The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-11-19

appreciation OF the evils produced by vicious
institution, they may be relied upon to sweep
it out of the way. We have long endeavored
to secure reform of the judiciary in this
State; and to superficial observers it might
have seemed that our labor was lost. But the
very heavy vote-it may turn out to be ma
jority-for the Judiciary article recently sub
mitted to the people, shows that the public
mind is always open to the reception of
truth. For this reason we gladly welcome
any new effort to arouse the whole country to
the Importance of remodelling the civil ser
vice. We may have to toll on for some time
yet but constant dropping wears away
stone, and we shall certainly win in the end.
1t is impossible that people can go on reading
Mr.. Jenckes' statements and arguments, or
articles like those of Mr. Adams in the North
american ReUieao, and of Mr.. Parton in the
new number of the Atdntics Monthly, or the
essay of Mr.. G.. w. Curtis at the Social Sci
ence Congress, without being stirred to rid
the country of one of the greatest scandals
associated with it, at home or abroad.
The civil service is a dishonest blunder
from beginning to end. When we have good
man in any post we very rarely allow him to
remain there long. We either transfer him to
some appointment for which he is not fitted,
and in which his special abilities are utterly
thrown away, or we get rid of him altogether,
and put a worthless, incompetent, unprin-
cipled office-seeker in his place. People go
to members of Congress and demand ap-
pointments as a matter of right The same
plan is sometimes tried in England. A voter
goes to O member of Parliament and says:-
81 was on your committee at the last cleo
ton, and, as you know, had good deal to
do with your success. Now / want to get my
son into a Government office" But the
member cannot help such man if he
Dr;,, hi,,,oo1f oOu11
not put any one into public office, although
he might give him an appointment outside OF
it. All he can say to the applicant is:-"H
your son possesses the qualifications exacted
by the particular Office you wish him to enter,
he will be able to pass the competitive exami-
nation, and that is the only door open to you,
me, or anybody else." The son of lord
must pass just the same examination as the
son of a shoemaker. People who wish their
children to enter the civil service have them
trained at school especially for it, and if
afterward they fail to pass the examination,
they know that it is necessary to lind some
other occupation for them. Back-stairs inau-
ence will do no good whatever. But in this
country the member of Congress badgers the
head of department until he gets places
for as many of his friends as he is anxious to
obHge.
OF course we lose all the good men and
get all the bad by this process. You cannot
induce first-class men to go begging round
among members of Congress for an appoint
ment The persons who are ready for that
kind of work are the very ones whom the
Government ought not to employ at any
price. The Government, to begin with, does
not pay enough to compensate able men
who have no private means for deyoting the
whole of their time to the service of the
country. The late Chief Justice of the Su-
preme Court gave up lucrative practice at
the Maryland Bar in order to accept the post
offered him by the Government. His habits
were moderate, but he died in destitute
condition. "When l was in Washington last
winter" says Mr.. Parton, ''the daughters
of the late Chief Justice were earning q
scanty, precarious livelihood by copying
documents in one of the public offices at eight
cents per hundred words" Another member
of the Supreme Court was last winter paying
the whole of his salary for the board of him.
self and his wife. 1t took all the ex-Attorney-
Generals salary to pay his rent We all know
what happens when men of an inferior type
are placed In this predicament. They exc
out their salaries by taking bribes by plum
dering the public, by defrauding the Govern
-ment and they persuade themselves that
they are justified in SO doing because the
Government is trying to cheat them by taking
their time without paying for it.
The perpetual scramble for place is demo
ralizing the public mind, and impeding the
business of Government in every direction
1t is all very well to recommend people to &c
| out to the wilderness and work. Why should
| they toll for bread when by scheming and in
triguing they may obtain an ''office?' o.
course large proportion must fall. But tneI
never give up hope They would rather dog
the heels of a member of Congress, or haun
the precincts of the White House, for yea
together, than do days hard labor. One
| let it be understood that proof of compe
| tency will be required from every man befor'
he can obtain Office, and all this dirty worl
will come to an end-at least SO far as tn
civil service is concerned. For this reasol
we recommend, as we have done before, tn
institution of a system OF competitive eX
aminations. What can be fairer? The bes
man will win in the larger number of cases
A higher standard of honor would prevail il
the new service, and that alone would go ia
towards extinguishing corruption. In Eng
land the plan has answered to perfection, an
it has been extended to India with the yer
best results. Once, valuable appointment
in the Indian civil service were in the gift c
few families. Now the poorest boy in Grea
Britain is eligible to compete for them-an
what is more, the poorest boys often &c
them. 1t is not an untried experimer
which we urge upon the public attention.
has produced an efficient civil service
every country where it has been adopted
Why should we hesitate to ascertain til
qualifications of our public servants befol
engaging them, and afterwards to remunerat
them at a fair rate 1t is the only way
getting the work of the nation well an
honestly done.
INTERNATIONAL RACES-MORE CHA1