Democratic Sentinel, Volume 9, Number 17, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 May 1885 — Voorhees Defends the Administration. [ARTICLE]

Voorhees Defends the Administration.

The press for a few days past has had much to say about Senator Eustis’s disappointment and rash expressions of displeasure at not receiving such appointments as he asked for. The Senator’s remarks were exaggerated and dwelt upon to such an extent by newspaper correspondents, as to provoke a reply from Senator Voorhees in defense of ihe administration. The latter, of course, as usual, took a high, liberal and sensible view of matters as all fair minded people do.

“The distribution of patronage is not the proper subject upon which to break with an administration,” said Senator Voorhees. “Dishonesty in office or the administration of the government upon false principles of legislation can alone justify a leader of a party in rushing into opposition. It is in my opinion, highly impolitic for any one who fails to get an office to cry out that the party is lost and then fall to railing against the administration. Mr. Cleveland has not given me all I asked for by any means. For instance, I was very anxious that McDonald should be in the Cabinet, and I worked hard to secure that result, but 1 told Mr. Cleveland that if after maturely considering all that I had said upon the subject he did not see his way to act in harmony with our Indiana views and desires, it would not be fatal to us. It is Mr. Cleveland’s administration not mine. It is for him to look on every side, and perhaps his appointments are wiser than those I might suggest to him. To men who are before the country accusing the administration of moving slowly it ought to be sufficient answer that the Democratic party taxes possession of a government which has been for 25 years in the hands of the Republicans, and that the Senate is still Republican. If the administration went to work with reckless rapidity in making changes, the members would prove thereby their unfitness for their places. I refuse to discuss any such proposition as that Mr. Cleveland may prove disloyal to his party or the principles upon which they elected him. M v confidence in his integrity is absolute. A more conscientious President in his sense of duty never crossed the threshold of the white house. The|pefsdnhel of the Cabinet he has chosen i 5 also remarkably high. It is not well selected, in my judgment, from a feographical point of view perhaps. do not think the northwest was sufficiently recognized and there was no apparent necessity for taking two members from New York, but better men than Secretaries Manning and Whitney individually could not be found. The Cabinet rtands m marked contrast with some we have recently had. It is not conceivable that these men will fail to discharge their obligation to the Democratic party. I believe very firmly that the President and his advisers should administer the government through their political frjends, and I believe further that they are going to do so. If I read aright the signs of the times this wifi be a Democratic administration, but I—as a stickler of that result —say that the admini tration is pr jceeding to that end with proper circumspection, and doesn’t desire that any adherent should turn into an acrimonious critic.