Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1872-01-03
FROM THE NATIONAL CAPITAL.
Washington Dec. 10Th, 1871.

dawnod upon us before this reaches you,
bringing in its lap joys and sorrows I'M
known; may the first be plenty aud the
last light
Washington is enjoying again sea on of
competitive quietness at least as far as pol
/ les are concerned the law makers have
gone home, and everybody here has been
100 busy With preparations for the holidays
gone and to come, to care mu,h abont poll
/ itics. The few weeks during which Con-
| gress has been in session, have not been
distinguished by any great results, and no
measure has been brought to a successful
! termination, Notwithstanding the de sires of
many prominent men to have the amnesty
question and other matters OF like impor-
lance decided as soou as possible. The new
apportionment bill, by which Wisconsin
viii gain two members, has passed the
House and is before the Senate, but II 1T
win be adopted without amendment is yet
an open question. It is to be hoped that 1T
viii become law in some shape before long
in order to give the legislatures, soon to
convene, time to redistrict their respective
states a.e
Civil Service Reform, SO much agitated
in the Senate, an d concerning which no
little excitement prevailed, has been and is,
the general topic Of the day. The report OF
the Commi ssion, transmitted to the Presi-
hyvb hi ant to with q
promptnesS that looked as if he meant mild
ly to rebuke those of his friends IN the SEN
ate who blindly and foolshy opposed a
Committee of Retrenchment, and Reform.
In way that hardly can be called digni-
fed they backed down from their position,
and u.ldeny expressed willingness to have
everything ano anything looked into ;
there is little doubt, that this was done at
the express desire of the President, ho,
Notwithstanding what his enemies may say
to the contrary, is sincere in his desires 10
reform the Civil Service as far as it is in
his power, and has announced that the new
system will go into effect on the lst day of
January 1872. The system if carried out
fully, as recommended in the report (and it
will as far as the President is conc rned, at
all events, will be very great improve
ment on the present one, and although per-
haps defective in some minor points, it may
on the whole be considered perfectly prac-
teal and will doubtless be found of great
!,
made, that it does no provide for the exam
nations of persons now in office, and that it
does not provide for certain tenure OF Of
fee, To the first objection, it may be an
swered that many off GERS, especially in the
departments here, have already been under
going examinations previous to obtaining
their present positions, and that it would
hardly be fair to subject them to new one !;
again, if complaint is made against any of
fcer, the matter will be fully investi
gated, and if the person proves incompetent,
he will be summariIy dismissed. To the
second objection it may be answered, that
nearly all removals are now made IN order
to gave fayorites of new Senators and Mem
bers the vacant places, out if the appoint
ments are made subject to examinations, and
if the person is obliged to De on probation
first for six months, and then slowly work
his way up from the lowest grade, as
vacancies above occurred and take his chan
with Others, the pressure for ap-
. ! g., ,-in
nothing compared with what it is now.
As the matter stands at present President
Grant will consider himself bound by the
rules and regulations laid down by the Com
mission, but legislation is necessary to bind
his successors, and to bring the whole system
in complete working order. Whether this
legislation will be had from Congress is an
other question not yet easily to determine.
Considerable opposition has shown itself
among the Members on various grounds,
and the Democratic members will, ofcourse,
with that consistency so remarkable in that
party. go against it to a man. That the
measure originates with the President is
sufficient ground for them to oppose it.
Whatever the result may be, something
good, will, | think. come from the matter,
and the Commission speaks only the truth
wheA it says in the concluding sentence of
the report: "The improvement of the
| Civil Service is emphatically the peoples
cause, the peoples reform, and { he admin
istration which vigorously begins it will
acquire glory, only less than that Of the
salvation of free Union"
The Ku-Klux trials in South Carolina
have attracted but slight attention through
out the country, owing perhaps 10 the cir.
cumstances that the Republicans could not
be expected to learn anything new from
| them, and the Democrats are anxious to
/ ignore the existence of ary Ku-Klux what
ever. The trials have established beyond a
shadow Of doubt the existence of armed
bands throughout the South, organized
solely for the purpose of killing and whip
ping Whites and Blacks who dared to avow
themselves Republicans. They have devel-
oped such a state of affairs, that even the
counsel for the defendants, Elk. Att. Gen.
Staunsbury, and Reverdy johnson, have
turned with loathing and disgust, from
hearing the testimony, and have in their
speeches openly acknowledged the existence
Of the Ku-Kiux, and expressed their
adherence of the facts revealed
So at last our democratic brethren will be
forced to look at this matter in its true light,
and the sooner they open their eyes and
join with peace-loving citizens to crush the
murderer5, the better it viii be for their
party. w.
The efforts nf the State of Georgia
10 be represented in the United States