The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-01-03
CIVIL SERVICE REFORM.
Another Letter Concerning General
Schrrz'F Merits and Dement'S.

Schrrz,s Merits and Dement'S.
To the Editor of the indianapolis Journal:
1 thought l had written my last article
on civil service, but since Mr. William Dud-
ley Foulkes article appeared in the Jour
nal of Dec. 80, propounding to me certain
questions criticising my article, / presume
he will expect me to answer. And since /
have taken up my quill again I want first
to briefly answer the Journals following
editorial query of same date. to wit:
How would it work to have all the teach
ers in the public schools changed as often
as there should be a change in city adj
ministrations, to the end that the victors
may have all the spoils?
1 answer it would not do at all. But the
query is misleading and presumptuous. 1t is
misleading because it presumes that there
is no difference between our educational in
situations and our political institutions.
Hence the analogy is incorrectly drawn be-
cause there is a marked difference. Politics
does not belong to our public schools,
whereas politics is the very backbone, the
marrow and pith of civil government and
federal patronage and official incumbency.
Our public schools system and our civil
government are based upon an entirely diff
ferent principle. The chief cornerstone of
the ballot the right of suffrage never
has, does not now, and never will enter
into the fundamental principle, the estab-
lishment and the sustenance of our free
public school system in the sense Of choos-
ing our teachers and college presidents. A
more correct way of applying the principle
of the public school system to the present
civil-service agitation would be to say, sup
pose that some public school reformers
should propose to change our whole public
school system, abolish the very foundation
principles, and adopt the English system
OF schools, or the French or the German
wouldn't the disciples of Horace Mann and
the friends of the American free school sys-
But to return to Mr.. Foulke He isolates
the historical facts in regard to Gen, Carl
Seizures life which / had summed up, and
then in thunderbolt fashion asks an iso-
lated question about each one as if to say
what Goes that prove? Isolated, it proves
no more about General Schurz'S general
character and life than any other isolated
fact would prove about the general life and
character of any other man. But the facts
of General Schurzs whole life epitomized
and summed up, mean much. They prove
him to be just what / said. His general
character IS better expressed by Mr.. Blaine,
as shown by Mr.. Spahr's article: " He has
where" 1t seems to me the Republican
party has pulled Mr.. Foulke out of the vale
of 'obscurity' a sufficient length of time
to enable him to understand that a mans
life is not measured by any single incident
but by the sum total of his career. His ar
tlcle is full of sophistry unaduterated. Mr.
Foulke challenges me by saying I'm call
ing Mr.. Schurz a restless and changeable
character, Mr.. Keith can be safely defied
10 point out single principle advocated
by Mr.. Schurz which he does not advocate
to-day" In answer to which 1 have only
to say If Mr.. Foulke will be so kind as to
inform me what political principle, if any,
Mr.. SchurZ advocates to-day / can an
sWer his challenge. This l do know, that
IN 1884 he stood on the Cleveland Demo-
cratic platform of principles; in 1875 on the
Republican platform, in 1872 on the Horace
Greeley Liberal platform; in 1868 on the
Republican platform In fact. he has been
dancing up and down and PLAYING the po-
litical acrobat on platforms ever since he
has been in this country
Again Mr.. Foulke says: I'm this crusade
against the civil-service law falsehood has
done its work. The time has now come
when the people shall know the truth"
That's one way of saying those who do
not agree with Mr.. Foulke are telling false
moods and he is telling the truth, 1.-The whole
truth and nothing but the truth" If Mr..
foulke will point out to me wherein l have
falslf1ed in any particular ] will gladly
atone to him and the public. / think, my
people, rs Tom more to ab 6h nn
Schurz than they ever did before. Mr..
Foulke refers to us as vociferous but OBJ
scure detractors and caluminators of Gen
eral Schurz. / deny the charge of a de-
tractor and caluminator. Nothing but the
truth, which Mr.. Foulke says the people
y
Schurz. If that hurts, can't help it, TO
the charge of obscurty- plead guilty. But
as to this plea, have the majority with
me. The masses of the people are what
Mr.. Foulke would call obscure; and have
no other desire and make no other preten-
slOns than to try to voice from behind the
throne their sentiments. Mr. Foulke was
obscure until the Republican party took
him up. and placed him on a pedestal where
he could be seen. If the Republican party
had not done for General Schurz what it
did he might have been wandering in some
other part of the world "a flower born to
blush unseen. wasting its sweetness on the
desert air The Republican party has done
Q hundred times more for Schurz than
Schurz has done for the Republican party.
1t might be noted here that nearly every
distinguished statesman is the product of
some great political party. He has been
connected with some great cause. A man
cannot very well be strong and useful and
broad and great in craftsmanship without
having fixed principles and firm convictions.
AS Mr. Blaine puts it, he must be rooted
and grounded" if he would tower like the
sturdy oak. OF course, in addition to these
convictions he must have native and &C
quired ability. AS usual, Mr.. Foulke plays
upon the prejudice of the foreigner by
charging civil-service-reform opponents
with prejudice against the foreigner, when
he says: Mr.. Keith should have belonged
to the Native American party, which de-
manded the exclusion Of all foreigners"
l understand Mr.. Foulke's expression here
to be more of a pat on the foreigners back
than slap in my face for anything 1 said
preiudicial to the foreigners. for l haven't
said word about excluding them. All well
come them as good, laW-abiding citizens.
Let them come. But what I, and what all
American should, object to is placing the
rens of government in their hands or Civ
ing them too much authority, or permitting
them to infuse and introduce foreign meth
ods and alien sentiments and customs into
Vincennes, Ind, Jan. l.
Why the Law Is Needed.
To the Editor of the Indianapolis Journal: