New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1871-12-07
MIR. SchurZ on Civil Service Re.
form.


ing his fellow-citizens upon questions relating
to the civil service reform. 1t is probable that
Mr.. Schurz would like to see q civil service re-
form that would put all his friends in Office,
but it is doubtful whether a majority of the
American people desire any change in the man.
ner of making Federal appointments that would
increase his influence and patronage. But it
occurs to US that under the guise of a lecturer
Mr.. Schurz is really feeling the public pulse,
and is trying to ascertain whether there is suf
ticent disafection in the Republican ranks to
warrant him in making the attempt to organize
new party. Under the rallying cry of Lib
eral Republicanism" he succeeded in turning
Missouri over to the Democracy, and he would
now like to perform the same service for the
whole nation. This being his mission, it is quite
natural that he should try to persuade the honest
people OF the country that our civil service needs
reforming, and that himself and Mr.. Gratz
Brown, assisted by something like million and
a half of Democratic voters, are the persons to
do it. 1t is not the first time that quack doc
tor has attempted to induce large consuup-
ton of his medicines by describing fearful
symptoms of disease that he proclaims to be
universal. 1t is also a fact of common ex-
perience that men refuse to take the widely ad-
vertised panacea, and nevertheless, continue to
live.
We admit that there are occasional instances
OF population in our civil service, and that now
and then an unworthy man gets into place, but
az long as human nature remains as it is this
is inevitable. Taken as a class, the men now
filling Government positions, from the Presi-
dents Cabinet officers down to the letter car
riers, will compare very favorably with the
State, municipal, and county officers elected by
the people. We believe that there are more in
stances OF corruption and defalcation to be
found among officers elected directly by the
people than those appointed by the President
and his subordinates, although the opportuni-
ties for fraud are infinitely greater. Whenever
an officer is detected in dishonest practices he
Is pretty certain to be brought to a strict ac-
count. The Federal Courts are terror to evil
doors. MIR. Schurz's opinion to the contrary,
we contend that our civil service represents
something more than the average intelligence
and morality o tbe American people.
But supposing that all that Mr.. Schurz says
about our Federal officers, civil and military, is
true, how is he going to help the matter
There Is nothing to show that the frauds from
which the Government has suffered were per.
petrated either by ignorant or incompetent
men. On the contrary, the most conspicuous
defaulters that have come to grief during
President Grants administration were men
who could have passed any competitive examin-
alton that the most learned advocates of civil
service reform might have proposed. Mr..
SchurZ Is reported to have cited the case of
Paymaster Hodge as illustrating the bad con-
dltlon OF our civil service. Now it so happens
that Paymaster Hodge is a man who could
have gone before a commission, of which
Mr.. Schurz himself might have been the chief
examiner, and have demonstrated his fitness
tor ofhce by answering all the questions pro-
pounded. lie could have established his claim
to a social position not second to that of Sena-
tor Schurz. His family is one of the Oldest
and most respectable in New Jersey. He has
q near relative, an eminent theologian, who for
more than quarter of a centuary kept the
Presbyterian conscience easy on the slavery
question. In short, he is just such a man as
would be likely to get into position through the
recommendation of an examining board. We
think it singular that Mr. Schurz should have
selected an example that tells so strongly
against his favorte scheme. His office was in
no sense political Office. He was not liable
to be turned out at every change in the Admin
lstration of the National Government If, as
Mr.. Schurz contends, the certainty of tenure by
which Offices are held demoralizes the holder
certainly the argument does not apply in
Hodges case. If Mr.. Schurz wanted to bring
Republican Office holders into dsrepute the
illustration was also unfortunate, for Major
Hodge was always understood to be Democrat
in politics.
We must not be considered as undertaking
either education or social standing in Federal
officer; we only mean to say that rascals can be
found even in the highest circles, and that the
moral nature of man is something that an
examining committee cannot pass upon. We
therefore suggest to Mr.. Schurz that there is
common sense among the American people that
fully understands and appreciates his efforts in
behalf of civil service reform and that they are
not likely to turn the Government over to the
Democratic party for the sake of giving him an
opportunity to put his theory into practice
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