Richmond daily Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1842-1861, 1854-03-03
Gre,i Rerarm In England.


In another column we publish an article from the
London Times a subject which is now attracting
much attention in England, to wit the evils to the
public from the appointment to Office of incompetent
-persons ON account Of party or personal favortsm
The present Ministry propose as far as possible to
abolish the present system, and to constitute me7'
the sole test of fitness for office. Board of exam
ncrs is to be established, whose duty it shall be to
make fair and impartial investigation Of the qualiii
cations of the various applicants and award the prize
to the most deserving The effort may be attended
with great difficultci-t may even prove abortive-
but II is movement in the right direction and is
worthy of the great English nation. 1T is an example
which the model Republic on this side Of the Atlantic
might not disdan to initiate.
The Jacksonan notion, that public office is the tit
reward for partzan zeal without regard to capacity
or merit is perverson of the Jefiersonian idea and
is subvcrsion of the true doctrine, which the oun.
dcrs Of our institutions sought to establish. 1t was
in fact the revival, under new names, of the old and
rotten systems of Europe, by which the many were
made prey to the few-and rom which it was sup.
posed, Revolution had forever delivered US. The
pretenson that an individual wholly incompetent 10
discharge public duties is entitled to live at the public
expense merely because he processes certain party
dogmas is absurd in ITSELF and ubiquitous in is
operations the prctension to the privileges
founded on birth in the monarchies of the old world.
Public office was designcd-not for the aggrandize.
ment ofthe oficerbut for the benefit ofthe people
TO promote their interests-to perform the services
which they themselves could not perform They tax
thenseves-they take portion OF their labor, TO pay
these officers for the discharge Of these duties. The
faithful and efficient discharge of these duties is the
consider alton; and he is little better than knave
who takes upon himself public duties, which he
not, or will not perform-at the same time that he
takes the public money In the earlier days of the
Roman Republic enough salt to season their porridgc
whence derive our word salary-was the onl,
remuneration OF public officers-and so strong was
the sentiment Of patriotism and of devotion to the
public among that wonderful peope-that thst con-
pcnsation was all sufficient. But in time with the
progress of despotism and corruption, officers so null
tipled, that in the words Of Roman Historian "thc
proportion of those who received exceeded the pro-
portion oil those who contributed and the people
were oppressed by the weight of tributes"
We are ha' tening to the same condition O1fcidlisui
is everywhere multiplying itselr-and its leading
principle is not the public welfare-but the interest
of its own members 1t has the voracity Of the Poly
and its appetite grows by what it feeds on The
more public plumber it receives tho it Graves
and the greater its ncompecncy and neglect Of tn,
public service, the greater the necessity for multiply.
ing It's numbers and augnentng its stipend
Ono oil the strongest evidences Of the fatal progress.
which this knavish combination for living on the
public treasury, has made in our country is the fact
that such complaints we make of it are IN
popular, and are considered attacks upon the dom.
inant party of the land Unless checked in its career
1T will in few years, have spread itself and en-
listed such numbers in its support-that no man vii
be able to raise his voice against it without mourning
the danger of being mobbed.
This official class, however, does not vet possess
absolute sway in the land and, therefore it is that
while yet tme before it has got its fungs into our
vitals we so anxious that steps should be taken
to stay its progress. Resting our institutions now
do upon the qnicksaHd foundation Of universal sui.
irage, every vicious innovation eady takes root
and is more and more difficult of eradication 1t can
not rebound 70 the glory of the Republic to have lis
oihces hlied with incompetents-ard it cannot enure
TO the prosperity of the people, to have their SUBJ
stance devoured by hungry horde of idle and worth.
less consumers
But the remedy lit is difficult to devise one and
sill more difficult to apply it, The English scheme
Of Board Of Examiners would probably fail here
as the members Of that Board would be composed Of
the majority-who hold the doctrine that the tenet.
oil that majority Indispensable qualification for
any public post. The reform must come from the
people They can if they WILL unite to protect them.
selves. by liking stigma Of disgrace upon office
seekng-by reducing salary Of every officer TO the
lowest hgure-and by sernIy refusing to bestow Of
fces upon mere Parsans, nuci good may be effected
If they will not make this exertion they must be pre-
pared for the consequence The ollie ais 5-ilI eat
them out Of house and home
~ Mr. Marcy. in ditoctinr ON, rnl.....I... u.