The Writings of Carl Schurz/To George Fred. Williams, March 18th, 1886
TO GEORGE FRED. WILLIAMS
My dear Mr. Williams: Your kind letter of the 13th is in my hands. Let me thank you for the full report of the Reform Club speeches which you had the goodness to send me. You want my opinion about them?
I think it is well to give the President a full measure of praise for the good he has done, and as much encouragement as possible to do more. At the same time I do not think it is fair to him to permit him to believe that in the opinion of the Independents nothing but good has been done, and that they are in a state of unmixed delight. Neither do I consider it just, or wise, to condemn every severe criticism of the Administration, even if it be partisan in its character, as an unprincipled proceeding and an unmitigated outrage. I have always thought it wrong and mischievous to give the President to understand, that nobody cared about the removals he made if only the appointments were good, or that a dozen very good appointments would offset a dozen or a score of very bad ones. It appears to me that the question whether the President has kept his pledge not to make any partisan removals, is of far greater importance than the question whether the Senate is right in asking for papers concerning suspensions. And if we answer the latter in the negative, that is not answering the former in the affirmative. If the debates now going on in the Senate serve to direct the President's attention to that pledge and make him sensible of the necessity of holding all the members of his Administration to it, it will be of very great benefit to the cause of reform.
There is one thing the Independents cannot afford to do; they cannot afford to appear as blind partisans of anybody or anything. If they want to preserve their healthy influence upon public opinion, they must take care not to disturb the popular belief that they are at all times ready to tell the truth, whether it be agreeable to themselves or not. Before expressing their unconditional approval of any given state of things, they must consider whether they want the people to believe that this state of things is the realization of the object of their endeavors. If the question were to-day put to them: Is that which the Administration is doing—is that the reform you have been preaching and fighting for?—what would they say? They would not say “Yes.” Then they must not permit the people to believe that they are completely satisfied. In other words, they should be as straightforward and outspoken in their criticism as in their praise. It would have served the President better if they had at all times spoken about his failings as frankly as about his virtues.
From this you may conclude that the speeches at the Reform Club dinner, although I agree with most of what was said, appeared to me a little too one-sided. You did perfectly right in speaking bluntly about the office-mongering of the Democratic committees in Massachusetts, and I was delighted to read what you said. I hope you will not stop there but pursue the matter at Washington. I do not so completely sympathize with you in what you said about Edmunds. I think he went in 1884 about as far as a man generally so much attached to party, and holding high office under the auspices of his party, can be expected to go. I admit that he did not go far enough to suit me, but his conduct stood at any rate in very favor able contrast to that of other Senators who were, before the nomination, no less convinced than he, of Blaine's dishonesty. Edmunds has some very good points and valuable elements of usefulness in him. I suppose I am more lenient in my judgment in such cases than you are, because I am older and have often been judged harshly myself.
The Senate have fearfully injured their case by the confirmation of the nomination of Dement in the place of General Salomon. I see they are now trying to reconsider that step, but they cannot entirely undo the moral effect produced by it. What a blessing a good, strong, searching but high-toned opposition would be to Cleveland's Administration and to the cause of good government! This letter is for you, of course. When will you be here again? I hope anon.