New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1872-11-21
How 10 Works.

through one of the hardest-contested politi-
cal campaigns in our history, and have
achieved a triumph over a selfish, corrupt,
INSCRIPTIONS coalition Of the most vital inn
portance to the honor, prosperity, and gen.
eral welfare Of the nation. This victory has
been achieved by an expenditure of time,
labor, and money on the part of patriotic
Republicans exceeding all previous contests.
Hundreds and thousands of Republicans in
almost every one of the various States of the
Union abandoned their business for months
previous to the election, devOting all their
time and spending large sums of money in
the work of organization, distributing infor-
nation among the people, and in public
speeches.
Hardly ever before were such dsinterestcd
efforts and such large sacrifices of personal
interests and comfort made to secure the
triumph of Republican principles as in the
election Of Gen. Grant. Not one in thous-
and of the men to whose patriotic and untir-
ing efforts the country is indebted for the
defeat of the wicked combination designed to
restore the rebel Democracy to power under
the lead of Greeley, and to undo all thata
four years. war had accomplished, were in
fluenced by any mere personal advantage.
Not one in thousand of them is an office
seeker or desires any office.
But while there is not one in thousand
of the true and brave men who have won
this great victory who desire any of its
"spoils," or would accept any office, high
or low, We doubt if there is one of them all
who does not believe that the offices under the
Government should be filed by the men who
co-operated with them in the great work of
preserving the nation from the calamity which
was threatening it. They believed and ex-
pected, notwithstanding the "civil service,
code, that to the men who had borne the bur-
den in the heat Of the day and sacrificed so
much to save the country from the curse of
Greeleysm, should be confidcd such positions
of trust and honor as may be open. To con-
fide the duty Of carrying out the principles
which the people have proclaimed by such
an immense majority to men who are bitterly
opposed to them, and did all in their power
to defeat, or else were utterly indifferent to,
is what none of them ANTICIPATED. If they
had, it would have wonderfully moderated
their zeal in behalf of the Republican party.
And yet the practical operations of the
"civil service" code Of laws that have been
adopted for filling offices are to place the enc
mics Of the Republican party, and even
avowed rebels, as they have now all been
"amnested," on an equal footing with hard
working Republicans, however competent
and honest; and those who have taken no
interest in politics, but have devoted their
lives to the study Of grammar, arithmetic,
and writing, stand far better chance for |
the best Office under the Government. like |
the Philadelphia post Office, than the most |
experienced man or the bravest and most |
patriotic and clear-headed soldier who has
become little rusty in the technical learn |
ing demanded by "the board of broken-down |
school-masters," to whose irresponsible ca
price is coniided the appointment of officers |
in the civil service of the country.
The men, to whom is greatly due the Re- |
publican majority in Philadelphia of forty
i've tuOusduu, dS Wei W the ulrlValleu ma.
jority of more than one hundred and tbirtv-
five thousand in the State Of Pennsylvania
came here to urge the appointment of post
master in that city Of a man they know to he |
competent and deserving On
grounds of moral character, and dsnxasaed |
alike by the the business interests Of the !
people and Of the Republican party. But,
by such men as Senator Cam
cron, GOvernor-elect Hartranft, May,,.
stokely, District Attorney w. b. Ma, Il,
Sheriff Seeds, United States Marshal Kcrr.s. :
Hon. Charles O'Neill, and several members |
elect of the Pennsylvania Legislature, all of
whom knor him, they are told that the qucs-
ion must be settled by civil service board.
md who are to examine the applicant and
I'll others in "readin, ritin, and rith-
netic," and give the Office to the competitor
Who passes the best examination, though no
nay be boy just from school, noisy Dem
'crat, or pardoned rebel. That is how the
civil service reform" works in practice. L. |
hat what Pennsylvanians voted for?