Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1866-01-25

Connective Examinations for the
Public Service.

RuDuc SerNASes
Mr.. Jenckes of Rhode Island, q gentle
man who, outside of the questions con
58 neeted with party politics, is one Of the
leading thinkers and workers in Congress,
- has introduced into the House of Repres-
e-ntatives a bill for instituting "public
tas4 fAa competitive examinations for our public
offices" The bill is entirely opposed to The
American system of ofice-appointing and
ofhse-holding. 1t runs counter to all ideas
-yg1 70 rand traditions of American politics for
sszI-1 the last generation. Therefore we fear it
may not pass, but it no less ought to pass,
al and we hope that the reform indicated by
his bill may in the end become successful.
The public service of the United States
is administered with less skill than
that of any other country of equal
civilization. The cause of this effect de-
fetiye' lies in two peculiarly American
prineiples-the first, that office is the re-
.rr9 ward of partisan services and success
the second, that there should be rotation
in Office. Men are continually placed in
Office without the least regard to their fit
ness, and are taken away just as they have
learned their duties. The first of these
principles was announced by Andrew
jackson, or at least by his political ad-
rwEAeg hereuts, on his first accession to power, in
the significant words: "To the victors be-
long the spoils." The second is of mere
recent growth and is founded upon an
CAF = idea morerepublicsn and juster-a jealousy
of anything like an ofiee-holding aris-
toeracy. But both principles rest upon a
radically false idea of what an Office is.
1t is q place of service, not of honor
or reward; and the man who most de-
serves it is the man. who can best per-
from its duties no matter whether he be
Republican or Democrat; no matter
whether he has held the office for twenty
years or has never held it at all. Thecon-
trary notion has resulted in making, both
g IN appearance and reality, the first great
business of the Federal ofice-holder to
go draw his salary. Ali other considerations
aizis4zs and duties are secondary, and may be at
tended to BY subordinates. But this is
sacred. Under our present system the
man who has done or is supposed to have
N done the most work for the political party
in power has the best claim for Office un-
sfb.B1r4 der it. A ward politician gets one Office,
30 g. ia successful stump-speaker another, a
newspaper writer a third. The applicant
III may luckily be fitted for the position, or
5cfss Aemaynot-this which oughtt to be the most
-Eia1ss ai important consideration, is hardly thought
Of. Wemight'as well assume that because a
man makes good boots he can write a no
-- bepoem, or that because he carries brick
well he can paint a charming landscape,
as that the man who can successfully
20 aldo Il harangae a gaping crowd can with equal
.sIlia success administer the complicated and
ri Il 81 delicate business of a Federal Office.
Our system is radically bad. Were it
adopted by any railroad or express com
pany 4 would in~fallfbly ruin it. The
-TSohly reason that It does not ruin our gov