The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1872-01-25


Legislature takes . recess from Feb
suary Let to February l3th.
-
0Iv11 1HRvI09 REFORM.
Wo print to-day the very sensible
resolutions of Senator McNutt, Of
Muscatine county, on the modern
catch-penny shibboleth of all parties
which forms the caption ofthis arti-
Gle.
Unquestionably, very many men
are appointed to office under the
present system who r unfit for
their places, but as We have before
said what the service needs is homes
ty, vastly nor than efficiency. And
until it can be shown that q Civil
Service Reform Examining Commit.
tee Of superanuated old school marms
at Washington r able to tell in ad-
vance who will be honest and who
will be thieves, the whole object
sought by these would be reformers
will fall to the ground.
To illustrate: Hodge the default
ing Paymaster, who is.now pounding
stone at the Albany penitentiary,
was an elegant and accomplished
paymaster, and was appointed to the
same rank in the Regular army by
Apdrew johnson after passing q
very fine competitive examination be.
fore q military board, and yet his 10
the only serious Ease of population
which has occurred in the army
since the new army Organization
he was an ofice-holding sort Of q
man by Inheritance, his father hav-
ing been for years in Office in Wash
ington before him, and he, like the
army Of government paupers around
Washington was in q position, and
in possession of information about
the fine art of ofice-getting and Of
fce-holding, which enabled him to
distance all his competitors.
This entire fuss about Civil Service
Reform originated with q small party
of gold specialized aristocrats like
Trnmbull and Schurz, who have out
grown the power that made them,
and who loathe contact with their
ofice-seeking constituents, and who
want to shift that part of their duty
upon otherashoulders, and with the
army of officials in Washington, who
hope by this juggle, called Civil Ser
vice Reform, to get installed into of
fee as permanent rs the regular
army, SO that they may DO secure, a
they fancy, against any political tor
nado which may sweepsoyer II.
We are opposed to the whole
scheme for the following. among
many other reasons:
Because we believe in rotation, ant
young blood in Office.
Because we believe that the ap
pointive, as we'll as the elective Off
cesofthe country, should be in accort
with tho dominant party, suu, .s
consequence, with Q majority of ths
people.
Because we want more honesty IL
Office, and this plan would not Civ
that. but rather the contrary.
Because the country is not nov
and never did suffer materially fol
capacity in its service, which is tn,
protext for this Civil Service blather
Because it tends to build up an OK
elusive Office holding class in thi
country in violation of the Constitu
ton and the genius Of our republican
institutions.
And, because finally the true mean
ing and intent Of the movement is t,
install political pets and official ex
ports in Office by law and regulations
which will all be gone through By
the long, lean, lank, hungry democ
racy, when they come into power, q
a drove of infatuated buffalo bulls
would ride down a worm fence o
spider webs.