Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1872-03-29
From the Springfield Republican.
Mr. EGmunds on the Civil Service

l. running colloquy with Senator Carpenter. an
70 the way in which the Vermonter went for ." wi
d consin's Matt was beautiful to Sec
n He began with little sarcasm, Of bette
quality than the Senate often gets from its ora
c tors. For whole year the President and tn
: Commissioners. with the explicit sanction Of th
h two Houses, have been preparing for an expert
o ment which, II successful, will give the coun;r
a more efficient civil service But now tha
they have finished their preparations, and ar
t. ready to begin. Senators are suddenly seize.
= with constitutional scrupes, or with convic
ton that the rules suggested by the commission
bll not answer the purplse, and so it is propos
ed tosbsok out and not try the experiment al all
They are ss esger for reform as ever, but really
I cannot bring themselves TO approve this particu.
lar method Of getting IL Mr. Edmunds init
mates very plainly and wittily his conviction
thst these scruples and crtic,ms are al gam
NOR The real objection to the method would
app Is well 10 any other, the practical result
OF w--ch was to deprive Senator's Of their fscti-
iious power and Importance as the dispensers OF
patronage. That is where the shoe pinches.
But the great msj1rity OF the people, who are
not oihce-hoiders or office seekers, occupy = dii-
ieTenJ point Of view from that Of tie Senators.
and hence see this mstter in quite another light
Their notion is that the business Of public ser
wants Is to serve the publio,-not TO run prima-
ries c- fsg for Senstors. They see clearly
enough that the high administrative Offices
should be in the hands Of men who are IN sym
pathy with the ideas and policy OF the actual
government Bat they see just as clearly that
with regard to the great swarm Of petty offices
the clerkships where honesty, a clear head sud
steady work are the only requisites, j: is as a..-
suri TO inquire into al applicants politics Is
into lis religion or mis- views on the philosophy
Of the unconditional. The thing 10 do With fc-
Es.i to these Offices is to try to f1i the 1cst
man for sny particular plsce. and when found
to put him il and keep him Ia in ord, 90
act precisely as business men a. when DO 20
question Of engaging clerk or L0lk-a-epsr
Al this point the interruptions began Nr
Carpenter asked whether tie senator tom Yer
mont, n = man should sppy 20 hin for a r.1c,
i A. boIA-Aeeper, would seuI him before board
/ Of f,Ao masters, or would give han iess. suI
see how be iId his work MG Elmu1fs replied
that he certainly should 10: put biz b1-iGsss
sud fortune 10 jeopardy By intsrstug avs books
90 tle applicant before sa,is yiu- himself q tlr
istier's honesty snd cspacuy inca Mr.. lam
in put MS oar IN. tie wanted 90 know whether
Mr Eimunts, siter having this mau ) o his ell-
ploy FOR years, would think IL necessary o. call
10 y bosri of examiners before yeutula- O. pro-
mote him. SIR. Eimuni- replied that mere ass
vide difference between tle case OF p private
merchant sni Il the heal # department y,th
h's th0usant or two OF clerks Il was sheer
lmp.ssl1l..-y for the sgcret.r, OF tae tf9Asary
with bis oler0us luties, % kesp s1ch close >l-
teIN SION over l.e flo. .riinsi-- q I'D 0e i'.t t
decide from personal knowledge which of taen
l-e i,el pF'm'N'n. Mt OA.ler'er f,'ifD'i
~ '1e 1Aa &c WIN 'ae oEse''i9n iAA- '-- g fist-
"-1 O' tto-','9a tAol'l De lei, ".il Zoe L.ai7
~ .-i 5'-9' "''-' -'i'- II u -'' -'s- % 'F
'i''-' ''- H'l- 'AA' --s A''.7 bureaus were
-'.'-y -7f1-leA, 'H oe--lef.' 800 '--' tt.,-
'-.s -.i'i 20 % lue-1 ana threaten u meg -ii
Io' promo /. a. d. T. Sli H-' 20 cur -."h i'e'
'A'A'''s' -''. 'alleA'e' -1'ei5-i.,- "i.A ia.
t--s..-l' "Ae-'ei we senator iAeaH. l- l'-i-,
ca'er Yes. s.r." r.7i.i Nr. EImla... 81
mean 90 say eEs-t.y ta-t'hag
A.'.r I's--.ns I've 81 '-ai,l' "ai '.'. ..,y,
-r-,-',. ..,-s..r.....i ,.-.,.-.,.--.,s.-...
meme i.- vote. saIyotss i.r appointment. N-
Liruris went cn 70 fp-sS %. the prel sei
i-.--. -. .- ... -''.,. -. ,
reea.s'e1 .r .aa. ami it,su be re-u.stei .a
tarc.yE lie 4as. p.t ,-s,s-I tas.fs. r.r-
1.s,au'- r.s1 sDs-f..r There are things ,r
.r which he b,riv'.ises ue ,Ir..s tb.-4is-,
-1.rsrtv tssttbs cr,rirfr- t..r4 all slvs.r
: 81
viii a.aavs bs lmrsr,i.f lie sIrit, thar tse
b ..ri VII make m......sauf mass .s. wr-r-
mon i,.f4s -,-iss ...-.-+,,.., a.l --. ,---.
verdict. Bar on, rr5r1,es q. d.. ,s.vy.tl
.-Yr-s .f i,,s.-.. c- t-'.f r. f7-v rta t-~.4-.
oi-g-s,-b tbs tr.vbs,Gs T. Mil leig- -.e
case OF rai. t,.ri Tai b. ,-fs.s-l.-f I-
viii bsv.r,. a.. s., f.- vt.., .t ,..... ,,,,...,.
the ,rr-7v,i NJ C.r,-es. I- vi r,y.- h..
fr.rb4J ss.rt i-. arrr-r-i.-,.- +Hs And
therefore. while /, is M rr.re..iei ,1s. tt,
bond De- sul.ber name for tie -oiH.uisn -f4re
,r.. .,a- rets.n.l'e Grounds f.- svrs..ie. .t-.
We fb,U GET A better eigi. s.-v5.s am, hand.
than "a, been seen IN t5is country since The l,v.
.. Jackson
We copy tah coaiaasa'i9l oi hr Lilla-g'
speech. partly % save space. an pa-,lr te,.ass
~, .-, -I-5 o.. ann. s-,,l,;... 60. .a. p..r
'"'Ds 'i'' "a l-'i1''s' '-A' '' N-- l'1'-
3 at..J sa-niaat.y stusive 4 th1t Ssustar. We
, rr from the GIlI. the coae.ls..a ID 1lr FF-
,.t
t you create sePA Ate ana inlrpeaiea' tii-
'lua-' Wlose business 90 u, under f-.ts WHICH
are not cap-lc'ous' uut when are tniltg ana
'1so.u'e' o. test the cApaciiy OF certain people in
esfeii 90 'oelr a-iu'y 20 aiiain-s-cr FlnA- 81
-''7f ---N-i ~ -'y -.-r'e'' '-tN''- 't'.-.
" ls'3rfin inai our OF enc hundred men Who
I'd ala oe tlt tJso'ei 10 tne 'est ani one hundred
Fno should ue su2jeciel 20 Ais wa'm OF aind, or
nat OF al the senators here icnns separately .
-nI from the various S-a'es' tne one auuitsi p
has selected would be much the best.
4 so5d lea. mas been ssid about tn' iauliy v
'i these examinations. me honorable Senai1- u
rom limos Mr.. Llgtn) has stated Some of "
hem that be hss found, where after an eHsm.-
isiion improper reports have been made. Slp- d
'ose II we're true suppose you can hud sn in E
tsrce, as dare say you could # these regula- p
IONS were 10 70 into force, out OF thousand u
'uu might tci 4 hundred, p0stib.y II may De %
ny, certainly ten, as humSu nsture IL, where i'
here hsd been mis'aAes' where there hsi been '
,rJss error or corruption; what does that p-oye q
{ proves, according to the Senator, that you n
nust abolish the whole thing Go INTO the :.
iates OF Wisconsin or Vermont, tS0 S,sies b
Tnere believe the administration ct justice is t'
S pure IS anywhere, and look at one hundred l
erdcts OF jurles 10 any county in those States iu
nI you Till tud ten OF them wnich be ami i On e
the testimony would s,y were either Al
orrupt or erroneous sometimes both what 81
neu hat we must abolish jury trial. 0r pi
must we break DOM the courts because % "
appens that courts being fsiAbe and human ca
ometlmes err, or sre sometimes corrupt ! 90 "a
ol 0elie'efna' you are 10 outaln perIect ser T
ICE you can never obtain perfect teryice Any IN
lore than anything else perfect in this world, A.
nd particularly you cannot obtain it the very N
lcment you step en- It's threshold, and begin to h'
ry the experiment.
Ny honorable friend from Wisconsin, with al.
is lsT-esrning. is not ignorant Of that spleu- al
Ia maxim Of philosophy which preceles the re- Oh
orts Of East, Hit4 StmW est iHtcHtun ct %
eJ'clA" ; notHlns is oesun 'hst h perfect al w ~
ne same time save 'hote naguihoent creAtureH OF =
le fsther OF us Al- Nothing 'hat humsn be- o
lgs undertake 10 invent anu set on loot vii! be y,
erect IN the hFt, pace why, MT President, 81
ou might as wei aooiish al steam engines on -
le eiounu 'n-' Tue urs' lSin' attempt OF watts, -
oi o'epaeDsoh' OF whoever II might De, were - -
OK Altogether 70 lhe OCCASION they would De ~