The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1869-11-29
ss The Hon. Jerry"

Mr.. Jepckes of Rhode Island, is to be con-
graduated on having obtained so able and
popular coadjutor in his efforts to reform
the civil service as George William Curtis,
who is one of the ablest, most cultivated.
most upright and most chivalrous of modern
Americans. 1t may be anticipated that con-
siderable interest will be excited in the SUBJ
Ject OF Mr.. Jenckes' long neglected BILL by the
delivery of Mr.. Curtis lecture in the different
cities OF the United States 1t may be that at
last popular attention will be directed to the
pressing importance of the subject, and that
such pressure will be brought to bear upon
the members of the Forty-first Congress as
will lead them to yield to the clearly express
ed will of the people.
The Hon. jerry" whom Mr.. Curtis refer.
red to in his lecture in this city, Friday night.
as an ofhce-hunter of such pertinacity that
Mr.. Lincoln expected to find him under his
bed every night, and uttered involuntary as
crptions of praise to Heaven when he did not
md him there, is the representative of class
tnat MIR. Jenckes proposes to abolish by max
ing merit the sole basis of claim for official
preferment in subordinate places. The bill
he has urged upon the attention of his asso-
ciates for several sessions in succession. pro-
poses the establishment of civil service COM
mission over which the Vice President of the
United States will preside. Before this board
all applicants for civil officers, the appoint
ments to which do not require the concur
renee OF the Senate, are to appear and under
goa competitive examination. This system
would, if adopted, secure to our civil service
The same guarantees of efficiency that are pos
sessed by the military and naval services.
place it on the same basis with that of other
civilized countries and cause the Hon. Jerry"
to complain, like Othello, that "his occupa-
TONS gone"
But the trouble is in getting it adopted.
The present system permits Congressman to
reward their friends. 1t renders nepotsm,
Bargaining, the buying and selling of offices
and all manner Of unworthy practices posi-
BILE. It is too much to expect that the poor
fallible human nature of Congressman, when
their interests are directly involved, will pro-
vide remedy unless some extraordinary pres
sure is applied to them by their long suffering
constituents. There are many honorable ex
captions to the general rule, no doubt, and
there are members enough who are either
true representatives of the people in this re-
spect or foresee that the time is speedily COM
ing when they must yield, to make a large aud
respectable minority of both houses.
The question for the people is to determine
how they shall apply the requisite pressure TO
make this minority. An able writer in the
North american Rerie,o has proposed that
the Social Science organizations OF the coun-
try adopt deserving political paintings that
are in need of succor like the civil service bill.
No doubt much good might be done in draw
ing attention to the subject by this means Is
well as by public lectures. But if these prove
insufficient to effect the purpose intended it
will only remain for the people next fall to
apply the pressure directly, and refuse to re-
turn to Congress any man who has refusefto
aid in curing SO dangerous disorder of the
body polite as an inefficient and corrupt civil
service.