New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1871-12-21

Democracy aud drawing them into the ambi-
tious little project. II is for these reasons
that We are opposed to the delusive scheme.
Bat there is kind of civil service reform
which we decidedly favor. The President has
adopted it with marked success, and it has
been in operation in the Treasury Department
during Mr.. BoUrwELLs administration. How
it has operated the facts we have named are
the best evidence Those facts are, that the civil
service is conducted as efficiently and as faith
fully as at any period in our history. There
have been fewer frauds perpetrated relatively
and as little ignorance and incompetency ex-
hibited and all the camor raised by Copper
head and other enemies not only of the
Administration, but Of the country, has its
origin in their diseased brain and disloyal
hopes. No intelligent and minded man
will deny that President GRANT has not only
shown an anxious desire TO select capable and
upright men for Office, but that he has shown
a. wonderful degree of discrimination, judgment,
and knowledge of character in his appoint
ments.
Not to have made any mistakes in his selec-
tions General GRANT must have possessed ON
nicient attributes. But no man ever made so
few. Even of the officers who have proved
corrupt under his administration, not one in
ten was appointed by him. Colonel HoD0a
(who by the way is Democrat) was military
appointment made in accordance with the most
rigid notions of the civil service reformers, and
he had been in Office for years. President
GRANT had no more to do with him than he had
with the morals of the Tammsny thieves.
None of the Treasury nor the two post Office
defaulters were appointed since he came into
Office, and so with most Of the others who have
proved unfnithful.
His aim has been to reform the civil service,
or rather to take care that the civil service be
faithfully performed, and he has been success
full beyond any other President He has done
so by selecting those upon whom he has con-
ferred Office first from the party which saved
the nation against Democratic treason, and
| next from those whom he believed to be com
petent and honest. He believed, as every pa
triotic man believes, that those who proved un-
faithful to the country during the rebellion
over. His conclusion that traitor to such o
country as ouis is capable of every other crime,
and an unsafe man to be entrusted with power,
is logical and just one. His opinion that
those who hazarded life and property to save
the nation should enjoy its emoluments when
their work was done, was equally logical and
just Herein is where he differs from the ''civil
service reformers +" par excellence.
| In the performance of the high and very
delicate responsibility of selecting officers to
aid him in administering the Government,
President GRANT has necessarily been CON-
PEELED to rely upon information gathered from
Others as to the qualification, of various kinds
of candidates for places. And who so fiji to
give this information as members Of Con-
gress2 They know the antecedents" and
fitness of the applicants from their several Dis
tricts, and they have direct interest in seeing
that judicious appointments are made. Their
own popularity depends upon it, as they are in
reality held responsible for their good conduct,
as they should be. If they wlfully recon-
mend bad men, from bad or improper motives,
they should be held up to public condemna-
ton. In all such cases the fact that they have
made the recommendation, having reason to
know it was an unfit one, should be made pub
lie. Let the odium of having deceived the
President, either for selfish purposes or from
lack of manly independence, rest where it be-
longs. IL is folly TO think OF ascertaining the
character of candidates for Office from any other
quarter than members of Congress, unless q
special agent be sent ont after light in every
case. But let them be held to a rigid account
ability for the way they use the trust.
Our civil service reform, therefore, is that
those selected to aid in administering the affairs
of the Government should be its friends, and
ment, as well for high as low places, should be
in sympathy with the Administration, that
they .hould be known to be men and women
Of good moral character, and entirely cnmpe-
tent for the duties which they are required to
perform, and that every member of Congress
who may endorse and recommend candidates
for appointment be held responsible for any
abuse of the power they exercise. Any ore-
alton Of privileged class Of oflice-holders,
any law placing dsloyalsts and loyalists on
equal footing in the distribution Of office,
any attempt TO remove the power OF appoint
ment from the President where the Constitu-
ton places it, and to relieve hin, and Congress
men of all responsibility in the matter, and
any law tLat preseribes one kind Of qualifca-
ton for the high officers Of Government, and
a very different and far more rigid one for the
minor Offices, will find no approval with the
American people, and nothing but indignant
condemna alton from the mass Of the Republi.
can party. 1t is only selfish demagogues or
enemies of the Republican party that recon.
mend change OF policy in regard to the ap-
pointing power.
Should Congress ever enact law under the
pretext of civil service REFORM" in which
patriotism or actual service to the country and
political principles are ignored, and traitors
placed on an equal footing with loyal men in
the distribution of cffice, the people will be
very apt to adopt "civ service reform" for
their government and protection. Ii tbs Re
publican masses are told by Congress that
those Of them who may desire post Office, or
collector, assessor, inspector, cerkship, or
any other of the minor Offices Of Government,
that they must take their chance for it
with those they knew were giving aid and
comfort to the rebels while they were fighting
a. 10 IN, hav