Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1872-01-31
@ BE fireman.
MONTPELIER, VT,
WEDNESDAY, JAN. 81, IS
shall Office Holders be Active Poll
IicianS7


IicianS2
Mr.. Curtis, in Hdrper's Weekly, while
deTrecating the use of the machinery of the
c'Til service for party purposes, objects to any
prohibition of partisan activity on the part
81 Othee-holders, giving as reason that &" to
prohibit all persons il the employment Of the
government from such an interest IN politics
as their feelings dictate, would stigmatize
enc >ervice 80 as TO defeat ono Of the objects
~ reform-namely, that q higher class OF
persons shall be attracted to the service. =
And the New York Nation, while sharply
coldemuing the course Of tne crowd Of gov
er1uaent officials who congregated at Albany.
= help elect speaker OF the New York As
sgnbly, yet says Of Mr.. Curts's opinion,
% This is quite true; we do not ask for any
-ach prohibition We last week gave. in
rl5 FREEXAS, the opinions of Jefferson and
.sher eminent Statesmen, IN the pact history
the republic, deprecating IN strong Ian
ztage the interference of federal officials in
olsctIons. and We give elsewhere in this paper
'Ne views Of Gen. Grant, a. reported by Gen.
Hswley, Of Connecticut in which the Prcs;-
lent is evidently Of the opinion that some
-caeme ssould b devised 70 separate Office
holding from partisansbip
Unless we greatly err IN our understanding
"t Mr. Curtis's report recommending s thor
ugh reform in the civil service, the vital
principle Of that reform L the separation oi
ne civil service from partisanship and from
politics- We have No doubt the regulations
NV in force, faithfully administered, would
. fer toward securing this result and per
laps there Is no need Of any other legislation
nan that called for by these rules. To pro
hibit ofhce-holders from taking such an in
crest in politics as their feelings dictate, ,"
Il first sight nav seem to be an indefenslble
proposition, lust As It might seem an Improp-
r and Unreasonable restraint Of rights, to
prohibit them from engaging in business.
Vet We have many laws which put prohibit
lions upon persons holding offices. which
.bstractly considered, are restraints upon the
tights or liberties of individuals. Judges do
not practice law. Foreign ministers are not
expected to engage in business abroad. Con
-uls, who receive salary, are forbidden by
law to be in trade Gen Butter6eld. Of New
York, was removed from the Office Of Assist
mt Treasurer at New York, because he was
known to be engaged in gold speculations.
\ member of Congress may not, as a lawyer.
prosecute claim against the government.
Judge may not try cause in which he il
interested. These are only few instances.
from the many that could be mentioned. in
which the holding Of an Office puts person
under disabilities which persons not holding
the Office are free from. And while it il true
that no one. nor all these instances combined,
proves that it is expedient to prohibit per-
sons in the civil service from active interior
ence IN controlling elections, they do prove
that ofice-holders may, properly enough, be
prohibited from doing what, if they were not
holding Office, they might properly enough /
do.
AS we have observed already, the ruling
idea Of the civil service reform is to make /
the tenure-of-ofice, in the civil service, indie
pendent of politics and craftsmanship. With
this secured. we agree that there would be
little or no need of prOhibitOry legislation
as to interference in elections. W hen the
person in Office understands that be holds
his office during good behavior, no matter
whether ne fayors or opposes this OF that
man, or this or that principle, he will have
no motives, except the motives which 'ope-
rate upon all voters aud all citizens, to in6u-
ence his political action. When. however,
ne understands that the result Of an election
will settle the question whether or not he is
20 retain profitable Office, he is in some re
spects like q judge trying cause in which
he is deeply interested aud compact
and drilled army Of ofhce-holders be-
comes then, through the machinery of eau
cuses and conventions, a body 50 formidable, /
that we can but believe the general freedom
and purity Of elections would be advanced
by Withdrawing that army from active par
ticipation in the fight. When the ups and
downs Of political candidates or parties make
no difference with the men occupying posi-
tions in the civil service, such men will only .
take such an interest in politics as their
feelings dictate, which viii be productive
Of TO mischief; but whether they ought now
to take such an interest as their pockets and
their salaries dictate, Is perhaps. another
and different question