The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-10-27


ever, t Is absolutely necessary that the legal right
of security in ONCE should remain intact Tae
strongly 70 secure truly constitutional Obedience
and the officials are protected by the law when re-
other hand has ample power ne 10 secu1e Sn u4e
obedience 70 legal orders and 70 over
hostility in the official body against ia IegsIative or
administrative reforms relating to the service or
anything else Another beneficial effect of the sys-
TEN Will be found in the uniformity OF thought of
political and social views and of official aud non
official customs characterizing the members of the
business In all its branches and uniform action of
the government in all parts OF the country
are greatly furthered Finally, it is a
great advantage that. whenever the proper
spirit animates the appointing power, the relatively
best man caD at least in most instances be secured
for vacancy The various tests already referred to-
and the critical knowledge OF officials previous ser
vices, must prevent bad appointments unless tn
ceptional cases, IL would, however be very par
tal to overlook the disadvantages which this like
every other official system, possesses. In the first
place. IT'S costlness IS unavoidable and inherent for
the officials must be remunerated for whole life of
labor and devotion TO the puolc service and fer the
entire concentration OF their powers and resources
in their profession. Again. it cannot be denied that
the innuence OF superiors upon interiors in such
OF the officials and that Il does actually have such
an effect upon the weak and the over. ambitious.
the more such influences are misapped, the greater
the danger OF servility in the service which, when
developed, may give the government a powerful
means of executing its arbitrary WILL and thus may
endanger the liberties of the people. Furthermore,
there is certain amount Of dsnger that lifelong
official may fall into thoughtless routine and his
occupation from an intelligent profession become a
dull trade. Lastly, it is possible happily not neces-
sary, that systematic corruption may permeate
such civil service. The mildest form which
this can take is that OF idleness and shrkng work
the worst that of bribery When developed, the
evll o. bribery Is most difficult to eradicate aud is
cnrse alike upon the government and the people.
The whole administration becomes q System of
fraud, lying, and cheating, and honorable men will
weight however, to the un1avorable side Of the
count, Won Moh is strongly OF opinion that both ex-
perence ana criticism show that, on the whole,
decidedly favorable judgment is to be pronounced
upon the system OF officials with legally secured
tenure.
We come now to the system OF professional
officials Without legal right In their offices. This
inferior position of the public officials has many i'm
portant consequences. Care must, however, be
taken not to generalIze too readily for IN practice
this system occurs in very different forms. Thus for
example, in the United States and In France, where
1t exists the power Of arbitrary removal is very diff
fereDtly exercised, and the official system of each
country is therefore separately discussed by Won
exercised the greater weuld seem to be the amount
Of preparation training and expertness
patronage Whatever may be the advantages which
may secure, they appear TO be merely those which
could be obtained in greater degree by the estab-
lishment OF tenure of legal right. Its disadvan-
tages naturally take peculiarly national coloring
which, after investigation, Won Mohl pronounces to
tSe eTgat nitad M States 6e ama IN In
arbitrary removals into the so-caled rotation in
office, the utter absence Of professional training aud
expertness the regarding OF offices Of public trust
as the spoils of party, etc., have produced evils
which Won Mohl holds TO be as great as they are
difficult to eradicate.
Another principal method Of manning the public
service is where in either an aristocracy demo-
cracy the more or less numerous body in which the
sovel elgn power resides elects its officials from
among its OWE number In these two cases. how
ever, the elective systems differ greatly. or that OF
pure aristocrrcy "a form OF government hardly
existing In Ohrstendom), it need only be remarked
that the main political requisite is that the chief
s0nd ny pe hed y Of the
arranged to carry out this principle and to secure
the public prosperity upon this basis
The subject of officials chosen by democratic
elections is OF special importance in the present day.
We should here first recall that the grants OF cleo
tive offices in democracy are practically (though
not necessarily for short terms only and that popu
lar elections include not only such officials as are
chosen by the whole people, but also those Of smaller
districts and localities First among the good
effects OF this institution is to be placed
the fact that it secures the sovereign people
the choice OF its oilclas. The nomination Of
its own organs is essentially function OF the
sovereign power whether it be lodged In prince or
people, IL Is likewise necessary that the servants
Of government should not be opposed to its polit-
cal tendencies and feelings. Again, it is beneficial
press the sentiments of the existing majority, for
democracies are and must be governments OF the
majority. Another advantage is the cheapness of
the system for remuneration upon basis OF repub-
ltcan simplicity and for merely the limited time
officials, too, who must soon retire from Office
not readily fall into the oppressive conduct OF a
naughty governing class.
Nor is it likely, from their accord with the sove-
reign power, that they will be called upon to carry
out orders contrary to their convictions On the
other hand, the system presents many dsadvan-
tages. Under it there can exist no system of edu-
cation for the public service, thing rendered i'm
for short terms. There can be no security for the
eIe3ts eb possessing proper roper qualifications, for
viOus tests or proofs of their fitness. This
difficulty is, indeed, inherent, for qualifications
limiting the will of the sovereign people cannot
onftn ha nnfn haf Fnn1.
may give rise to great public dsquist party ami
mostly and injury to material prosperity. Eec-
tioneering intrlgues may be pushed to Immoral and
indecent extremes, degrading the independence and
character of candidates, and corrnpting the civic
virtue of the people. When decided corruption of
public morals has arisen in democracy, popular
elections may become very plague upon the land.
Good men are then driven out of politics
altogether, and the care, or rather the plunder,
OF the public business falls into
the hands of the worst and most degraded part of
the population. Indirect elections, whether by
members OF the ordinary representative assembly
or by representative electors specially chosen are
not repugnant TO democratic institutions, but both
scientific investigation and the actual experience of
democratic politics prove that they have in practice
but limited range OF application, and are liable to
certain peculiar disadvantages. Their general po-
ltca effects, too, will be found to be substantially
the same as those OF direct elections
The last principal method of filling Offices is that
pursued under the institution Of local self-gov
ment Under it, the administration of local affairs
may be entrusted to such persons as have an interest
in the proper management thereof, and who are
willing to assume the corresponding offices without
remuneration. such unpaid volunteer officials may
be either appointed elected, but the popularity
of the institution does not lie In the mere mode OF
nomination, but rather In the qualifications and
characteristics OF the officials and their relations to
their neighbors whose affairs they administer. The
control OF purely local affairs by the local arstOcracy
democracy throug Oh unpaid officials rewarded only
by the social or political ad antage accrung to the
public business OF the local community ia which
they live, and consequently are most interested in
is the Kew of the system Il is eyident that only
matters OF merely local interest, and OF them only
those held in a certain repute, and such not
n a nnr U m ha IN