The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-03-12

quencc is that they have got both themselves
and the system into trouble. Certain formal
charges Of corruption have been preferred in
Parliament against some of these immaculate
worthless, and 1rich treat is expected from the
disclosures to which they will give rise. The
tn quoque mode of defence will of course be re-
sorted to, so that some valuable lessons may be
gathered by our spolsmen from the recrimina-
tionsthat no doubt win be exchanged upol the
occasion. The lupls of the Van Buren, and
Marcy schools are as yet but tyros in their vo-
cation for they recklessly lay themselves open
to detection by the clumsiness of their opera
tons They have one merit, however, which
the Irish patriots have not-they make nc
vain professions OF their honesty.
The grand panacca by which Lord Aberdeen
is about to remedy the evils Of system which
is now admitte by all parties to be degrading
to the charactr and injurious to the interests
of both the representative and the represented,
carries us far in advance OF all previous re-
FORMS 1t is, in fact, one of the most striking
illustrations of the progress of liberal opinions
i
common sense has as yet afforded Us. The
details of this pro. ect, as we gather them from
the leading ministcriaNorgan, are as follows =
1t is proposed to throw open upwards of 10000
salaried places to the general competition of
the country. From appointments OF great
importance and pecuniary value, demanding
the attachments and worthy the pursuit of the
most educated Englishman, down to small posts
which might recompense the industry Of the
head boy in the village school, the door is to be
opened wide to all corners who can prove their
superiority before impartial and responsible ex-
aminers Any person who is able to give salts
factory testimonials of moral character ald
physical health may, without interest or in
trigue, succeed to an honorable position in the
service of his country merely by the use Of
those gifts of talent and education with which
nature and fortune may have endowed him.
Although the project, as thus developed, has
more the air of metaphysics abstraction than
Of a practical measure, it yet indicates de-
termination to move in the right direction, and
can afford to fall short Of its promises without dis
appointing the expectations Of any but optimists.
If it have no other effect than to establish the
claims of merit to recognition, it will be vast
improvement upon system that welded the
lazy and the incapable to the State for life,
and rendered its Offices the patrimony of the
privileged few. Although in this country the
periodical changes in the personnel of our ad
ministration save us from both these evils, it is
questionable whether they secure us as efficient
class of public servants as properly regu-
lated system of promotion would do. We have
never been able to understand why system
that works SO well both in our naval and mill
tary service should not be found applicable,
with some notifications, perhaps, to the ma
chinery of civil government. 1t was Ger
tainly never intended by the trainers Of our
constitution that the public service should be
interrupted and its efficiency endangered by
these periodical sweepings out of all the in
ferior offices of the State to reward mere dirty
partisanship. The tactics of political in
triguers and the cupidity Of hungering spoismen
have, however, converted wise and sagacious
measure of caution into fruitful source Of
anxiety and danger.