Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1872-03-20
Civil Service Reform.

for the sum Of S5O,O 900 to enable the Prssi-
dent of the United States to perfect and put
in force such rules regulating the civil servIc,
as may from time to time be adopted By
him, and TO substitute in the place thereof
That all laws or parts Of laws under which
the present civil service commission is ap
pointed by the President of the United
States be. and the same are, hereby repealed
The substitute being laid on the table by
vote of yeas %, nays 81. the debate wal
continued on the original amendment.
Mr.. EDMUNDs of Vermont addressed the
Senate as follows.
Mr. President, it is certainly very extra
ordinary that two bodies supposed TO contain
80 much of the wisdom and virtue Of the
people as the Senate and House of Repre-
sentativos- after having year ago provided
for trying an experiment IN the improvement
OF the service OF the government, should the
moment their agents undertake TO carry that
experiment into practice find their notions
about the Constitution and about men so
pinched that they are unwilling to try it at
all, and propose 10 abolish it altogether. To
an intelligent people, who are looking at US
IN this ca pitOl as acting always with dellbera-
tion. it certainly would be a very strange
srcctacle to see Us, having deliberately a
wear ago provided for trying what is called
an experiment. of this character, in order To
improve The administration OF the service in
the Ex cutive Departments Of the Govern
ment. turn around the moment anything, be
il good or bad, Is presented to US, and
abandon tie whole thug altogether. What-t
ever criticism may be made upon the Presi-
dent of the United States IN the selection
under this law Of the persons whom he has
selected certainly very much larger and
sharrer criticism might be made upon US in
Undertaking to back out Of my honorable
friend from Illinois will allow me 20 use the
term) from an experiment of this kind il
this way.
The President. acting in con formity to law
and in obedience 70 law, selected a com
mission % FIVE eminent citizens from various
uart- Of the country. They have reported
10 him for his guidance and his discretion a
certain set Of rules Now, the honorable
senator from Wisconsin and the honorable
senator from Illinois say, " These rules will
not do at all we will therefore abandon the
whole thing we will not have anything
done on the subject at all, and We will tell
the ucople that either we were egregiOusy
mistaken in undertaking to suppose there
was anything t. be done, OF that we find the
moment the exper ment il tried that there l.
nothing which can be done TO improve the
nubIic setvIce" That Is not nv way OF
thinking. / believe that the rules which
these gentlemen have reported are IN some
respects wider, more reaching than they
ought to be. because | believe, for instance,
as u DostmasteT-, that they ought TO be sub
srsntIal.y elected and subject 70 certain
restraints that might be made IN cOnstItu
tiOnal amendment, upon the choice of the
peorle to select agents 10 dispose of the
public money and receive it az postmastere
do I would he IN favor OF that. But be
cause | am opposed to the selection Of post
IN ,stors IN competitive examination or OF
a standard examination of the fitness of the
particular man, conducted IN any particular
wav, am therefore 10 say that / will aban
don aIi effort, that l Will not allow the
President OF the United States t. try some
modified experiment? There ia no logic in
t a at all
The fact l.. considering the debates in both
Houses of Congress at this session on thl-
subject. it LOOKS little as If gentlemen Oi
sU uarties feel much as the story said the
Democrat did up IN one OF the northern
StatesAuriug the war OF the rebellion, when
his fellow-citizens had public meeting and
they all got together to DO something u
raise soldiers aud carry on the war. IL got
up and made speech, and said that every
body would hear him witness, " no was old
eroIlUh to know. that he was ~ favor OF the
last war. and he could pledge his honor that
he was iu favor of the next war; he was IL
favor OF everv other war but this one
liz IS lust s. with Us ! find when 20 t.
the Postmaster General and want him t.
appoirt a postmaster IN my town, or to the
Secretary Of the Treasury and ask him t.
nut a Young constituent Of mine into that
department, according to the way in which
| have been accustomed to do. Instead Of it
being my iDse dfIit they tell me, " Why.
here Congress h provided a law for fndIng
ont whether these people are fit, and Con
gress has not left it TO you and US, as 1t has
hitherto, whether they are ht or not. Thai
troubles me il gals me | do not like 1t
il is 4 new thing 1t is an unpleasant har
ness. because like power, and | like TO have
NV PEOPLE at home know that | have power.
and IL / say that John Smith shall have az
yfice IN the Treasury, and Timothy Jones
shall be a postmaster, all the people respeci
me as being man who bears the real powe
b. tile Government IN my State, and the
moment that element of greatness is taken
away from me, who am What have
glt u stand upon, except the little native
wit that NAV have be born To me and the
little amount OF experience that L may have
gathered In other words, | am reduced to
the common level Of the rest of the people
ann obliged 10 stand upon my OVID merits
not to stand upon the accident that | as
have got any power longer to dictate to the
executive department who shall be officers il
my State and who shall not. There is the
real trouble, Mr.. President.
/ beg senators not to suppose that | am
talking Of any body but myself. L am making
my old complaint. | think it great out
rage on my rights at ! should be required
o have somebody proposed for an Office who
understands how to perform duties that
Al L., h. # rrnr1lt
What right las the President Of the United
States to say to me that the man recon-
mend shall know what he has to do 1t is
not enough that say he shall go in or tha
he shall 20 out? Certainly, 1t is a great
outrage upon the rights Of the people to
have the President or any head of depart
ment intimate any such thing TO me
What business is it to him and what
business il it to the people that the man
recommend for n accountant in the Treasury
cannot cast up column of figures? Is
not enough that he has been for me for sena-
tor through thick and thin? Is it noI
enough that he has travelled night and DAY
to get out % the primaries the people who
would all elect delegates for me? Ii there
is any higher evidence of capacity to kee;
an account in the Treasury Department, j
there j. any higher evidence OF capacity to
be an employee in the Naval Department I,
get out books for the benefit of navigation
than tue tact that a man has been for me il
my State, should like 70 know what 1t is
1t ls base infringement n the rights Of IN,
people u pretend any such thing
That is the way we all feel, and, as saw
do not speak o: anybody but myself. ]
feel that my rights are outraged l oughl
20 have right to determine who shall Der
form public functions in this Government.
and not the President, and it ought not T.
be a question whether a man is fit or not