The New York herald., 1872-10-18
LITERARY CHrT-CHAT.' :

In osRts SxrsSER's tissues OF American Pshi
tics." published by Lippincott. we expected
more than we dnd from . work which
announces ttseif upon its title page as San
exhaustive treatise upon American politics."
which its publishers praise in the preface ciear.
luminous and almost faultless" In style. ana for
which the author himself ''modestly asserts
merit which does not attach to any similar worg
nov exfant." There IA much in the book that ia
Interesting aud instructive. but we ind neither
broad ana original thought nor high literary skill.
when we nnd Mr.. skinner constantly using the
technical term "sunragan" (which has no mean
ing other than an ecclesiastical oneI a.
an equivalent OF pertaining to sufrrage"-eroo
sufyragan prescription. surragan policy, suhragan
power, &c.-we are reminded OF the familiar adage,
that one should not assume to teach what he does
not clesriy know. The writer has treated very
wide domain OF investigation In close and analytic
method. and has contributed much to the elucida-
uon Of some political problems far from clear
10 most minds. Nearly half the book
|. occupied BY discussions Of financial
questions. IN their various forums. Here Mr..
skinner develops views at wide variance with
the principles on which our currency system u
managed Ne denounces the Syndicate operations
OF the Treasury favors the resumption OF specie
payments within nxea term Of two years. defends
the national bank system against the plan OF
abolishins iss circulation by substitution OF legal
tenders. but insists that the tls.0O0000 pro6t on
this circulation should be taken from the banks and
enure TO the people; shows the fallacy and costli
meas Of funding schemes and advocates the steady
and entire extinction OF the national debt. On the
tari6 question Mr.. skinner Is hrm protection hat.
Mr. SINNERS remedy for the crying evils that now
disgrace the government service ID. o well intended,
but preposterous plan 20 mako all appoint
ments by lot from among those candidates
only who could show certificates OF competency
nom some academic institution. He would fur
ther purify the civil service by excluding all news
paper attaches IRON positions and by apportioning
all the subordinate ofces among the several States
in the ratio OF population. This latter scheme Ia
not original with Mr.. skinner. II has several
times been proposed In the shape Of bills offered
In Congress by cross-road politicians. who thought
their districts unfairly treated in the distribution OF
OF Representatives but was consigned to merted
oblivion in the Senate. The truth is no scheme OF
civil service reform is worth the paper which it
Ia printed which does not abandon all such arbi.
trary arithmetical and childish methods OF selec-
ti0n, and make certain probation. or trial OF abil-
tiles by actual service, q stepping stone In
appointments to ONCE. Mr.. Skinner Is not more
elective by the people. His book contains q valu-
able table OF the approximate number Of 0fhcers
employed in our civil service, with their aggregate
salaries. which. as 1t purpOrts to be made up from
0fhcial sources, we abbreviate for the readers l