Democratic Sentinel, Volume 10, Number 43, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 November 1886 — EX – SENATOR M'DONALD. [ARTICLE]

EX - SENATOR M'DONALD.

He neaks of the "Benefits of the Democratic Administration.” Hon] Joseph E. McDonald responded to the toast "'Fhe Benefits of the Democratic Administration,” and on being introduced he was warmly received. He said that oh the 4th of March, 1884, after an interval of twenty-four years, a Democratic administration was inducted into office. It was true that in 1870 the Democratic candidates were duly elected—[applause]—by a popular majority of over IDO.Oia,', but the Republican party then being in power, t trough its leaders perpetrated a political iraud, that will he stamped upon their party through all time. In 1830 the Democrats would have been successful again but for the bribery and corruption practiced by the Republican party, but in 1884 the public will had to he obeyed, and the candidates receiving the highest electoral vote in the college were duly installed in office,"and the first fruit of that great victory is a restored Union. The civil war had left its imprint, and the people were divided, with many wounds yet to heal before they could be united. For a' long time after that war these wounds remained unhealed. The Union was still a Union in name, hut not in heart. The Republican party did not seem to be able to bring the sections of the country together, and its loaders did not desire to do it. It had become so much political capital to them that as long as they could array the South against the North, and "dominate the North, they could maintain their power. They reopened the wounds, and were opposed to having a united people, and were continually bringing hack the issues of the war, which had to be fought over again. Men who had not done any of the fighting during the war had become valiant so diers in peace, and insisted on drawing their Falstaffian swords and thrusting them into the dead carcass of the rebellion. They were opposed to a union of hearts and a union of hands. The union resulting from tho success of the Democratic party was inaugurated with the reformation of THE CIVIL SERVICE of the country. The speaker did not refer particularly to the civil-service law, of which he might have something to say, but he spoke of the civil service as the Democrats had found it. The Republicans had acknowledged that their civil service was corrupt, and again and again had resolved to reform it, but they had never done so, and it had continued to grow worse from year to year. Federal officers were multiplied beyond the necessities of the country, and they drew their salaries from the party in power. When Cleveland was nominated in the Chicago Convention he said, in his letter of acceptance, that it was time the civil service was reformed, aud he was hound to carry out that pledge. Before that time there were swarms of officers, inspectors of revenue, inspectors of postoflices, and pension inspectors, these latter fellows having more interest in the political affiliations of an applicant for a pension tffan they had in his claims for services during the war [applause] ; and there were deputy marshals drawing $5 per day for helping carry tho elections for the party in power. Those fellows are not so .plentiful in office now, and there are fewer workers swarming around than formerly. Now, It may he that Cleveland has prosecuted thi3 reform further than some people would be inclined to, hut it is right aud proper for every man who holds office to clearly and distinctly understand that he is paid, not for tho party services he may have rendered. At the same time the speaker did not see whysome Government employes should not devote some of their leisure time for the purpose of telling their friends how good an administration this is, and if they did so he did not Bee why they should be chided for it. It was not, in his opinion, a political offense. He rather felt inclined to commend them for it, and so far as the President was concerned he would probably modify his views in that direction, for he had shown himself to be an honest, sincere, and able executive officer. At the close of the first year of Mr. Cleveland’s administration, outside of the expeuditures for the ordinary expenses for the conduct of the Government there HAD BEEN A SAVING of $2,50\000 more than the year before. In the Pension Office alone, over which one of the distinguished sons of Illinois presided, there was a balance of 8303,030 of the appropriation, and that was covered back into the Treasury. It was the first time in the history of that department that a balance had been turned into the Treasury, nothing of the kind having ever been found before. The Pension Commissioner’s report had been like the report of the Treasurer of Rhodes in Tippecanoe County : “All paid in ; all paid out.” Now, the same could be said of the various departments of the Government. The distinguished Commissioner of Public Lands had already stated what he had accomplished in regard to our public domain in order to preserve the lands foi the people. Tho public land system was based upon the ordinance of 1780, written by Thomas Jefferson, for the purpose of carrying into effect the munificent grant which the State of Virginia made to the United States of America, embracing the Northwest Territory, Ohio, Indiana Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin. That ordinance treated the lands as being vested in the United States as a great public trust for the benefit, of the people. It also recognized the fact that the States in which these lands were situated had an interest In them, and so many sections should ho set apart in each township as school-fund property. The States were also given lands in return for internal improvements, and tho speaker happened to be a member of Congress in IBiO, and voted for the Douglas grant, which is now owned by the Illinois Central Railroad. These grants were not made to corporation, but to the States, and the States tould dispose of them to corporations if they saw fit. It was a noteworthy faetthaf in all the time the Democrats were in power, prior to and subsequent to that, not a single grant was made to a corporation. The grants were made to the States, and the States could do witli thorn cs they saw fit. When the Republican part v came into j'ower it INAUGURATED A NEW44YSTEM. and under it they granted nearly 233,000,000 acres, and yet when they assembled here in Chicago they said: “Oh, we want the public lands held for settlement in small holdings," and if there had not been a change at that time there would have Leon no public lands left hut sage-brush, alkali plains, and mountain sides. A New Hampshire Democrat’s Views. Hon. Frank Jones, the ex-Democratic Congressman from New Hampshire, is in the capital, and says: “New Hampshire came to tbe front with a hurrah. My own county went Democratic for the first time in thirty years, every officer nominated by the party being elected. The new Mayor of Concord is the first Dem ocrat elected to the position iu twenty years, and the Mayoralty of Manchester had been filled by Republicans for nearly as long a period. The honest policy of the administration did much to tura the tide in New Hampshire, although I think that tho Democratic losses throughout the country are due mainly to Pro-klent Cleveland’s civil-serv-ice reform policy. lam thoroughly in accord with his ideas, but it doesn’t seem that the rank and file are.” “What effect do you consider the la‘e returns will have on the national election?” “A very healihy one. The reverses will Erove beneficial in the long run. They will ring the loiterers into line nnd put the party on its mettle to sweep the country two years hence.” —Washington special.