Democratic Sentinel, Volume 13, Number 39, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 18 October 1889 — REFORM PUT TO SCORN. [ARTICLE]

REFORM PUT TO SCORN.

HARRISON'S ADMINISTRATION AND THE CIVIL SERVICE. More Change* in Postoffice* During Hi* Six Months of Administation than Cleveland Made in Four Years—Party and Personal Pledges Violated. [Washington special to Chicago Herald.] In national convention assembled at Chicago, June, 1888, the Republican party reiterated this declaration: “The reform of the civil service auspiciously begun under the Republican administration should be completed by the further extension of the reform system already established by law to all the grades of the service to which it is applicable. The spirit and purpose of the reform should be observed in all executive appointments, and all laws at variance with the object of existing reform legislation should be repealed, to the end that the dangers to free institutions which lurk in the power of official patronage may be wisely and effectually avoided.” President Harrison, in his letter of accept mce, said: "The law regulating appointments to the classified civil service received my support in the Senate in the belief that it opened the way to a mu ch needed reform. I still think so, and therefore cordially approve the clear and forcible expression of the convention on this subject. Only the interests of the public should suggest removals from office. li will be my sincere purpose, if elected, to advance the reform.” President Cleveland was also somewhat of a civil-service refoimer, and it is therefore worth, while to compare his work with that of his successor. There is no better test of the sincerity of a President who makes such declarations as those quoted from Harrison’s letter of acceptance than his action upon Presidential postmasterships. These offices are closer to the people than any other, and are the first for which the politicians begin to put piessure upon a new executive. It should be borne in mind that when Mr. Cleveland came into office his party had been out of power a quarter of a century. All the postoffices, as well as all other federal offices, were in the hands of Republicans. Tremendous pressure was of course brought to bear upon Mr. Cleveland to induce him to turn the Republicans out. How well he resisted is shown by the fact that more than 40 per cent, of the Presidential postmasters served out their terms, and that when Mr. Harrison came into office fifty Republican postmasters were still in office. Cleveland was President four years. In that period he suspended or removed 550 Postmasters of the first class. Harrison has been President a little more than half a year, and in that time has removed 389 Postmasters. Of some three hundred fourth-class officers which became presidential during Mr. Cleveland’s term of office more than two hundred were filled by appointment of the then incumbents—Republicans. The cases in which Harrison has reappointed Democrats on their offices becoming presidential can be numbered on one’s fingers. The following table, by States, shows the number of removals made during four years of Cleveland and six months of Harrison:

Cleve- Harristate. land. son. Alabama 4 5 Arizona 2 Arkansas 3 9 California 6 6 Colorado 7 2 Connecticut 5 7 Dakota 11 5 Delaware 2 Florida 7 6 Georgia , 11 3 Idaho ........ 1 2 Illinois 41 , 40 Indiana 31 32 lowa 40 18 Kansas 19 20 Kentucky 11 3 Louisiana 5 1 Maine 8 9 Maryland 3 3 Massachusetts 8 7 Michigan 24 22 Minnesota 10 6 Mississippi 11 4 Missouri 20 9 Montana 3 Nebraska 11 4 Nevada 2 1 New Hampshire .' 10 5 New Jersey H 12 New Mexico 2 New York 45 30 North Carolina 18 20 Ohio 29 23 Oregon 3 Pennsylvania 28 21 South Carolina 7 1 Tennessee 9 5 Texas. 10 10 Vermont 6 10 Virginia 18 10 Washington 4 5 West Virginia 7 3 Wisconsin 29 10 Wyoming 2

Totals 550 389 At the rate he is now going President Harrison will within a few weeks overtake Mr. Cleveland's four-year record. And yet the hungry Republicans are not satisfied, and want the present rapid gait enlarged to the scope of a clean and sud- ■ den sweep. Though President Harrison declared that “only the interests of the public should suggest removals from office,” it is not pretended that these 389 discharged or suspended Postmasters were neglecting the public’s business. It is said at the Postoffice Department that charges have been made against about one-fourth of them, but of course these charges, in the vast majority of cases, are trivialities trumped up for the occasion. How President Harrison has “advanced the reform” may be judged by the fact that out of 191 Presidential Postmasters in Illinois the commissions of but a half dozen have expired since March 4 last. Yet seventy-two Democrats have retired from office, forty of them by removal. Tne record to the 30th of September is as follows: Alton, removed. Marshal], resigned. Aurora, resigned. Mattoon, removed. Austin, not confirmed. Maywood, deceased. Beardstown, removed. Metropolis City.rem’vd. Bloomington,com.exp’d Morris, removed. Bunker Hill, removed. Mt. Carmel, resigned. Cairo, removed. Mt. Sterling, removed. Carrollton, removed.. Mt. Vernon, resigned. Carthage, resigned. Murphysboro, resigned. Centralia, com. expired Naperville, deceased. (not confirmed). Olney, removed. Champaign, removed. Onarga, removed. Charleston,com. exp’r’d. Paris, removed. 1 Chicago, resigned. Pekin, removed. Chillicothe, not con- Peoria, resigned. firmed. Peters burg,com. exp’rd. Danville, removed. Pontiac, removed. Earlville, resigned. Quincy, removed for Eureka, resigned. cause. Evanston, removed. Robinson, removed. Flora, com. expired. Rock Island, removed. I Freeport, removed. Roodhouse, resigned. Galena, not confirmed. Salem, removed. Galesburg, com. exp’rd. Sandwich, removed.

Geneva, removed. Sparta, removed. Grand Crossing, reap- Spring Valley,deceased. pointed (bold over). Streator, removed. Griggsville, resigned. 'Sullivan, removed. Havana, removed. ■ Sycamore, removed. Hoopeston, resigned. | Taylorsville, removed. Kensington, removed. >Touk>n, resigned. Lacon, removed. Tuscola, resigned. La Salle, deceased. [Urbana, removed. Lemont, removed. Warssw, resigned. Lewistown, removed. Watseka, removed. Litchfield, removed. jWaukegau, resigned. Lockport, resigned. Winchester, removed. McLeansboro, removed. I Wyoming, removed. In his own State of Indiana Harrison’s ax has fallen relentlessly. Here he has removed thiity-two Democratic postmasters, a greater number than in any other State, Illinois alone excepted. But Indiana has but ninety-eight Presidential offices against 191 in Illinois. Though the commissions of but four of these Hoos er Postmasters have expired, fortyseven of them have been succeeded by Republicans. Already Harrison has removed a greater number of potsmasters, in his btate than Cleveland removed during the four years he was in office J Here is the manner in which the cause of reform has been advanced in Indiana: Anderson, resigned. Kokomo, removed. Angola, removed. I a Porte, removed. Auburn, removed (insp. Lebanon, resigned. report). Logansport, removed. Blooomington. resigned Madison, removed. Brazil, removal. Marion, resigned. Boonville, resigned. Martinsville, removed.. Columbia City, resigned Monticello, removed. Columbus, removed. New Albany, remov d.i Connersville, removed. Noblesville, removed. | Crawfordsville,removed N.Manchester, removed Danville, removed. Plymouth, resigned. Delphi, resigned. Portland, removed. Evansville, removed. Rushville, removed. Fort Wayne, removed. Seymour, removed. Frankfort, removed. Shelbyville, removed. Franklin, removed. South Bend, com. exp. Goshen, removed. Sullivan, removed. Goodland, resigned. Terre Haute, removed. Greencastle, com. exp. Tipton, resigned. Greenfield, removed. Union City, com. exp. Hammond, resigned. Vincennes, removed. Huntington, removed. Winamac, removed. Indianapolis, com. exp. Worthington, removed. In Wisconsin the record is as follows: Antigo, removed. Portage, removed. Beloit, removed. Richland Center, reDe Pere, resigned. moved. Dodgeville, resigned. Rice Lake, removed. Janesville, removed. Rhinelander, not cons. Hudson, resigned. Stevens Point.com exp. Lancaster, com. exp. Stoughton, com. exp. Jefferson, resigned. Tomah, removed. Marshfield, resigned. Viroqua, removed. Mauston, deceased. Washburn, removed. Merrill, removed. Waupaca, com. exp. Milwaukee, resigned. West Superior,resign'd. The ax has fallen in lowa with this result: Adel, removed. Keokuk, deceased. Algona, resigned. Laporte City, resigned. Atlantic, deceased. Leon, removed. Belle Plaine, resigned. Manning, resigned. Bloomfield, removed. Marcus, removed. Brooklyn, resigned. Marshalltown, rem’v’d. Carroll, resigned. Muscatine, removed. Centerville, resigned. Nevada, removed. Chariton, removed. Sheldon, resigned. Cherokee, resigned. Shenandoah, resigned. Clarinda, com. exp. Sioux City, removed. Colfax, removed. Spirit Lake, resigned. Corning, not confirmed. Storm Lake, resigned. Correctionville, rem’v’d.iTama. resigned. Council Bluffs,resigned. Tipton, com. exp. Cresco, com. exp. Toledo, resigned. Davenport, com. exp. Traer, resigned. Denison, resigned. Vinton, removed. Dubuque, resigned. Washington, removed. Emmetsburgh,resigned. Waukon, removed. Estherville, removed. Waverly, removed. Fort Dodge, resigned. West Liberty, not conGrundy Centre,resign’d, firmed. Hampton, removed. What Chrer, removed. Ida Grove, resigned. Wilton June., removed.