Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1872-04-25
of the whole and the ultimate action of

of the whole and the ultimate action of
the House is decidedly problematical.
On Friday stormy sea swept the sur
face. after which the House recommitted
Mr.. Wizards Civil Service bill. This
action is regarded here as among the
last solemn rites to this manner of at
tempted reform The House closed its
eyes the other day-laid copper on
each-when it cut the Senate's appro-
priation of fifty thousand dollars (to be
| used by the executive in reforming the
seryice) down to ten thousand. That
was small business after once having
authorized him, by act of Congress, to
| proceed in that direction. The House
| is evidently not in the spirit to attempt
| this reform by legislation at this time,
nor is it disposed to look with favor
upon the proposition to make it high
crime and misdemeanor for a member
to recommend or volunteer information
concerning candidates for Presidential
appointment. The sharpest opposition
| came from some of the Presidents inti-
mate friends, and led the other side to
charge that they were not true to him
or else that he was insincere in his re-
Communications for reform. We are OF
the opinion that it does not follow that
| such men as Banks and Bingham are
opposed to reform because they oppose
certain ways of accomplishing it.
There are few men in Congress or out
who have the face to proclaim that
| there is not great need of reform in the
civil service. There is great need of it,
and that kind of reform too that does
not, in correcting abuse, entail greater
evils. A man once set fire to hornets
nest under the ewes of his barn. Well,
We'll concede that he got rid of the hOr-
nets, but there was more to it. Should
Congress legislate an impossible gulf be-
tween it's members and the Executive,
thereby correcting the crying abuse in
cident to congressional patronage, what
then? The hornets nest would be in
flames at once; but some Of the best
minds in Congress and out think that we
should thereafter have bill of ICON
sequential damages" to pay that might
make our present troubles look small
The great expOunder of the constitution,
the law, authority and eloquence of the
House, John A Bingham, was of the
opinion that such legislation would be in
savage violation of constitutional pro
vision, and also that our panacea for
this trouble lays in the great cure-all for
all American complaints, public opinion.
and is not John A. right? There is
nothing more promising of effected re-
form in this and other abuses than the
fact the public have walked up to the
necessity. Once thoroughly alive to its
importance, reform will take place nat
urally as the grass grows.
Foreign affairs are not just now prom
ising the most happy results. The sue
cessful contamination of the Washing
ton treaty is sadly embarrassed by the
popularity of our case. England re-
fuses to proceed if the claim for con-
sequential damages is not withdrawn.
Our government will withdraw nothing.
The case has gone to the Board, and we
very properly desire its decision upon it.
Meanwhile the claims seem daily grow
ing unpopular, both at home and abroad.
The threatened renewal of the Franco
German war creates less surprise here
than regret. That French blood should
boil over sometimes was to be expected,
but hardly so soon after complete pros
tratiOn.
Washington has been refreshed by Oc-
casional intelligence of its former resi-
dent, whose fair lady added much to the
brilliancy of Washington society. and
who made this place so lively politically
not long ago. The last from Catacazy
terial conduct, and has been utterly dis
graced by his own government. He has
gone to Paris on a small pension. so
fixed that it will be forfeited should he
attempt to publish defence. *"