The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-12-20
Greensburg, Ind, Dec. IS.
Mr.. spahr Loves Consistency.

To the Editor of the indianapolis Journal:
I have not taken upon myself a defense
of the anti-civil-service portion of our peo-
pie, but 1 do like to see consistency in all
things / firmly believe that partisan
paper ought to be in touch with the MEM
bers of its party, and to try to lead it's
party out into the light and the ways of
popular government, to. give credence and
publicity to the ideas and beliefs of men
who are, and have been, Republicans from
principle, and not because they have some
pet scheme to foster, | am not going to
attention to the fact that it gives great
prominence to everything Mr.. Schurz or
Mr.. Swift have to say just as though 1t
was about all that could be said on the
question. / have read Mr.. Schurz's great
speech at Cincinnati, and in my Judgment
it is very thin and contains but very little
of practical common sense never do. The
tinancier never goes to tiat-money man
to talk finance; the Christian never goes to
a synagogue for his religion; the founders
of a republican form of government never
go to a monarchy for their constitution and
laws, and Americans ought not to go to a
refugee and renegade for their ideas and
notions of Americanism. But for the gener-
osity and liberality of our country and peo-
pie this man might be wanderer upon
the face of the earth, instead of a devilfsh
spewing his inky substance into the political
waters round about US, And as for Mr.
alton l don't now call it TO mind. He has
delighted in the name of Mugwump and
gained what little notoriety he has because
of his lack of political party ideas His
only aim in life has been to be Independent
of all parties and vote when and for whom
he pleases casting his vote only with the
party adopting his ideas and notions of gov
ernmental reform; and in this same class
can safely place Mr.. Foulke, Mr. Schurz and
Mr.. Roosevelt. l, as a lifelong Republican,
believing in the great and good doctrines
of the Republican party, do not propose to
take my lessons from any such men, and
believe the time TO count noses is before
the battle and to muster under our banners
only such men wage war from principle
and not men who fight when the battle goes
their way only. The Republican party and
our country has been seriously hindered and
damaged by this black4sheep crowd, and it
is high time we were taking In sail.
My last letter was criticised and disputed
by some one who failed to sign his name,
who thought more of the name "Civil-serv-
ice Reformer'' than he did of the name his
fathers bore. / never had any respect for
the man who fired from ambush We used
to call those fellows guerillas, outside of the
pale of civilized warfare; and if he delights
in the name he has chosen, then / want to
say to him that l have just as much re-
spect for the man who bore arms against the
government / have for the civi-servce
reformer. l think more of the enemy with
out than l do of the enemy within The
rebel only wanted to take his section of the
country and co. the civil-service reformer
wants to put wggles in the water. He
wants to poison the waters that nourish the
tree of liberty and leave nothing for any of
us. Let me give you this startling idea,
suggested to me by my young friend Mr..
Ridenour: Suppose, when Abraham Lincoln
was inaugurated President he had found the
Offices all filled with life-tenure rebels.
Think of that for moment, and then ask
yourself if We, as people, ought to put
ourselves in a position which might deny TO
the majority the right TO administer the
affairs of the government, and if you have
any mother wit left you will not be long in
answering the question. Should we ever,
for the sake OF satisfying a few one-ideaed
men, take any vipers into our nest? Should
we. for their sake, try. any experiments call
culated to endanger the fundamental prin-
ciples of our government and rob the people
OF their right TO participate in it's manage
ment? / vote NO all the time
GEORGE w. SPAHR.
Indianapolis, Dec. 10