New-York tribune., 1872-03-21
CIVIL SERVICE DEBATE.

DIFFICULTIES, LIMITATIONS, AND ELUCIDATIONS.
lPROM An OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT OF TIIE TRIBUNE
WASHINGTON, March 12.-The discussion on
Civil Service Reform every and then breaks ont in
Congress it did In the Senate yesterday, and hope
lcssy beats about like blind pup in the water 1t is
and il is MT about the substance OF the discussions thus
far has been any clear mapping out of the
question. IL is budget OF MISUNDERSTANDING. mscon
ccptions compainngs, irratOns, and crOss-purpos"s
Things are not perfect, and they ought to be.
The real difficulties OF the inherent In the
ject ITSELF and it needs something beside set OF rules
however elaborate, to remove them. 10 is disorder
that be cured simply by attacking the symptoms.
II is n constitutional affection which requires pro-
founder diagnosis than has yet been applied to it, One
of our most eminent statesmen died Washington OF
consumption. His son used to write home that bis
father seemed to be pretty well, excepting his cough.
and that II he could only get rid OF that he would be
quite well Our Civil Service doctors talk pretty much
the same way. They after Civil Service cough.
which Ia cling in all directions, and which they
sumo be the disease ITSELF instead of a symptom OF a
deep-seated malady strongly intrenched behind it.
Adult that their nostrums will this particular
feature of the complaint, the disorder which underes
in the constitution Will simply force itself out In some
new form. Though this Is but figure OF speech, it
touches the Of the The whole ey lies In
the rremedabe fact that there Offices to distribute
in the Government frequent intervals growing out of
the fundamental axiom illustrated in the history OF all
free governments that rotation in Office Is the
law of political life.
The history of the mother country, well as
amply illustrates the fact that the contests Of parties
are often merely struggles between the Ins and the
Outs. And in all contests between parties, however
ytalizcd by high principle, the element Of expected
personal changes always enters 10 enven and
invigorate the battle Whenever government
passes from one party 10 another, there
is necessarily n change OF men. And change in the
head of the Government, even. where there Is none
party supremacy is often generally in our times.
followed by "A wide and almost universal change in the
completely illustrated in the practice under Gen. Grants
Administration than in perhaps any others In or his
tory. There il nothing III past annals. however
may talk about the earlier aud purer days and practices
Government, that cOntr0yerts the broad doctrine
lay down. that rotation In oce, IN all Tree govern
ments ia the law OF political fe and that Its appica-
ton always coincidcnt with the change OF parties IL
John Adams turned out but few Of Gen. Washingtons :
apponees. 1t because he considered his Admnstrn-
ton but prol0ngaOn of the term of the party.
Mr. Jefferson brought In new party and with him came
new set Of Few die and none resign" said he,
and the inference was emphatic. II he did not
mike a clean sweep like Gen. Jackson and Gen.
Grant. he nevertheless fully recognized the prin.
cipic The intermediate administrations between
Je1erson's and Jacks0n's substantially the pro
longa0n Of power In the hands OF the same party until
the time Of John Quincy Adams, VINO succeeding an
epoch Of routine became the convenient object 0f assault
and opposition by the triumphant horde thht followed
the lead OF Gen. Jackson, who vigorously renewed ana
applied the doctrine 0f rotation In offre.
II In England tho changes have not been ms wide and
universal here In the aernations OF parties has
been because OF the difference In eoharacer OF the two
governments The game OF politics In the OLD country
has been confined TO much smaller number 0f hands.
because The government Is not VI such popular charac