Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-01-19
FOrty-Second Congressional Session
WAsHINGToN, d. c., Jan. is, 1872.
SENATE

WASHINGTON, ID. G., Jan. 49, 1872.
SENATE.
Mr. Cole, from the post office committee, re-
ported favorably a bill for substituting the mail
steamship service to Australia via Honolulu.
Mr.. Carpenter continued his speech on civil
service at one o'clock The galleries were well
flied, and on the floor were Il large number of
representatives with several department officials
including Chas. Hale, the newly appointed assist
ant secretary of state. Mr.. Carpenter took the
ground that each department is invested by the
constitution with certain definite powers which
they cannot IelinquiSh or which cannot be taken
from them. Among the powers conferred on
the president is the appointing power, aud this
is his principal authority. Take this away and
he becomes mere high constable with no more
power than constable in Milwaukee,. He then
showed that it would be national calamity TO
hamper the president in his appointments. Mr..
Carpenters speech was evidently carefully pre-
pared, and was a mercIesS attack upon MIR.
Curtis scheme. He also alluded in sarcastic
terms TO Mr.. Summers one term amendment.
Mr.. Carpenter deeply regretted the recent
message of the president, announcing that he
had adopted the rules recommended by the civil
service commission. He knew there had been
great clamor lately in support of this scheme,
which made it seem that the people were gen
orally in its favor, and he supposed that the
president had yielded to this clamor upon the
principle stated in his inaugural address, that
the best way to secure the repeal of an obnOX-
iOuS law was to execute it faithfully. Some
persons had expressed surprise that the presi-
dent should consent to give up the patronage
his enemies said he was using for his own adj
vantage but the reason probably was that he
knew he could afford to give his enemies macy
advantages, and yet defeat them.
Nevertheless, he thought the president had
done wrong in Welding to the clamDr of the
hour The sober second thought OF the neOple
was always right; but their sudden impulses
were often wrong, and ought TO be resisted by
public servants He knew it sometimes hap
pened that, before the sober second thought
came a faithful public officer would find his
head in the basket, and TO public officer, Il SEN
ator, for inst nee, with ambition for reelection,
there was great temptation to yield to the pres,
sure of the moment. But as he was the only
senator who probably could not be reelected if
he wished, there seems special obligation rest
ing upon him to act independently. As part of
this reform scheme, the senator from Massa-
chusetts, Mr.. Sumner, had proposed a
constitutional amendment, rendering a
president who has served one term in
eligible for reelection This would be treat
ing Gen. Grant more severely than Jefferson
Davis, because, although the latter is dSqual-
fled by the fourteenth amendment, it is still
within the power Of congress 10 remove his dis
abilities, while President Grant would have no
means of relief from his. Uaughter) If the
doctrine was true that one term OF service was
enough to demoralize public officer, then the
senator from Massachusetts must be himself
very thoroughly demoralized by this time, and,
being man who sets principles above all per-
sonal considerations, he would, of course, take
his hat and leave the senate forever Immediately
upon the adoption of his amendment. (Laugh-
ter
In politics, said MIR. Carpenter words are
things and Civil service reform" IS cunning
catchword. The conclusion is that whoever is
not in favor OF reform must be in favor of
abuses. But change Is not necessarily reform,
and there is a sure intuition which tells us that
in a government of such delicate structure as
ours,
Than fly to Others that We know not off,
Mr. Carpenter then discussed at some length
on the distribution of powers between legisa-
tive and executive departments, and came to
the conclusion that if the appointing power
were taken from the president, as it would be
by this reform, his remaining powers would be
no greater than those of constable in Mlwau-
kee.
Mr. Carpenter criticized the civil service rules,
and said they violated the constitution by TAX
ing away from the president the discretion vest
ed in him, to select his appOintees from the
whole people, and set up for public servants the
standard of education of the schools, to the eX-
cIusion from Offire OF all who had not eni0yed
the benefits of a liberal education, thus setting
up an aristOcratic governmental class, composed
of the sons of the rich Suppose vacancy in
the coectorship of New York, and an advertise
ment for candidates, published by an eXamm-
ing board, did anybody suppose such men as A.
NJ ~. r. O.. ~. ~
L. Stewart, or Henry u. StebDlnS, or George OPP
dyke, would present themselves for eXamina-
ton? And if they did, would they not probably
he beaten by the candidate who has Just left
school?
This may be reform, but it will defeat any
political party that adopts it, for it will excite
the Indignation and contempt and deriSiOn of
the people OF the country. 1t may be reform,
or whatever else its friends may choose 10 call
il, but ii certainly is not constitutional or
wise mode of appointing the public officers of
the United States.
He would examine the regulations more in
detail but Tor the TACT that ne mas Oeen informed,
unotically, that the operation OF them was sus-
pended until better ones could he prepared. As
to the report OF the COMMISSION, 1t was based
upon VICIOUS, leadlhg luea-permanency OF
tenure for public servants; this idea had been
advocated al the lormallon OF the government
Dy those VINO i9VoTed strong government, but
1t mas Deen rejected because II was seen to be
ant-repu6lican.
announcer 1allaclous ldea, underlVlng the report,
was that party is the pane OF this government,
and to labor Tor the success OF party ought to
diSqualiy man lor pubic ofhce: In all free
countries, there must oe parties. Inc great re-
publican party, whlch has achieved such Won
ders III the last ten years. found the public offices
NIT q win lts enemies When IL came INTO power.
According TO tne clvli service reform doctrine, it
ought 10 nave lelt those oulceS III possession OF
their old occupants; but, if it had done 50, how
years.
MIR. Carpenter read an extract from the report
of the commission, charming that, under the
present system, the appointing power is often
subjected to threats and Establishments of and
personal solicitation, and SAID II was base and
malignant hDel on leading members OF the re-
publican party IN congress. lie had been told
by high authority that only two persons had de-
manded appointments IN terms that could be
called insulting or dlSrespecttul; that those two
ueDHffmpnf
government, and that, having had their appllca-
ton refused on account of unfmess, the cundi.
dates in both cases being relatives of the appli-
cants, they were now high champions OF civil
service reform. Recurring to the competitive
examination system, he said he did not mean to
dccry learning.
He thought persons who had not the advantages
of education in youth were more likely than
others to appreciate its advantages fully; and he
belonged to that class. "Why," said he, 'if |
were candidate for the position Of copying
clerk in one of the departments, and should 90
before an examining board of q chemical turn OF