Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1872-01-19
The President and the Civil Service

It's admitted that the Constitution 50 PIE
seribes the relations Of the executive GHETTO the
civil service, that nothing bul his cwn will csn
restrict his action in appointments and removals
The efficiency of any reform must depend upon
the shirt o: the President This spirit, as
shown in tie recent message Of General Grant
is mcst satisfactory snd there is little doubt
thst the country Will insist uron giving him the
opportunity 70 carry ont the plan 10 Wn-ca ne hAS
90 thoroughly committed himself
One criticism unon this plan which we have
suggested namely, that il ought TO, but does
not. proyide that removals from office shall be
made fer dishonesty or incapacity only, has been
urged by many other journals also but We
think some Of them have exaggerated ils real
importance Practically. removals for p'hucal
or personal caused are brought about, almost
without exception, by tic in,rguss Of rival can
diistes or the supposed necessity OF coneiiiauns
influential politicians by finding berths for their
Jrotcgel Now, # every vacancy Is 10 be hiiel
bv competitive examination, and (unless IN the
lowest grsde) by promotion from the service Il
self II will be found that 81 the pressure upon
the appointing sad removing power, OF Hhica
we have heard sls0 60 much, will cease entirely
and as a consequences, there will be prsctlcaliy
the very rule which We wish hsd been
expIicitly stated viz. no removals Ior other
than public reason6. Il Is ouly fair 90 confess,
moreover. that tie power OF arbitrary removal
is convenient, even when the act Is performed on
the beat grounds The Government If not
obliged to grant 70 every clerk. OF messenger, OF
postmaster removed tedious snd expensive
trial because the act oi removing BIN does not
brand him with Disgrace. Every merchant DIS
charges clerks because they Do not sult but be
does not mean 70 declare them iucomi eten; OF
dishonest II he hsd to make formal chsrees
against them anl abide bv the result, he would
either ruin then, or they would eternElly annoy
ami cripple him Finally, the real interest OF
the public is concerned more with the way ID
which the Offices are iiled thEn with the Bay IL
which they are empded. There are plenty c
good men out Of the service lex us see Only good
men in it. and We will not complain.
With ooe other criticism upon this plia, We
have no s7mpsthv. We refer 20 the ezt7sorlin-
ary remsrk Of Senator Sumner, Inst the Pres
dents programme without the adoption OF the
one-term principle il e. the plsy Of HSule',
with Hamlet lett out" stranger piece OF logic
cannot well lie conceive The whole spirit OF
the civil service reform is directed ssal1it the
misohievous principle Of rotation IN ONCE AMI
the crowding cut Of one worthy incumbent 10
satisfy the ambition Of somebody who wants he's
turn. The restriction Of the Presidency TO q
single term may or may cot be wise, but
certainly il has nothing 10 DO with this reform,
the efiec, Of which Will be to make Il 4
matter Of comparative indifference to the
great mas Of Government employees whether
one nan or another is elected ssPrssiient
There is much talk sbou, the 80 oue-teru ''
principle as sslutsry political ru.e-in which
we DO not fully concur Historically, It is eyi-
dent enough that this doctrine has been mainly
used as = weapon o. opposition to particular
men. Il lies neglected and forgotten, until
some warrior, ready to use any missile, finds i
and hurls ii At the temporary occupant OF the
Presidency. But the people do not require iast
their choice 5hall be so restricted. II they want
> man twice, they will give him an encore. Nor
j. there any danger IN the encore; the danger is
IN its proceeding from ths cigglc1rf s1i not The
audience.
In other words, the reelection Of President
is not az evil; but the existence of vast body
Of oiHes-holders. who're tenure il 20 frsil snd 70
independent Of their merit, that tae question OF
the Presidents reelection is TO them, politically
and financially, life or death, this is = colosss!
evil. Nor would the one-term principle be
remedy So long SIS all the ot1ces Of the ooun-
try constitute the " patronage Of the reignlng F.
administration, faction, intrigue, and corruption I
are distinctly encouraged. This single word, l
8. pstronaee,' - reeking with the memories Of the I
rottenest days Of Rome, epitomizes the shame /
and danger Of our condition. So long as It eX-
lists. frequent, memorable change Of sdminis- /
tration means nothing but a new deal Of cards .
The game may be changed but the gambling, F.
cheating and quarreling 90 on.
Nov, this "a precisely the danger which the /
reform Of the civil service entirely removes /
The reelection Of @ President is in itself no .
evil. Indeed, this honor has never been be- I
t1Eed upon Any incumbent Of whom the his I
torisn can say he wss unworthy Of II, or that .
the bestowal esu..el in injury to the welfare OF
the country. In Jacksou's case, (the only .
doubtful ono). whsteyer evil resulted was dis
tinctly due 20 tie then initiated decentralization /
Of the civil service 10 later times, we freely /
admit, the vastly increased patronage - Of .
the Government altered the condition Of the .
csse but we may also ssy It made, not merely I
the reelection Of President. bur every Presiden-
tisl election nuisance aai 2 fruitful source Of
evil.
Give ne e President only 20 elgci, no. sixty
thousand ofice-hoIders with him, and it becomes
a matter Of fair, unbiased choice, 10 be settled
upon the man and bis public policy. His cleo
ton or reelection, if the people Ike him, and
trust hin, and want him, aud freely choose him,
will 90 no further harm thzn to dissppoint
few aspiraris TO the came MULTIPLICATION
Union.