Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1900-07-05
SINGLE COPY FIVE CENTS
NUMBER 48

The Tribune is kicking vigorously
about the project to pension those hold
ing places under the New York civil
service law after % years service. The
Tribune says that these would be PEN
sioners have formed a society or close
corporation and purpose to enter poll
tics as flying squadron of pie hunters,
voting for those who will agree to raise
their wages and grant them pensions
and against those who refuse SO to do.
The paper founded by Horace Greeley
denounces them as public enemies, de-
clares that there are now $500 OF them,
soon to be increased to 10000, and pro-
nounces their movements to be alto
gether reprehensible.
Now, there never was a man with
two Ideas above mud turtle who did
not know that the civil service system
inevitably leads to pension list from
the civil walks OF life, and yet The
Tribune, which now denounces these
people for doing what everybody knew
they would do, is a thick and thin sup
porter of the system and loud shouter
for Colonel Teddy Roosevelt, who is
facile princeps Of civil service reform
ers, provided he can reform his politi-
cal friends into good fat offices. The
Tribune may howl as much as it
pleases now. It is too late.
Mr.. Hemingway of Indiana declar-
ed boldly and unequivocalIy on the
floor of the house that 10 per cent of all
the clerical force in Washington Is In
capaeifated by reason of the infrmities
Of old age from doing any work what
soever, and yet they draw their salaries
regularly, and nobody has choked on
one of them, though Hemmingway said
that months ago. So The Tribune in
stead of bowling about one feature an
inevitable feature-of a bad system
which it helped TO inaugurate had bet
ter study up the whole question anew,
go back to original principles and fight
the whole system.
PIaft the Easy Boss.
The one Republican In the United
States who really deserves to be con-
graduated on the outcome Of the Phila-
delphia convention is Hon Thomas C.
Platt. senior senator and easy boss OF
New York. He had a broken rib, but
nevertheless his headpiece appears to
have been all right He fought Mark
Hanna and routed him. unloading Colo
mel Theodore Roosevelt on to the ma
tionaI ticket. He did not make sure OF
electing the Republican state ticket by
eliminating Teddy as gubernatorial
possibility, but he did undoubtedly i'm
prove the chances of doing that trick
very much indeed With Roosevelt as
candidate for governor the Democrats
would probably have elected their state
ticket by $4,000 majority. With some
other candidate the Democratic major
ity viii probably be cut to $4,000. In
less all signs of rain fail in dry wealth
er the Democrats viii elect their state
ticket
And what of Colonel ROOSEVELT
There is no question but what he viii
make an aggressive, whoop em up,
picturesque campaign. If he wins, he
will be shelyed, the thing which would
please Platt If he loses, he is a politi-
cal has been," to borrow a term ex-
presslve if not elegant from the prize
ring, which would please Platt still
more. So Platt stands to get rid Of his
young old man of the sea. So repeat
that Senator Thomas c. Platt is to be
congratulated and he alone.
Perhaps the Republican platform Is
the most ilnnudent document eyer is
sued for the perusal of an intelligent
people. The idea of that trust ridden
convention even pretending in milk
and cider resolution to condemn trusts
was an exhibition of gall never equal
ed on this earth The claim that Re
publicans have secured honest officials
in Cuba is humor broad enough to ex-
cite the risibles of all the conviets in
all the penitentiaries under the sun.