The Leavenworth weekly times. [volume] (Leavenworth, Kan.) 1870-1880, 1870-09-01

Daniel S. Norton lately deceased) by Will
liam Window, appointed BY the Governor,
and Joseph 8. Fowler by Judge Cooper, Of
Tennessee.
Reform II ALTOGETHER.
The commotion which We witness in Kan
sas this year in regard to oar representatives
in Congress and in the Senaae i not peculiar
to our State, but, in greatee OF les degree,
pervades all parts of the country. Thinking
men are Dissatisfied with the Fedesal appoint
men,s made by Congressmen and SenatoS;
they see how wretchedly saeA Offices are
frequently filled, and they See the demorali-
zation to which such a system inevitably
leads Abuses are seldom corrected until
they assume such huge proportions as to he
come uncomfortable, and that point seems b
be reached in relation to the question Of
Federal patronage.
State to-day furnishes sad commentary IN
the present system Of making appointments.
This is a class of patronage which is given
to the Congressman to dispense. He makes
the inspector or supervisor, the route agent
the postmaster, primarily his slaves and
political shysters; secondarily they may
attend to the mails and do their duty to the
people. Business men may report to Wash
ington that their business letters are greatly
DELAYED in reaching their destination, or that
they do not reacl, it at all. Such complaints
receive little attention. Ii the mail subor-
dinates are attending to politics and are true
to the interests of the Congressman, they
will no; be turned out Of office and will not
he ccnsured.
This is only single branch of the service.
In the Revenue Department the evils snf-
fered are even more Disastrous, and the
remedy rs difficult. Personal adhesion,
individual vassalage, is required Of the As
SCISSOR and Collector-little more. If John
Smer is known to Jim Lane rs "Lane
man." then Srccr can rob eight Thousand
citizens-,s he actually did do-and Lane
will not stir finger 10 secure his removal
from Office II he is ''Clarke man." Clarke
will cover up his crimes and shield him from
punishment.
But when the crime becomes as bold rs
this, and public attention il fully drawn to
il, ii is evident that the remedy Is near at
hand. No great wrong can lie upheld after
public attention Is fully called to it by free
discussion. As an indication Of the way
this subject is now thought Of and agitatcd
we copy the following from the Chicago
Tribune:
From all parts Of the country there are
loud complaints, from Tie great body Of the
people composing the Republican party,
a.:ins; alleged unfair means resOrted to by
Federal Office holders to control Congress
Sionai nominations. For the first time i'm
the history of the Republican party in ILL.,
nois, this complaint has become 50 general
as Ia threaten the success Of the party in
more than one District. 1t is alleged that
Collectors and assessors of Internal Revenue,
and their sUbordinates, with Postmasters and
special agents Of all kinds holding their Of
fees upon the nomination of their Repre-
sentative, have conspircd 10 pack county
conventions, and, by bribery and corruption,
and the Use of their official patronage, and
threats of official vengeance, have forced, or
tried to force, the nomination Of the men ! e
is true in many cases, in all parts Of the
country, cannot he doubted. That many
Representatives owe their denominations to
appliances, of this kind, and not to any ex-
ceSsive desire of the public, is proved by the
frequent reflections of members Of Con-
gress whose incapacity ard general worth
lesSness are notorious.
We need not enter into any discussion rs
to the facts of any particular case. We SIM
ply wish TO call public attention to the
wretc.led 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 Rep
resentative who agrees politically with the
administration in power, claims, and is gen.
orally allowed, the right to name all the Fed
eral appointments in his district. Asa mat
ter of course, he appoints only those who
have been instrumental in securing his own
nomination and election, or those who are
expected to do so hereafter. The Office
holders have no choice. Ifthey refuse they
know that the Representative can have
them dismissed They are his instruments.
They hold Office by his favor alone. This
system, which is now universal, ia degrading
to the ofiice-holder, and to the Representa-
tive, and virtually deprives the people Of the
right to select their own Representative. Ii
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 the most exasper-
ating circumstances.
II is due to truth to say that the fault is |
in the systen, and not in the men who hap
pen to he temporarily proiting BY it. Any
other men, placed in like circumstances,
and having the same machinery at hand, |
would do the same. The reason why We |
hear the cutlery against it now for the first |
time is that the public attention il no longer |
preoccupied with the weightier considera-
tons of war and reconstruction. The same |
evils existed before, but they were not no
ticcd. They are part and parcel Of a vicious |
civil service system; handed down to us by |
the old Democratic party, and no reform can /
he looked for by mere change of Congress
men. The only cure is to be found in 4
change of the system. Ofice-holdsrs Of the /
class referred to must be appointed for some
other cause than fealty TO the representatives
of their districts; and must hold their places
during good behavior. The people will I'M
derstand readily the great unwiliingness Of
Il majority of members of Congress to vote
for any law establishing n different tenure
for civil Offices. Such law would take
from them the means and appliances by
which they now are enabled 10 renominate
and re-elect themselves. Such a law, by de-
priving them Of these personal dependents
in their districts, would leave the question Of
their reelection TO the people.
The time has come when the people must
demand a change. The routine officers Of
the civil service must be put ON different
basis. Men should be appointed to Office on
competitive examination. Once appointed,
they should hold office 50 long as they prove
worthy. Modelling with politics, in the par
tisan sense, should be sufficient cause for re-
moval The time for this reform has come.
The abuse has reached that point when the
people are measurably deprived of the right
Of choosing their own members Of Congress.
1t is matter for eongratulation that this evil
has at last forced itself upon public attention
in such a manner that it cannot he longer
ignored or thrust into the background.
ANOTHER.
As another index that the people arc he
ginning to insist mon an honest State Conven-