The Weekly Miner

WHAT THEY MEAN

The Ohio democrats meant something when they incorporated in their platform, at the nomination of Bookwalter, a resolution "That we favor a civil service reform whereby offices shall be held to be a public trust administered for the public good, not spoils to be enjoyed as the reward of partizan zeal or service." When a little over a year ago the National democratic party at Cincinnati resolved in favor of "a general and thorough reform of the civil service" and insisted that "we execrate the course of the administration in making places in the civil service a reward for political crime," it but gave voice to the feeling of the American people. It would have been better for them, better for the country and better for its good name abroad if the electors of the Union had cast their votes for men who would have enforced the letter and spirit of those resolutions. But they did not: and now the democrats of Ohio, in the name of the people of that State and we may say in the name of the people of the Union, have reiterated their desire that the civil service may be reformed. This time, we believe the people of Ohio will not turn a deaf ear to their professions or appeals. The events of the past few weeks have opened their eyes to the purposes of the leaders of the republican party. They have seen the President shot down for no other reason than that given by a man who was crazed by a desire for office. They have seen the legislature of a great State become the shame of our country and the object of the scorn of foreign nations by its disgraceful wranglings, its attempt at bribery, and its low trickery to obtain the spoils of office. They have seen a great party split asunder in a factious fight and scramble for office. They have seen that a twenty years monopoly of office and power have transformed the republican party from a party of principle to a mob fighting for spoils. They have seen that no really prominent, strong man in that party is willing that any other really prominent, strong political associate shall hold an office. They have seen corruption in every department of the administration and the corruptionists shielded from the avenging arm of the law. They have seen all these and more too, and they see it is now time to demand a halt. They want a change, knowing it cannot be for the worse. They mean to see that it is not. They mean to readjust the political machinery of their state by placing the democratic party in power therein. They know that party has been and will always be true to its promises and they mean to elect its candidate for governor.

There is no buncombe about that resolution the Ohio democrats adopted. They are in earnest and propose as far as their own state is concerned to carry out its spirit. They have seen in the shooting down of a son of that state the indirect fruit of the spoils system as exemplified and carried out by the leaders of the republican party and they want no more of it. The people are ripe for a change and the near future will witness the fruition of their hopes.