Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1872-07-25
Greeley on Civil Service Reform.

l OA OlfA DCA tAOO
| We give below letter written by nor
ace Greeley in response to inquiries made
by Carl Schurz, on the subject of reform
ing the civil service. The letter was read
| by Senator Schurz in speech at St. LOUIS
Monday evening:
NEW York, July 5, 1877.
NV DEAR SIR-Yours of the 18th ult.
only reached me three days ago. l re-
spond as promptly as | may. Inc pIoo1iealil ai
of Civil Service Reform is rendered dlll-
cult by an alliance between the Executive
and Legislative branches of our Federal
Government. Those members of Congress
who favor the Administration hablt7alIy
claim and are accorded a virtual monopoly
of the Federal offices in their respective
States or Districts, debating appointments
and removals as interest or caprice may
suggest. The President appoints at their
bidding, and they legislate in subservience
to his will, often in opposition to their own
convictions. Unless all history is unmean-
inc. this confusion of Executive and Leg
islative responsibilities and functions, could
not fail to distemper and corrupt the body
polite. | hold the eligibility of our Pres-
dent to reelection to be the main source of
this corruption.
A President should be above the hope Of
future favoTs or the fear of alternating pow
erful, ambitious partisans. He should be
the official chief, not of party, but of the
Republic He should dread nothing but
the accusing voice of history and the in
exorable Judgment of God. He should full
ly read, see and never forget that Congress
in its own sphere is paramount and in no
wise amenable to his supervision, and that
the heartiest good will to his Administra-
ton is perfectly compatible with the most
pointed dissent from his inculcatiOns,
even on the very gravest questions in the
political arena. 1t is the first step that
COSTS Let it be settled that n President is
not to be reelected while in office and
Civil Service Reform is no longer diff
cult problem. He viii need no organs, no
subsidsed defenders. He will naturally
select his chief counselors from among the
ablest and wisest of his eminent fellow
citizens, regardless alike of the shrieks of
local politicians, and the suggestions of a
selfish policy.
He will have no interest 10 conciliate, no
chief of a powerful clan to attach to his
personal fortune. He will be impelIed to
appoint, as none will deny that he should
appoint, men of ripe experience in busi-
ness and of eminent mercantile capacity,
to collect, keep and disburse the revenue
instead of disastrous manipulators of pri-
mary meetings and skillful traffiCkers in
delegates to nOminationg conventions He
will thus transform the civil service of
the country from a party machine into
business establishment. No longer
an aspirant for place the Presi-
dent will naturally aim to meet
and secure the appreciation of the entire
people, and will be susceptible to the cOun-
sells of the cminently wise and good. AS to
the machinery of Boards of Examiners,
&C., whereby the details of Civil Service
Reform are to he mutured and perfected.
defer to the judgment of Congress, un-
perverted by the adulterOus commerce in
legislation and appointments which | have
already exposed and reprehended. Up to
this time our exposure of the doings of the
boards in this direction has not been en-
couraging but / am confident is not the
fault of the gentlemen who have tried to
serve the public as commissioners. In so
far as they may have failed the causes of
their i'll success must be extrinsic. Had
they been accorded fair fieldEI am sure
they would have wrought to better pur-
pose. A deep thinker has observed that
the spirit in which we work is the chief
matter, and we can never achieve Civil
Service Reform until the interests which
demand it shall be more potent iuourpub-
lie counsels than those which resist even
while seeming to enforce it. That this
is not distant fervently
trust Meantime thanking you for your
earnest and effective labors to this ED, |
remain yours, HORACE GREELEY.