Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1872-07-29
MR.. GREELEY's REPLY.

My DEAR SIR Yours of the 26 ult.
only reached me three days ago re-
spond as promptly as | may.
pass oUer the allusiom to ny political
associates, barely renaarksag that an an
putation so uag,e can never be specific
ally repealed. Charity Is a virtue rarely
eremphf fled IN politics; and most men
6ve and die IN the m'sdou6ting contraction
that their political opponents are the
greatest sco,udrels asahsag. / trust that
my age and yoav experience haze lifted
as above such prejmdices, enabling as to
realize that the many sincerely desire the
greatest public good, even ao)ten most mas
taken IN their choice of means. I kaeoao
a0ho my friends are better than my ira
dwcers do, and fear no scrutiny as to the
integrity or patriotism Of any to ac)tom
I gioe my confidence. And, should any
swch ever seek to saoerve me from the path
of rectit,ede, they a0o,sld cease to be regard
ed By me as friends.
The problem of Civil Service Reform
is rendered difficult by misalliance be-
tween the Executive and the Legisla-
tive branches of our Federal Government.
Those Members of Congress who favor
the Administration habitually 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 sug-
gest. The President appoints at their
bidding they legislate in subservlency
to his will, often in opposition to their
own convictions, Unless all history is
unmeaning, this confusion of Executive
with Legislative responsibilities and
functions could not fail to distemper and
corrupt the body polite
hold the eligibility of our Presidents
to reelection the main source of this cor
ruption. A President should be above
the hope Of future favor, the fear of
alternating powerful, ambitious partisans.
He should be the official chief, not of a
party, but Of a republic. He should
dread nothing but the accusing voice of
history and the memorable judgment of
God. He should fully realize and never
forget that Congress in its own sphere
is paramount and nowise amenable to his
supervision, and that the heartiest good
will to his administration is perfectly
compatible with the most pointed dissent
from his inculcations on the very gravest
questions in Finance or Political Econ.
omy.
at is the first step that COSTS Let
it be settled that President is not to be
reelected while in office, and Civil Ser
vice Reform is no longer difficult. He
will need no organs, no subsidized de-
tenders. He will naturally select his
chief counselors from among the ablest
and wisest of his eminent fellow citizens,
regardless alike of the ''shrleks of local
ity' and the suggestions of selfish pol
icy. He will have no interest to con.
ciliate, no chief of powerful clan to at
tach to his personal fortunes. He will
be impelled to appoint, as none will de-
ny that he should appoint. men of ripe
nxrnrinnen in husinnso onA eminent mer
camille capacity to collect, keep, and
disburse the Revenue, instead of dexter
Gus manipulators of primary meeting
and skillful trafickers in delegates t.
nominating conventions. No longer al
aspirant to place, the President Will nat
urally aim to merit and secure the ap
probation of the entire people, but es
pecially of the cminently wise and good
AS to the machinery of Boards o
Examiners, etc., whereby the details o
Civil Service Reform are to be maturet
and perfected, / defer to the judgmen
of a Congress unperverted by the adul
ferrous commerce in legislation and APP
pointments, which l have already expos
ed and reprehended Up to this time
our experience of the doings of Board
in this direction has not been encourag
ing; and this, l am confident is not th
fault of the gentlemen who have tried t
serve the public as Commissioners. Il
so far as they have failed, the cause o
their i'll success must be extrinsic. Ha,
they been accorded fairer field, l an
sure they would have wrought bette
purpose. A thinker has observed tina
the spirit in which we work is the chic
matter; and we can never achieve Civi
Service Reform until the interests whic
demand shall be more potent in GU
Z public counsels than those which resis
+ even while seeming to favor it. Tha
this consummation is not distant, fel
vently trust; meantime thanking 20
for your earnest and effective labors t
this end, remain yours,
t HORACE GREELEY.
a