The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1872-04-18
The spoils no Longer Belong to the Vic

mVAsNA"S
The Spoils no Longer Belong to the Vic
tors.
The change in the policy of the govern
ment effected by the executive order, publish
ed in these columns yesterday, adopting the
new civil service regulations, is SO important
that it is worthwhile to endeavor to obtain
clear apprehension of it.
Since the palmy days of Democracy and
Andrew Jackson the celebrated apotnegm OF
Senator Marcy, ''To the victors belong the
spoils,'' has been the fundamental principle
on which appointments to office have been
based The concise order of President Grant,
Characteristic alike of the man and of the
times, makes the old dogma of the Conserva-
tive party as obsolete as Louis XIV's Detat
c'est moi.
The only cause for regret which seems to
exist is the apparent reluctance Of Congress
to give its assent to any specific scheme of
civil service reform. The rules which have
now been adopted were drawn up in accord.
ance with an act passed year ago investing
the President with discretionary power to pre-
scribe regulations for the admission of persons
to the civil service and to appoint an advisory
board for conducting the necessary inquiries.
The President Immediately appointed, in
conformity with this amendment to an ap-
preparation bill, board of commissioners,
consisting of George William Curtis, Alexan
der G. Cattell, Joseph Medill, Dawson A.
Walker, E. B. Elliott, Joseph H. Blackfan
NIT to him for his approval rules and resula-
tons for governing the civil service. The
commissioners reported on the 18th of
December, but their report was only provis-
ional, since they had not then completed
the grouping of the officers of the several de-
partments necessary to the practical applica-
ton of the rules they recommended. That
work has now been accomplished, and the
President has unhesitatingly adopted the
scheme provided by the commissioners for
his own guidance. But in the absence of
any Congressional legislation adopting the
scheme, the rules and regulations may at any
time be modified or ignored by the present
Executive, and they will not be binding on
his successor. The matter is now before
Congress in several ways, and it is to be hoped
that the action of that body will give the
scheme the element of permanence which it
80 much needs to ensure its success.
The first inquiry about the scheme natur-
ally is as to what offices are to be filled by
competitive examinations. In this respect
we find that it is more comprehensive than
the Jenckes plan, which contemplated an ex-
animation Of only the subordinate officers of
the government, leaving those who are APP
pointed by the concurrent action of the Pres
ident and the Senate to be selected, as now,
without regard to anything more satisfactory
than partizan services and the "claims' of
Congressman. The Curtis plan, as we may
call it for convenience, provides for the ex-
animation of all civil officers except post
masters whose salaries are less than 5000 and
the very highest officers of the government,
like Cabinet Ministers and their immediate
subordinates, foreign ministers, judges, dis
trict attorneys and Governors of territories.
Accordingly if the position of collector of
customs, pension agent, internal revenue col
lector or assessor, postmaster or marshal in
this Congressional district should become va
cant to-day, the vacancy might be filed by
Democrat, if a Democrat should satisfy the
board OF examinersof the department to which
the office belongs that he is one of the three
best qualified applicants for the position.
Practically, however results of this kind will |
QQnpraIIV hQ foI hx, H.,
the examining board shall report to the APP
pointing power the names of three persons
whom they find best qualified, and the selec-
ton from this list may be governed by the
personal or political preferences of the Pres
dent or head OF a department. Theoreti-
cally, of course, the best man carries off the
prize. The exemption of the highest officers
of the government from the necessity of sub
uniting to an examination is on the very rea-
sonable ground that their positions are neces-
sarily political and not, like the others, mere
~ ministerial. 1t will be seen that hereafter
political services will go for nothing in the
competition for official preferment, and that
the fortunate York County gentleman who
distances his ninety-nine competitors this
summer, and obtains an election to Congress.
will not have any patronage to distribute and
VIII accordingly escape the great danger to |
which he would otherwise be exposed, of
impairing his temper and perhaps of losing
his soul.
30 far as persons now in office are concern |
ed the situation. seems to be this; they may
be required to submit to an examination or
not at the discretion of the President and the
heads OF the departments. The new rules do
not directly interfere with the power of re-
moval, but it will be observed that taking
away the right to I'LL vacancies with personal
or political fayorites operates as most pow
erful restraint on the creation of vacancies.
There will be no motive for removing any
subordinate except for cause, when his place |
can no longer be filed in way to crafty per-
'onal preferences. f !
To sum up in one word, removals and ap-
poln tments are to made hereafter on grounds I
'f public utility and personal qualifications,
while political considerations are to be utterly
gnored; vacancies in the higher offices of the
several departments are to be filed by the
OF those in lower positions in the
same group who prove themselves, on exami-
nation, to be most competent; there are to be
no more assessments for political purposes
and the civil service is to be thoroughly puri-
fed and reformed. a