The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1873-01-28
from the New York Tribune.
Civil Service Reform In the Cahie

When the Presidents new rules for,
the reform of the Civil Service are once
fairly in operation we shall have to con-
slider whether they cannot be extenied
with profit to departments of the Gov.
ernment not embraced in their original
scope. If it is one Of their objects to
secure an efficient administration of
public affairs, they certainly ought to
apply to the great offices as well as tue
little ones, When the chief OF bureau
is an ignoramus there is not much to be
got by reforming his clerks; and 1t
seems preposterous to make all this
bother over postmasters and tide-wait-
crs if the Cabinet is to be full of excel
lent and jealous gentlemen who don't
know the duties and powers OF their
office
Here is Mr.. Fish, for instance, who
does not know that one Of the most
essential qualifications of minister OF
foreign affairs is the ability to hold his
tongue. He writes so fierce dispatch
to Gen Sickles that our astute diplo-
matist at Madrid cannot formally pre-
sent it to Senior Martos, and then Mr.
Fish aggravates his indiscretion by
causing it to be printed. When the in
dighation of the Spaniard has been
thoroughly aroused, Mr.. Fish feeds the
fire by printing private dispatches from
Gen. Sickles as his classification and
the only possible result of this chatter
box style OF diplomacy is to bring our
relation with friendly country into a
dreadful mess, and possibly to make
necessary the recall of one of our ablest
ministers. Under almost any other
President than Gen. Grant it would
probably involve the retirement of the
Secretary of State.
Then look at the Treasury Depart
ment. Mr.. Boutwell, has been for some
time in dangerous state of uncertain
ty about his power to expand the cur
rencv. He has claimed authority for the
secret issue of forty-four millions OF
greenbacks, and has gone so far as to
put part OF this amount in circulation,
by an exercise of such discretion as
was never committed to any Secretary
of the Treasury from the beginning OF
time. What he might have done if he
had not been promptly taken in hand
by the Finance Committee of the Sen,
ate. and instructed in the laws regula-
ting the powers of his own Office, We
cannot predict.
Mr. Creswell is another Cabinet off,
Ger who needs official education A lit
tie while ago, in contravention of the
plain intent of the law, he made an or
pressive regulation about fines on in
sufficiently paid mai! matter, and the
House Post-Office Committee was
obliged to interfere and explain the
statute to him. Now he is arguing the
Postal Telegraph scheme, and he shows
at every step how little he knows abou
| it. The following dialogue occurred
the other day during the discussion be-
fore the Committee at Washington:
Mr.. Niblack-Is it not true, also, tina
every Government that has taken charge
of the telegraph business has also taker
charge of the railroads, with the excep
ton of Great Britain?
The Postmaster -General-Canada ha'
not.
Mr.. Orton-Canada has not the Gov
eminent telegraph.
The Postmaster r-General-No, it ha
not the governmental telegraph, bu
Canada has but one telegraph line, ant
that is managed on the most liberia
principles,
Mr.. Sweet-Canada has two Tele
graph Companies.
The Postmaster General am no
as well informed on that point as tn
gentleman.
On the question of cost AFR. Creswel
made the remarkable statement that al
the telegraph property in the Unite'
States probably cost 'nuch less thai
$40, 900 900, and could be reproduce
for 1850, 900 dollars. To substantial
that estimate be put upon the stand onl
one witness, Mr. Charles 7. Chester
and his figures tell a very ditferen
story Mr.. Chester omits from his ca
culation the duty on wire, amountin
to about 100000 dollars, and eve
then his estimates foot up lS,250,00
dollars-that is to say (allowing 70
the duty) just about 100000 dollar
more than Mr.. Creswelrs statement =
Mr. Creswell was not only unwise t
call a witness whose views differed 81
widely from his own, but he made
great blunder in calling Mr. Chester a
[any rate For Mr.. Chester, it seem
had built but one telegraph line. an
that was the Flre-Alarm Telegraph i
this city. l. has G23 miles of wire an
so miles of poles, and Mr., Cheste
charged and was paid for it $4,000 do
lars. If he built ail the lines in tn
United States at the same rate per mil
of wire, the cost would be, not 1880
900 dollars, but no less than 23S,000
900 dollars; and if he charged at tn
same rate per mile Of poles, the COS
would he nearly eight hundred millions
| On the other hand, if his bill for til
Fire Alarm Telegraph had been audite
on the basis of his estimate OF SlS,250
600 for the Postal Telegraph, he woul
have got for his work only $1,000 do
lars
| Really, if these manifestations of i
norance and incapacity among Gel
Grants principal official advisers are
continue, we shall have to apply to Cal
met officers the rule Of competitive e!
amnations. Shut up the candidates
rooms by themselves. Give them
printed list of questions in arithneti
! geography, history, department, tt
Const tuition of the United States, an
the art of polite letter writing. And
= the regulation could he applied to Il
present incumbents, the country wou
) feel relieved, and the President woul
soon have one or two offices at his di
posal.
Ey The World gives the official Pre-
;, idential vote by States, and arrives
> the following:
The conclusions to be drawn fro
> this analysis of the popular vote cast
. November, 1872, are as follows:
l Over half million Democrats d
> clined to vote for Mr. Greeley.
y 2 Five million one hundred thou
,,,J of ft,o larol v,too nF tho TTuitf