New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1873-03-20
IFrO-a rs csrssss Esesrlsr,
A Thrust nj the Negro OF the ssuth.
BIZ II. II. :.

often places at the head Of his articles some
flaming sentence 10 better attract public Al
tention, and secure thorough examination
OF his whitening denuneiaiions and irrcs.st:-
bic logic. In this Mr.. Douglass has serve
his race as a faithful and Jealous sentinel
and deserves their gratitude.
But | am fearful the wil!tul upyIa..t # on.
gress TO pass our civil rights bill is NOT tLa
only crime that body il perpetgat.ny against
the Co!ored citizens OF this country. All hi.
civil service balderdash Is. IN nv opinion
nothing more than a malicious thrust a, the
negro OF the South. on February :, !S-i
there were referred to the committee or,
/ civil rights reform series II Questions
which IS proposed rs n plan 10 test the liter.
| AIRY htness OF applicants for subordinate posi-
,ions under the Government; and | have 10
hesl'sncN IN saying that not half Of the Scra-
/ tors now IN Congress, nor the Cuitel State,
Judges can answer the in,errogstnris, mr.
! pounded instantly. am sure We have Ead
Presidents who could not have answered
oue-iourth Of them. Oar Government rs.
been running nearly hundred wears, lgt
not till the negro was brought on the Garnet
has any examining board been thought Of L,
test the literary qualifications O.. Goyegpr,ag.
employees, yet our records are az good. OK
data as perfect, and our history as laullless
as any other nation on earth.
President Grant, in pursuance OF Coarrcs.
sional orders, appointed Commission o.
seven learned and eminent gentlemen 20 de-
wise rules and regulations for the purpose OF
I, 1871,
trom that Commission has grown The p,o-
gramme OF which complain. and beI.eyo we
all are justified in complaining. Not that I
demur at tho Gena,al Government in mo-
teating itsel from men utterly incompetent 10
discharge their duties. But equal right would
seem to demand an equalization in the ar
rahSelent. About three thousand officer,
are appointed b. the President with the COR
sent and advice Of the United states Senate:
these II seems are to be exempt from tbs OK.
animation. And fifty thousand under off,
cers are to be placed on literary compettiv,
scale regardless of their anteccGents In pou.
ucs or usefulness to the party. And L am
frank 10 say, that If the form OF examination
prevails or becomes the standard rule. NJ ho,
been suggested or recommended 10 Cougress
1t Will shut out nearly every colored man Ia
the South and nearly every white Republl-
can, and throw the patronage of the Govern
inent INTO the hands OF Democrats and those
who helped to tear down the country
there are some seven hundred question,
laid down to be propounded TO the applicant
ranging through ietter-wrting, brictlng. or.
biography, punctuation, grammar, arithmetic,
mathematics, bookkeeping, history, googra-
ply, government, &c, &C. Besides. these
interroSatories will necessarily call forth
many Others not included In the published
form. do not pretend to say that the ex-
animation Is too searching for good scholar.
But even good scholars are not ALWAYS bright
Ia the rudiInents of school boy lessons, though
the time may have been when they were psr,
fectly familiar with them. 1t I, not uuire-
a.
from our first colleges, after making some
profession speciality for years, lose that
early acquaintance with certain educational
branches, which they once were "a familiar
with as the fingers upon their hands.
In the South some of our most influential
and strongest party men have had 10 edu-
cate themselves, and In many instances tho
education 10 confined to two or three branch
es, sufficient, however, to discharge tho du-
ties that many OF the offices call for, but not
wide enough to take 10 the range of questlori
laid down by the Commission. And acco.i-
Ing to the competitive roll proposed they are
to be hurled overheard, and men not worth
hall so much placed in position because thoy
are better educated, while in all probabillt,
these educated interlopers have neither tho
disposition nor the ability to make a decent
speech nor to write respectable Campaign
document. believe In the doctrine Of Sen
ator Marcy, Of New York, in 1892. To the
victor belong the spoils. But the pollcy
now sought to he inaugurated will result Ia
the contrary. 1 know there ought 10 be tho
highest premium placed upon education and
literary attachments. But give the colored
race fifteen or twenty years 10 prepare for the
rivalry, and they will meet the responsible.
ties. The whites could well do this aftcr
having themselves hundreds Of years to cult
yate their inteilects, and the negro's labor h.
help them. Besides, this ExamiuiuI Board
have 1t in their favor to keep out any inaI
they may choose to oppose, for seven edu.
Gated men could ash enough puzzlng ques-
tons to prevent President Grant from a COM
mon clerhshlp. If they but blended their heads
together against him. It will Furthermore
create an apathy In the Republican party.
which will work detrimental to il. Thou
sands OF men who now control hundreds o.
thousands OF votes, feeling themselves IN
able to meet the requirement., Of such r.
board, will conclude there is no chance Of be-
ing rewarded, as they cannot stand the eX-
animation, and thus become Indifferent to tie
ruin Of our party in hundreds OF localities.
Objections have been made to Changing Gov
ernment employees so often a. the present
System involves, but the same objection
might DO urged against changing Presidents,
SenatoSs, Representative, &c. This Is not
q nation OF privilege cias,C. hut 0l sOVcr-
eiXns, aud each sovereign has q right 10 nm
equal share Of the throne. Again, govern
ments have been in exAtence ever since men
have been capable Of approaching rule and
order, and yet 10 the exception of a similar
experiment commenced in England some I'll
teen years ago, know of no Instance where
this competitive rule has prevailed afuDuZ
the nations Of earth.
II tbs Republican party should q, on an 4
legalize this measure, they wall finj, fear,
too late their mistake. was converting Lul
few days ago with a gentleman Of great
business tact, and a graduate Of Harvard
College, and Is now Government enplOye,
who says he could not answer tho.e qugi-
tons without preparing for them a. least
three mouths.
Another one who says lac understands tho
whole machinery Of any pJst Office Ia tue
country, declares he would not think Of going
before board 70 be thus examined without
six months preparation.
intended when I sat down ~ write tLI,
article 70 give severa. examples from the cat
alogus OF questions proposed, but as have
written so much already, 1t would mako tbs
letter too long, therefore will omit tt fgs
this time, and close by repeating what have
before remarked
1t Ia direct and malicious thrust al "a:
negro OF the South.
And Ike chickens this dab9!ic4I piece o.