The Portland daily press., 1871-07-25


Fifty Dollars Day.
If there are good and true men in the coun-
Try we suppose they are George William Cur
tbs of New York and Joseph Medell of Chica-
60. Not exactly open to the objectionof being
professional reformers, or being men with
mission, they are usually found on the liberal
anu progressive side of current questions
Both having the control of powerful newspa-
pers, they naturally have become representa-
lives of their class, so that when the national
retormers of the county are asked to name
their ablest and most distinguished men they
point with pride to George William Curtis and
Joseph Medell, especially to the former, who
of all men in America is to be felicitated as
most favored by heaven, enjoying as he does
the reputation of being the most graceful
writer, the most elegant orator and the most
cultivated gentleman in America.
1t is too d,-but little misfortune has
happened to these two gentemen-nothing
calculated to affect seriously their standing as
honorable men and good citizens, but only as
reformers and leaders in the work of infusing
SiSooOi f'Soi3 OLuSiChSy duu puliUy lutO buC
public service. All men rejoiced when they
were appointed members of the Commission
to prescribe rules and regulations for the ap-
pointment of persons to places in the various
departments of the government. They had
both made the civil service reform specially,
and as the people are thoroughly determined
to enter upon that much needed reform at
the earliest practicable period they recogHiz-
ed at once the fitness of the Presidents ap.
pointments.
Accordingly the Commissioners met at
Washington. The public pulse beat high, es-
pecially when it was found that the President
put no niggardly construction on the act of
Congress authorizing the Commission, and,
instead of regarding their functions as merely
advisory, was inclined to put so liberal an in
depreciation on the law as to make the Com
mlssioners' recommendations final and imme-
diatey operative without revision by any 9th
er authority. At length something was to be
done. But after session of ten days the
Commissioners, having suddenly made the
surprising discovery that there is a consttu-
S'oiA"i ODJOStiOh III tuCIl pdtus anu IL 10
doubtful whether the President can dvest
himself and his subordinates in the depart
ments of the power to appoint civil officers,
adjourned, leaving the Attorney General to
sweat over the doubtful point during the hot
summer months. But before adjourning the
Commissioners drew from the Treasury the
sum of $500 each-$50 dayton the time en-
plOyed When this circumstance was men,
toned in the papers some of them began to
excuse themselves. They cited precedents.
They declared that there was an appropria-
ton of $4,000 made for them by Congress and
that they could draw it at any time they saw
tit. They had no mileage or perquisites as
Congressman do. Besides they were going to
mediate on the subject all summer till they
met again. They should soon earn all they
had taken and more too. They had done no
wrong-had not even committed an impropr-
ETY..
Nor were these excuses without weight
No doubt many-perhaps most-public Off
GERS have done the same thing under the
same circumstances. There isn't anything
remarkable about their conduct. But they
did precisely the same thing that they ought
not to do. These loose notions about public
money-the idea that man who is employed
by his country may ignore the principles that
commonly govern the pecuniary relations of
employer and employee, and that he may, if
possible, make "good thing" of it and get
more pay than he earns-these are the feel
ings that need first of all to be eradicated be-
fore even SO necessary a. reform as that of
ceasing to make appointments to office solely
on political grounds can effect much in purify
ing the government service. Il the Commits
sion of which Mr.. Curtis is the leading spirit
had by its action proved the possibility OF an
American citizens accepting public employ
ment without primary reference to pecuniary
or to selfish considerations of some kind it
would have performed more useful service
than it can by the most successful accomplish
ment of the special duty with which it is
charged.
At present the majority of men who take
office, even the most honorable, find them.
selves involuntarily regarding the public
money as different from any private fund, and
they cherish much laxer notions in regard to
its acquisition by themselves or its bestow-
ment on others than if it belonged to an in
dividual. The prevalence of such latidudina-
rian views by the whole people, the most of
whom hold them unconsciously and repudi-
ate them until they themselves are brought to
the test, is what corrupts government and peo-
pie more than anything else. If this could
be reformed all other reforms would be posi-
BILE. Otherwise we fear they are impossible.
1t is extremely unfortunate, therefore, that
these gentlemen whom we have all been SO
glad to see undertaking to teach us better
manners and morals, and in whom we have
all most cheerfully put the the most implicit
confidence, should fall at the very outset into
the old pitfall.