Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1872-12-26
Civil Service Reform.

The iDjustice of the late Confederate
party in attempting to impeach the
good faith Of thaPresident ION the sub
,iect of civil service reform, during the
recent caupaigr, is becomin VERY APP
parent in.theli yht of subseeuente1ents.
His prompt decision to apply the new
rules to the Postmastership OF Philadel-
phia showed that he had determined to
enforce real reform, without fear or
favor. The criticism of Fred Douglass,
that "civil service reform places enc
mics of the Republican party, and even
avowed rebels. on an equal footing with
Woodworking Republicans, however COM
petents and honest" has drawn from
President Grant very full explanation
of hisyiews on the whole subject of the
practical application of the new civil
service rules to appointments to office.
Upon the authority of the Washington
Republican, President Grant believes
that: $50 g.s - FrgFe., sFr
"First of all, other things being equal,
the men who stood by the party should
be appointed in preference to those who
have been opposed TO it but to protect
the public service there must be some
standard of requirement, and no man
who falls below it can be appointed,
merely to strengthen the party. There
is large class of persons who are en-
titled to Office on many grounds, such as
service in the late war, fidelity to Re-
publican principles, ETC., but in sddi-
ton to these qualifications they must
be put up to a certain standard of eff !
cheney before, in the future, they can be
appointed When they are thus quail
fed in an educational point, which is
not to be decided or determined on the
competitive plan. then they are in all
cases to get the preference. If the Gov
eminent has favors to give, they should,
in the opinion of the President, go to
the person who has stood by the Gov
eminent. provided he is fitted for the
position he may seek"
The good sense of these views will
commend itself to all those who are not
controlled by passion OF prejudice
That Cabinet should be selected from
the ranks of those who agree, generally.
with the President on questions of
public policy is universally admitted.
1t cannot be successfully denied that
heads of departments, equally with the
Cabinet, should alse be of the same
political faith. Below these grades,
other considerations must enter into
the mind of the President in making
appointments to the civil service. 1t is
mistake to suppose that, in the depart
ments at Washington, there are not
now many clerks who disagree politi-
cally with the President and the domni-
nant party; not few of these have
been in the Government service from
fifteen to forty years; their political
views are never questioned they are
retained because of their experience and
efficiency, and their tenure of Office is
practically for life. The pay of clerks in
the departments is only moderate; far
from sufficient to enrich the employe,
and can De no temptation to any man
who does not, from the start, propose to
devote his life to the thankless drudgery
of bookkeeping, and labor of a kindred
nature. No truer sentiment was uttered
during the late campaign than that of
Senator Wilson, when he said " The
of6ceholders of this country are an army
of beggars." tits a fact worthy of note
that the pay of the officers in the civil
service departments of European Gov.
ernments is much larger than in our
own; this is conspicuously true of En-
gland. And yet the cost of living in the
United States is greater than in any
other country so that the smaller pay
and larger expenses of our Government
employees reduce the vast majority of
them to q position next door to beggary,
demonstrating the literal truth of the
remark of the new Vice President
These facts also demonstrate, with equal
conclusiveness, the absurdity of the
charge banded over the country that
the offceholders renominated President
Grant and secured his reelection. 1t is
an undouhted fact that no class of citi-
zens of the same social and intellectual
grade exel else less influence upon their
fellow-courtryne in elections than the
sixty thousand officeholders in the
United States. However unjust it may
be, it is neyerth sless true, that the mo-
ment a man accepts position under
government he parts with moiety OF
the good opinion of his friends and
neighbors.
The American people are SO self
reliant and confident of their ability to
hew their way unaided to success and
fortune that they feel a certain amount
OF contempt for the man who sur
renders his independence by subiecting
his chances to obtain livelihood, TO the
whim OF even the President of the
United States. After few hundreds of
the offices have been filed the residue
are exceedingly undesirable, yielding
no profit, and comforting no honor upon
the appolntees. But the Offices are ne
'cessary to the conduct Of the affairs Of
the Government, and as they belong to
nobody of right they should be SO be
slowed as to conduce to the advance
ment of the practical efficiently of the
civil service of the country. How tc
accomplish this purpose is the question
which has agitated Congress and the
country for the last few years and the
Civil Service Board, recommended ano
appointed by President Grant, drafted
code of rules subjecting all applicants
to competitive examination. These
rules require il. the applicant TO pass ar
examination under their provisions {
liberal education, and, if rigidly en-
forced, will bar from Office many mer