be analysed,
but it is not SO easy to carry out what is
promised The performances OF the Re-
publican party during its brief lease OF
power have not merely been disappoint-
ing-thcy have been characterized by
deception irconsistcrc hypocrisy and
i.:isc p.eto1.sc.
IL 10 particular docs this criticism
the altitude ef the party Oh the bjcct
Ct civil s,r>icc reform ii the voters of
Maryland will recall the campaign OF
1865. they will remember how I-owndcs,
III his schoolboy speeches. pratcd inces-
sanity CT applying the merit system to
State, &C urty and munic;p ! offices. and
with what indignation he scorncd the
idea tina: public patronage should be
used for any but public purposes. This
idea with stale anG meaningless plati-
tudes on the subj ,ct oil good govern
merit without once pauslng 10 show
specifically wherein the State of Mary
land. under Democratic rule, had bccn
the victim OF bad government, constittit
cd the burden OF the arguments upon
which he sought the s;lffrages OF his fel
low citizens While the rejecting vot-
crs. free from bias and prejudice. were
rot caught by the deceptive words. yet
sufficient number OF mistaken, but
now. rcpcntant Democrats . left their
party TO give the great reformer OF Allie
ghany county the opportunity to fulfill
III his administrator what he had so
Chilly pro!cssed with his lips. The rec
ord is before rs, and it can be briefly
analysed from evidence furnished by
both Executive and Legislative acts.
The sixth plank OF the Cambridge
platform declares: All publicr offices
exist for the good of the )eopl. only"
and yet Gov. Lowndes had barely been
inauguratcd into his high Office before
he contradicted this platform principle
by using the public patronage to pro
mote the ambitions OF his political part
ner, George L. Wellington This pros
titution OF the honors and emoluments
under his control, combined with what
one B. H. Warner. OF Washington. sug-
gests as a corrupt bargain with Sydney
+. Mudd, then speaker OF the house OF
delegates, was successful in ACCOMPLISH
ing the Senatorial ambitions of Mr..
Wellington, who, in his shor.. service,
has more than once caused the people
OF Maryland to blush for shame that
they should be represented in the high
est legislative body OF the land by such
parvenu and egotist.
Nor is this the Only evidence OF Coy.
Lowndes' hypocrisy i'll cxemplification
OF his oft-proclaimcd theory that all
public offices exist Tor the good oil the
people only Another and a more re-
cent illustration has been given in lis
manipulation of the patronage attached
to one OF the State tobacco warehouses
by diSplacing Inspector James |. Nav
lor, friend OF Congressman Mudd. and
substituting one of his own minions in
the person OF ---- Gather While
alleged irregularities in tie manage
ment of the warehouse and desire to
give the State better service were the
causes assigned for the sudden change,
the penetrating public readily perceived
he r1o l.
OF Congressman Mudd and His Excel
lency for a seat in the United States
Senate. When ii is remembered that
only { few months before the governor.
against the protest OF the Leaf Tobacco
Association OF Baltimore, knowing that
the requirements OF the tobacco trade
were fully met by the three inspectors
then IN office, created d sintcrrc in the
form OF fourth Inspector. This lately
protessed desire for retrcnchment ant.
economy will deceive nobody. and the
public generally will regard the disn,is-
sal OF Mr.. Naylor as plan to manipu-
late the State patronage to further lis
own Senatorial aspirations
Bue ccilpslng these evidences OF Inv
pocrisy. in which Inc obligations OF per
sonal friendship and the impulses OF
personal ambition may be pleaded in
eNtenuatlon, WAS the passage through
the legislature OF 90 ci = iarcical bill.
submitting the question OF civil service
to vote of the people 1t the election
next November.
Not many weeks ago at a meeting OF
the Republican League OF business
Men, IN Baltimore, it was declared III
manifesto to the people that the Re
publican party had fulfilled Ill the
pledges made III their platform 81 1905.
and one OF these promises was that it
would submit 4 civil service act to the
people 1t the polls 1t is truc that the
Republican party has lbmittcd 1 ci>i!
service act to The vote OF tie people. IL
the Nature OF i proposed amendment L.
the constitution. but ii is equally true
that the proposed amendment is utterly
worthless as a reform measure and
even il ia, oIably voted upon would be
absolutely nugatory in applying the
merit system to appointments to polit-
ical offices. 1t is Tot WORTH the OK
pense Of publishing the governors
proclamation in regard TO the election.
and the passage OF the bill through the
legislature is tainted with trlckcry Any
one who will take the trouble to refer 10
the journal OF the house oil delegates
and follow the civil service act i'll its
tortuous course will be struck with the
fact that that body was striving dos
perately to find some way how no. TO
do it." Confronted with the plain de
mand OF their platform. the leaders iclt
constrained to make an effort though
the majority evidently agreed with that
member who wanted to pluck Ell the
grapes in the vineyard and il is no
ticeable that none OF the many irotioHs
made on this subject contcl lated Civ
ing effect to a law until full opportunity
had been given for plucking III the
grapes Both the house and senate lab
ored for weeks on civil service bills. As
early as February goth a bill passed the
house providing ior the appointment OF
a civil service commission. making clah-
crate regulations as 10 its operations
and providing Tor Vote on the i1vas-
ure in the iall oil 1870 HGt on the fol
lowing day Speaker Muid Lett the
r1,t ..r1I