Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1871-07-27
From the Washington Cd. O. Patriot.
Civil Service Sham.

The Commissioners, appointed UNI
der the act of March last, to conduct
inquiries, prescribe duties, and establish
regulations for the conduct of persons
who may receive appointments in the
civil service, have adjourned for the
summer, after faithfully drawing their
salary, and leaving the Attorney
General several hard nuts to crack
While it is undoubtedly true that the
author Of this law, Mr. Trumbull,
honestly intended to effect practical
reform, it is none the less certain, that
the means by which he proposed to
accomplish that desirable object is
wholly inadequate to the end. If law
alone could furnish a remedy for the
glazing evils and fragrant abuses, which
disgrace the whole civil service, it
would not be necessary to cucumber
the statute book with more mock
solemnities of legislation.
But, as Mr.. Trumbull well knows,
the real difficulty does not lie there at
all, but is confined to the practical
administration of the public SERVICE
If the President and the Heads of De-
partments were disposed to exercise
their authority uprightly, and to insist
upon The simplest conditions OF hon,
esty, fitness, and fidelity, as indispens-
able prerequisites in the appointments
to office, all occasion for complaint
would at once disappear. Until the
advent of Radicalism to power, with
its destructive and demoralizing tend
encies, the civil service was pure, and
the corruption, which is now the rule
was then the exception, Ten years
ago only, a dedication was an extra
ordinary event, and now it is daily
occurrence. How has this come tc
pass ? Simply by maladministration
The Executive has parted with &
large portion of the functions witt
which he is vested by the Constitution
and parted with them for the selfish
purpose of conciliating support in Con
gress. In practical effect, the patron
age which he has sworn to administer
for the public welfare, has been trans
ferred to partisan followers, as a con
sideration for their support and they
in turn, dispose Of this patronage tc
another class, as means of retaining
seats in Congress, many Of which are
sought for no other purpose than per
sonal profit. As a necessary conse
ouence, all proper responsibility dis
appears, and the whole civil service
has been converted INTO mere cleo
tioneering machine. Partisanship il
the only recognized qualification TO
Office. a thousand statutes, with
President as unfit and unwilling as HI
who now afiicts the country, would
be utterly worthless, and obsurd inth'
sense of reform.
One of the first conditions for gooC
administration of any trust, public o
private, is fidelity to duty. The Presi
dent himself is the first civil office
under the Constitution. He is bound
not only by his oath of office, but b.
every obligation of honor, to set al
example in his own person, by faith
) full discharge Of every public duty, t
the extent of his ability. 1t is notori
GUS to the whole country that his ex
ample, so far from being good, ha
been most pernicious. He has EN-
= phatically abandoned his post, neglec
ted the public business, and sacrificed
: private rights to his personal pleasure
| without even decent preteXt to wal
rant this fragrant wrong. The Cabinet
taking advantage of his absence, hay
also deserted Washington. Th
2 Heads of Bureaus have followed NTH
, same track, and the principal clerk
, have claimed like privilege, So tina
the great machine of Government
run by subordinates, too often ignorar
> and yepal, and encouraged to tenn
/, ton by this wilful desertion Of duty
q Vast interests are thus tempered witt
and fraud and corruption CLEAN abun(
ant harvests.
This condition Of things is traceabl
S directly to the misconduct, neglec
e and incompetency Of the Presidel
n and the Heads ofDepartments. The
have lowered the standard of mora
/ in the civil service impaired i
y efficiency invited dishonesty; count
c nanced frauds, and protected detaul
ers. These facts are as indisputable
=. they are conspicuous. Every contra
has its price, every claim its tax, an
every act of justice even its toll. Pa
is demanded everywhere, and oflic
are sold by brokers as a common cor
/ modify. The inherent vice is I'll
n Administration, and the only remeC
n is change. Give the country a Pres
,s dent who will do his duty faithful
j who will not accept presents, and wi
" will call around him q Cabinet OF ab
o and patriotic men, and the civil servi
al will be reformed as naturally as de
is succeeds night.
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