Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1873-05-28

Iof six months, certificates of appointment
will be given them. The sixteen who were
appointed prior to last October have all re-
ceived their certificates
The Sixth Auditor states that all clerks
assigned to him under the Civil Service rules
have proved highly satisfactory, and the
Commissioner of Internal Revenue says he
has received some very useful help from thi:
source, but he thinks it unfair that the de
partments should be filed up by men en-
braced in radius of only $50 miles from thu
capital of the nation. He would have then
distributed in each department according tC
the population of States.
The Washington correspondent of the N
Y. Tribune telegraphs to that paper the fol
lowing:
1t has leaked through the closed doors Of
the Advisory Board on Civil Service which
has been in session here since Wednesday
that the members, or at least majority o
them, are in favor of the most rigid rules fo
the government of the Civil Service, goin!
farther than any of its supporters in Con
gress in high public places. The Board will
probably not continue In session beyond {
week longer, and it is intimated that a report
will be made which will astonish those who
will favor the old Jackson doctrine, that to
the victors belong the spoils. 1t is even said
that there are apprehensions within the
Board that the President and his Cabinet
are not yet prepared to disregard party
claims, and that opposition from that quarter
of very serious nature is looked for. MIR
Shellabarger, appointed in the place of Mr.
Nedill resigned, although one of the most
rigid party men in Congress, is now the most
radical in his support of the no-party theory
in ordinary appointments under the Govern
ment. Thus all clerkship, in the depart
ments, if the views of the Advisory Board are
to be carried out, will be open to all, regard
less of politics or previous acts of a political
nature. 1t is thought that this branch OF
the subject has been almost the only one thus
far discussed in the sessions. The Commits
sioners are also strong in the advocacy OF the
theory that the appointments should be ap-
portioned among the States according to
population, as otherwise the District of
Columbia would receive more than any other
State, as IN times past. 1t is believed that
committees for the examination Of cand idates
Will be provided for at various convenient
centers throughout the country, so that 1t
viii not be necessary for candidates residing,
Tor example, in Oregon to come to Washing
ton for examination without knowing before
hand that they will pass. Some Of the mem
bers of the Board now sitting here have
freely conferred with the President and the
latter has promised that when the report is
made or before, he will call special meeting
of the Cabinet for the consideration of the
Civil Service problem.
These advices from Washington prove two
things, viz: that the reform has improved
the service and that it is not to be wholly
given up. Messrs Eaton and Shellaba rger
as members of the new board will, 1t is to be
hoped, prove as radical in their views as the
Tribune correspondent credits then wish be
ing indeed it is hardly possible that any
one can become acquainted with the evils of
the ''spoils system, and not be inclined to
cut it up by the roots. Mr.. Shellabarger
made strong speech in the last Congress in
support of thorough reform, and Mr.
Eaton has seen enough of vicious political
civil service, growing rich and corrupt on
the spoils of this great city of New York, tC
understand what the vice of such system is
But the appointment of clerks for the De-
partments at Washington is only the begin
ming of the reform: or rather it is only one
of the smallest branches of it. Unless the
reform can be made to reach the custom
houses in such cities as New York and B IS
ton and Chicago and New Orleans, and re
model the whole revenue service of the
o,l., 81 L
evils. Nearly if not quite all the trouble in
Louisiana is brought upon the country in
order that few men may ges rich out OF Ia c
government offices in that State. Tne poll
tics of that State is not the quacre, OF the
people; it is only the scramble Of the off
seekers for the spoils: and the whole people
of the United States are made, through then
army and navy and treasury, little better
than the blckers of one of these rings The
city of New York has recently furnished one
of the most outrageous examples of cor
rupt civil service that the country has ever
seen and this time it Was not Tweed and
his thieves; it was the federal custom house
which plundered one OF the most honorable
firms of merchants in that city, Phelps,
Dodge s. Co., to the amount Of $27t, 900 90.
The system and the law which permit SUI n
things are bad enough; but the office holders
who divide the plumber in such cases will
not allow any reform to become operative
that lessons their per uisites-under some
codes of ethics 4" stealings would be NOR
accurate designation than perquisites =
it they can prevent it, 1t is not, therefore,
strange that those who 60 into politics just
as they 90 into mining speculation, and
who use party machinery and party success
to put money into their pockets, should de-
| nounce every move toward a reform in tht
civil service of the country while attempts
to laugh down competitive examinations
and to sheer at non- 1rtisan officials, arc the
Inspirations of what in Credit Mobiiier phi
losophy is only an enlightened self-interest
When they put their share of the g loot,
the perquisites, the notifies, the brides, int
their pockets, they are putin; the money
where, in their jud gment, g it Will do the
most good; w." and they will fight any measure
that stops that kind of depreciation on tn
treasury Of the United States or the people
at large.
Civil service reform goes deeper in it
effects on the administration of public affair
than it generally has credit for; although
its btterest enemies have seen to what ex
tent Mr.. Curtis's logic led. and have persist
emily fought the very beginnings of tn
assault on this vice of patronage. The fgh
thus far has only been skirmish at the out
posts. Competitive examinations for clerk
ships at Washington are good thing anC
are giving the Departments better clerks
But a reform that makes the cusso hous
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