New-York tribune., 1872-03-26


as the people become and moro engaged In politics.
and more and moro eager for the rewards OF
political service-if that be possible-so IL
Is certain the spread OF this lsentment
will increase. The demands OF the political actors VIII
become wider well imperative. The attemp.
to resist this tendency is not In accord with the spirit oi
our institutions or the manifest institutions of our times
We are making progress toward q more lively in'ci
geuce activity of mind more ardent and more u''
yersa competition, and TO greater equality OF ciaSo
And with this progress comes increased urgency VI
demand for recognition among all Rraucs VI 'V'
We may expect therefore, that everypouy eo"e "
strive more and after the prizes Oh h'o 'A' ~
from heated political competition. lno mass .n
people in becoming moro cDlivened' oecohios H ~
btous Of the honors and emolumens OF pubic service,
and the old sentiment that was born wheh the 10" ruo
tho nany--that politics we're merely game lor hsn
pr7es for the privileged few-wheh thas not ueu ou'
| even in this country, is rapidly on It's way
10 total discontinue and extinction LVen
tbe lofty position OF Mr.. Trumbull
and o, Mr. Kelley OF Pennsylvania that they will decline
70 have anything to do with seeing to fair distribution
Of the political prizes among the constituency" VIII be
crushed by the tread OF the "boys behind them THOSE
who wish to be clerks and postmasters and revenue ON
GERS and the special and general servants Of Adninsra
ton backed by their muludinous supporters who yet
youthful and vigorous, await their own turn, VIII give
these and all such Representatives to understand that
the lower przes OF political struggle OF just as much
importance TO them the higher are to their recpens
that, after ALL though Mr. Trumbull and MI Kelley may
members Of Congress- yet they cannot be aoWeu W
isolate themselves from their supporters and hod that
having secured their eminent share IN the prizes OF
political lfe they shall be at liberty TO turn deaf ear to
ese That sort OF thing may endured In OBJ
tuse and terate districts for while, but IL will not
stand fire in the lively, and busting and combatye con-
stituencies of the country generally.
BY easy steps it has been made plain what our civil
Service Reformers tcannot do and therefore what 1t Is
folly in them to ounderake and that TO resist the
universal application Of the doctrine of rotation In
Office These views but express the now almost unanimous
sentiment Of public men, This conclusion has been gen.
orally reachedby them without the trouble of reasoning
themselves into it, The debates In Congress have been
usually vague and superficial, yet the judgments ex-
pressed have been none the less clear and decided
Looking then upon the argument adduced as decisive II
being sustained by experience in the past by the Judg
ment OF public men, and by the reason OF the thing IL
may be concluded that we to have hereafter as we
have had hitherto in frequent elections, frequent
changes of parties and frequent wholesale redistribution
Of Offices in all the departments OF the Government In
word rotation in office is TO be- as has been the law
and the practices denot mistake the tendency OF
events instead of its being less and less it Is to be more
and more the habit OF politics. We not to have
for the people will endure, any life tennres, OF
any body of fixed and permanent ohce-h0lders ID the
| general administration OF affairs
As to fixing by law the term OF officers, II that be
thought REFORM nobody will object to it, Practically
and many really the term OF all offices is now
| fixed Appointees are made for regular terms. Coec-
tors Posmasters, COnsuls Minister'S heads Of bureaus,
clerks even do now, almost without exception, last as
long as the Administration that appoints them namely
four years. Oen much longer terms iare enjoyed but
fhe minimum time now usually served by oicehOlders
IL s long as any term that Congress wOnd be likely 10
establish by law on this head there is little or no
chance for division sentiment, apart from those who
wish TO create permanent Ofilcehoding class To such
law there provision, just and wise that should
be added that shall be removed from his place,
unless for delinquency, without at least three months
| notice. The outrageous habit OF pitching public
| servants overheard in thee summary manner now
practiced without and without the notice that
| would he given to menia,, Is deserving unqualified
condemnation And arises the question, since we
continue to have great and frequent changes in the
personnel of political life often dictated by the caprice
Of parties only what safe and satisfactory rule OF
appointment can be found Clearly, that he great body
| Of aploint,nents shall be brought under the do Of
elections 1t has long since been suggested that postnas
ers might be selected by the local constituencies, and
Mr. Tmnbul in the Senate debate revived the idea. and
advocated the adoption OF such practice This Is good
so far az 1t goes But the principle must be made OF
more universal application Reserving the power of ap-
pontment by the heads departments it now exists,
if that be thought best there Is reason why the cand-
| dates for nearly all the other offices now filled by
appointment should not be chosen and presented by the
popular constituencies not only postmasers but collect
ors and under officers foreign cOnsus and so
Aot to every State and every Representative district
a fair proportion of the officers that appointed,
and allow the ruling party the selection of its candidates
for appointment to the various places assigned to it,
This simple rule, honestly carried out, will settle at
once and forever the whole vexed question Of who shall
be appointed to office, and settle it, oo the best rule
we have yet discovered for popular sway that is that
the majority shall govern. There are no objections to
this plan that cannot be easily answered, while the
soundness of the prncple which it rests must be
universally recognized. What is proposed Is simply to
furnish candidates for appointment III they are unsats-
factory the appointing power may reject them and re-
dure others be presented But the candidates shall not
be- now furnished by the Representative in Congress
aone but shall be theseecton of the people themselves
or where they are divided into hostile parties, by that
portion which represents the dominant party in the
nation At present and for long time past the great
threatening difficulty Of the Republican party has been
Quarrel about Offices Men appointed and men are
turned out the score at the dcaton OF Members OF
Congress districts where the local will is totally dis
regarded. This is most certainly and offensive
use OF power and ought not in fairness and justice to
the local population, to be permitted to exist day.
What inmeasurabe impertinence is 1T in Senator
Conking or Senator Anybody Else, to 90 into rural
district, and seize upon postmaster who is doing his
duty to full public and party satisfaction and the choice
Of the vicinage for the place he fills, and throw him
neck and heels out Of office and adding insult to in
Jury supplant him with henchman OF his own whom
nobody wants. And what outrage Is It, that sys-
TEN exists which renders such Ofenses possible And
vet this and like things done all over the country
every month and every week. The evils OF such prac
ticc are irnmeasurable the practice Is insult to
popular government And yet, In case so fagrant
we already that the proposed Civil Service Reform
machinery of the Commissioners is incompetent to deal
with II, and that competitive examination for post
rnasfers haa heen formally discarded. But this