Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1872-01-11
80 @ THERUTLAND HERALD.
Our Washington Letter.
SENATE CHAMBER, }
WASHINGTON, D. c., Jan. 8, 1872
" CIVIL SERVICE reform.

@ The report of the commission upon
this t01ch-tortured and all-important
subject was submitted to the Senate by
the executive just previous to the present
recess. The accompanying message
G9urges Congress for more strength to be
given to the President to enable him to
carrysput the recommendations of the
board which took effect on the 1st inst,
by his order, and in harmony with an
act of Congress approved March 4th,
1871, enabling him to establish such rules
and regulations for admission of persons
into the civil service as will best promote
the efficiency thereof.
No action upon the report has yet
been taken bTGhe Senate. The report
itself is voluminous, logical and argu-
Ghentative, and from beginning to end
deals with this intricate and knotty sub
ject in manner very creditable to the
eminent gentleman of the board. The
impi83s of a leading talent upon the
board is % plainly visible upon the re-
port fronofrst to last, that in reading it
nit were ageasy matter to fancy ourself
reading and extra edition of HARPER
Eee1ea. The various features of civil
% se0yice are noticed in detail and with
" goat peSpecuity the board succeeds in
demonstrating what has long been per-
ti2ent to all intelligent minds, viz. {:
GB'hat 'the present system is attended
with a great deal of error and corrup-
ton, and that from bad it is evidently
G1ing tdSworso. They refer to the adj
ministrationc Of Washington, Adams,
a JGferSson, and so on down 10 the close
81 IQln Quincy Adams administration,
when personal fitness and not politics
'9ls to only consideration Of appoint
rn@at to office Washington, they tell
c8s, required proofs of ability, integrity
and fitness. Beyond this" said he,
nothing with me is necessary or will
be of any avail" Furthermore they
say thGy the Joint Retrenchment Com
mittee of 1868 were unable to find an
distance of the removal of a subordinate
officer, except fl@m cause, from the be-
ginning of WsShingtons administration
until the close ofOJohn @. Adams, and
tl03 was in the days of a satisfactory
q civil service. And yet, the same pOliti-
cal influences thgt are the acknowledged
} ocaIse Of all our civil service troubles,
we're in full force then. Jefferson said
that the pressure to Gmoye was like a
&, torrent. But he resisted it. SO did
John Quincy Adams, though he was
t@r0entcP with csaseless applications
} Sor@fice. They tell us that as offices
under the government multiplied, and
patronage developed, it was but natural
'C9hat the attempt would be made to con-
sol it for Gae benefit Of a party, and
toat IL, 1882 the rule was virtually de-
clared, which is embodied in the remark
u 2rst made hy Senator Marcy of New
Yark, that ''To the yictors belong spoils
0of the enemy" The report regards pol
zeal influence as incompatible with an
, efficient service, and endeavors to rem
edy this evil by taking the power of pat
ronage tFom members OF Congress and
vestingJ5t somewhere else. \ happy
thing for Congress, no doubt. But it is
very muca questioned hare if the pro-
posed plan will have other practical ef-
fest than transfer Of political influence,
or, in Slher words, 60 allow the cUnsti-
Sltj2nally appointing power the use OF
its discretion irrespective Of any and
all Recommendation. 1t proposes a
board, appointed by the executive. Of
0 p3sons already ia the saryicc to conduct
competitive examinations, from those
6D6ssing the highest examination, All
thing& considered three nre 20 be design
ated by the board for appointment, from
which the appointing power may select
one for the appointment il question
But Just here comes the rub, which
shows that the attempt to exclude poll
tics from the civil service is a somewhat
CliflcMt ONT While the executive may
select from such if Ne sees tit. accord
ing to a decision of the Department of
Justice upon this point-submitted in
tho opinion Of cX-Attorncy-Genera1
Alderman accompanying the report he
may aiso appoint any one noC thus de-
e;pnata1 If ne .eas IL H. other ro,,l-
the constitution vests fbc annointin@
power in the executive, and aly system.
rue s VI Ia" " ''''' uI,.N. ''''' Vi ~,
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