The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1869-11-27
Oar Civil Service.

City Hall was filed to its utmost capacity
last evening by magnificent audience to listen
TO Geo. W. Curtis, Esq, of New York, upon
sour Civil Service
Il commenced by telling little story often
told by President Lincoln of certain Senator,
he was pleased to call the Hon. Jerry, who
used to bore him so for Office that the last thing
the President used to do before getting into bed
was to look under the bed and see if the Hon.
Jerry was there, and if he was mt, he thanked
Ged and bounced in. He thought we ought
tO:thank God if among the go 900 civil officers
we did not have more Hon. Jerrys, and we
ought most sincerely to regret that there were
90 many.
It IL no reason for keeping incompetent men
In Office because there haze been incompetent
men In Office and the country has stood firm
under them. A worm eaten ship may not sink
Immediately, but it must in time. Principle,
regularity, economy, frugality, are the great
things needed to make a country strong, and
the want of them nearly ship-wrecked our
country in the late war; We are told that this
country is governed by parties who must have
the spoils, The speaker declared that the peo-
pie governed through these parties and they
ing, responsible, and intelligent men are what
are wanted in government. Washington when
once urged to appoint friends son to Office,
replied that he should he happy to appoint
him II, in the matter, he was acting as George
Washington, bat as President of the United
States he could not. Would that those words
were blazoned in letters of gold over the en-
trance Of the White House to strike dumb all
Honorable Jerrys who rush there to seek Of
fee for relatives. We never had a more faith
full PARTY leader in this country than Thomas
Je1fetson. He stuck to principle despite the
greatest pressure. Instances ware given of re-
1novais, for cause, from Office during the adj
nainistration of different Presidents. Josiah
Quincy, Of Boston, speaks of the clamor heard
at the Capitol Of the contestants for Office, un
der our administration, who fought, and jost-
led, and seuealed because the trough was too
small for the company.
Daring Jackson's administration Mr.. Swart-
,rous went to Washington and wrote to his
friend in New York that he thought any man
who tried to keep Mr.. Adams an Office and Mr..
Jackson out, ought to be hung. Whether,
said Swartwout, get my office, remains to be
proven. He got the Collectorship of New
York and one day ''S0artaooated." President
jackson introduced the system ito the victors
belong the spoils," and this system has been
adopted by every administration to the pres
emit. Now every officer of the government IS
hunted down by those who desire office. The
head men, the President, Senators and Repre-
sentatives, have to trust to the representation
of congressional brokers, and these to local
anmmltt4aa- 10 for
President to know how worthy the candidate
may be. When a man is a do-nothing and fit
for nothing he rushes into politics for "Jones
and Justice and raises political clubs and
works hard for his candidate; and when elec
ton is over presents his little bill aud takes in
payment the latest Office he can get And
then, by rotation, the needy fellow who had
thus got office is rolled out, AID an equally
needy man is rolled in. And in some places
sum Is demanded of the man elected to some
fat Office, 50 large that he declines to pay it
SAYING he c-nnot, when he is coolly Informed
that the profits of the Office entitle them to tai
him 30 heavily, and he finds out that he is ex
pected to actually rob the government yearly
eipbt times the amount of the salary. The
,conseouenesis we have a Swartwoutian civi
,service and that the name of civil service off
car has marked its bearer with the faint O
suspicion, as the peculiar colored garment O.
the Blue Coat School Boy in London marks
him as a charity scholar. Not but what there
are fine civil officers in the departments, other
wise the whole department would go to pot
but it is The badness of the system. If the
came corruption had extended to the military
and naval service, we should had none OF thu
great military and naval victories of the lat: