Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1870-09-06
Civil Service Reform.
From the Chicago Tribune.

From the Chicago Tribune.
From all parts of the country there
are loud complaints, from the great
body, of the people composing the
Republican party, against alleged un.
fair means resorted to by Federal of
fice-holders to control Congressional
nominations. For the first time in
the history of the Republican party
in Illinois, this complaint has become
so general as to threaten the success
of the party in more than one District.
1t is alleged that Collectors and AS
SCISSORS of Internal Revenue, and
their subordinates, with Postmasters
and special agents Of all kinds hold
ing offices upon the nomination OF
their Representatives, have conspired
to pack county conventions, and, by
bribery and corruption, and the use
OF their official patronage, and threats
OF official vengeance, have forced, OF
tried to. force, the nomination of the
men to whom they owe their own
offices. That this is true in many
cases, in all parts of the country, can
not be doubted. That many repre-
sentatives owe their denominations
to applicants of this kind, and not to
any excessive desire of the public, is
proved by the frequent reflections
OF members of Congress whose inca
pacity and general worthlessness are
| notorious.
We need not enter into any discus.
sion as to the facts of any particular
case. We simply wish to call public
attention to the wretched system by
which federal officers are appointed
and the tenure by which they hold
their places. The country is divided
into congressional districts, and each
representative who agrees politically
with the administration in power
| claims, and is generally allowed, the
right to name all the federal appoint.
ments in his district. As matter
OF course, he appoints only those
who have been instrumental in secur.
ing his own nomination and election
or those who are expected to do SC
hereafter. The Office holders have
no choice. If they refuse they know
that the Representative can have
them dismissed. They are his instru.
ments. They hold Office by his favor
alone. This system which is now
universal, is degrading to the Office
holder, and to the Representative
and virtually deprives the people o.
the right to select their own Repres
entative. 1t is true, the people have
the right to defeat the candidate
| who thus forces himself upon them
but it is generally at the cost of elect
ing political opponent, which they
never choose to do, except under tn,
most exasperating circumstances.
| 1t is due to truth to say that tn,
fault is in the system, and not in mel
who happen to be temporarily profit
ing by it. ANY other men, placed il
like circumstances, and having thu
same machinery at hand, would d.
the same. The reason why we hea
the cutlery against it, now for tn,
| first time, is that the public attention
is no longer preoccupied with tn,
weightier considerations of war ant
reconstruction. The same evils ex
listed before, but they were not no
ticed. They are part and parcel o
a vicious civil service system, hand
ed down to US by the old Democratic
party, and no reform can be looket
for by mere change of Congress
men. The only cure is to be founC
in a change of the system. Office
holders of the class referred to mus
be appointed for some other caus
than fealty to the Representatives o
their districts and must hold thei
places during good behavior. TIL
people will understand readily tn
great unwillingness of a majority @
members of Congress to vote 70
establishing a different tenure 70
civil offices. Such law would TAX
from them the means and appliance
by which they are now enabled t.
renominate depriving them of thss
personal dependents in their districts
would leave the question of their re
election to the people.
The time has come when the peop
10 must demand change. The rou
tine officers of the civil service mus
be put on a different basis. Mel
should be appointed to office on com
petitive examination. Once appoint
ed, they should hold office 40 long a
they prove worthy. Meddling witt
politics, in the partisan sense, shoulC
be sufficient cause for removal. Th,
time for this reform has come. Th,
abuse has reached that point whel
the people are measurably deprived
of the right of choosing their owl
members of Congress. 1t is mat
ter for congratulation that this evi
has at last forced itself upon public
attention in such a manner that i
cannot be longer ignored or thrus
into the background.