The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-02-26
Daily Ea9le
NJ. NJ. MURDOCH, Editor.
DEMOCRATIC PIE-EATERs.

Civil service or life tenure Of office
laws are applicable to, and work well
under monarchial forms Of government.
But it remains to be proved whether
they will be brooked in country where
legally every man is as good as every
other man and where the policies of the
government are carried out and en-
forced by partisan administrations. The
civil service law is a political trust and
Office holding combine. Under such
rule all other species of trusts and COM
bines will the more flourish. Pure pa
triotism is an unknown quantity and
with all possible emoluments taken
from party power, unity of action will
be wanting, and disintegration will
threaten.
President Cleveland having filed all
the federal positions with men of his
party and his kind. clinched the salts
factory situation by issuing procla-
nation placing all these positions and
places in the civil service list. Having
gone as far as he could TO make eighty
thousand Democrats safe in life posi-
tons, a chuckle goes up from one end
vt the country to the other among the
Democrats over ClevelandS scoop,
which promised TO be permanent later
on from the fact that the Republican
party in national convention declared
for the civil service law. But the other
day the white haired veteran, General
Grosvenor of Ohio. arose in his place
and denounced the humbug patriotism
Of that act. AS General GrosvenOr is
known to be a very intimate friend OF
Major McKinley's. his speech has dis.
turbed, somewhat, the serenity of about
eighty thousand Democratic pie-eaters.
The fear at their hearts has spread to
their stomachS and numbers Of them
are feeling quite indisposed, many Of
them downright sick. With great una
nimity, however. the Democratic pa
pers are coming to their relief with the
suggestion that with all the experience
that Major Mckinley has had with
hungry partisans, at his Canton home,
for the past ninety days, he will never
consent TO the abrogation of Cleveland's
proclamation; that the only possible es-
cape from death from worriment is 10
let Cleveland's fellows keep their places
Maybe he will and maybe he won't.
The power Of organization or the So
called machine in politics cannot be ig
nored. Patriotism is glorious, princi-
pies should ever be defended, but or
ganiZation must be depended upon for
both Political organization secured Mr..
Mckinley his nomination and party Or
ganizatiOn his subsequent victory, and
whether these were personally directed
by 3r. Mckinley or BIZ his friends they
were none the less effective. nor Is the
president-elect blind to the fact. With
all his patriotism Major Mckinley Is a
partisan who. In holding to the great
principle OF Protection. knows that 1t
can only be secured and made effective
through parry unity There can be no
far-reaching party unity In tho absence
Of the honors, emoluments and profits
Of Office So we conclude that the aver
age Democrat who holds good paying
place which has come to him through
fea1ty to the Democratic party might as
well make up his mind that he will In
due season be unceremoniously bounced
as he should be.
If the Democrats are to hold all the
Offices under the Republican admins
ration, then there Will soon be no Re
publican party. That's not civil serv-
Ice, but it Is common sense.