The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1874-09-22
CIVIL SERVICE REFORM.

CIVIL SERVICE REFORM.
Our readers have been Informed thereof
often enough to be familiar Herewith that
the national republican party entered the
campaign of 1879 with the declaration,
among others, that 'any system OF the
" civil service under which the subordinate
" positions of the government are CON
q" sdered rewards for mere party zeal, is
6 fatally demoralzing; and we, therefore,
d" favor a reform Of the system Ivy laws
:" which shall abolish the evils Of patron
" age, and make honesty, efficiency and f.
" deity the essential qualifications for
public position, without practically ere
" ating life tenure Ct Office Any other
declaration, we need not say, would have
resulted in defeat. In other words, if the
republican party had declared that the Of
fees, at its disposal, were TO be dolcd ont
to the men who had or could control the
most votes, the result would have been an
overwhelming defeat Even the fear of
the disastrous consequences which would
have resulted from return of the south m
democracy to power would have been pow
erless to bring about republican triumphs
in the majority of The northern states. The
people we're utterly Disguised, and justly
SO, with seeing offices parccled out to
men who could cu4Iol nominations,
secure votes and thus Jay the
Offices which were conferred upon them.
The people bcie,.d that the declaration
meant what it sad, and hence the grand
republican, triumph of 1872 If 1t had
been belieyed to be deusion and a snare,
the result would have been different. II
was, however noting bpt delusiOn and
It snare, and has been of no prac'icl henc-
III to the county, save in one O! two is la
ted instances. Whateveyer may have been
the intentions of he trainers of this decla-
ration of policy which is just rs binding
on the representatives Of the republican
party in Congress as is the constitution of
the country on members Of Congress-no
republican candidate for election TO Con-
gress entered upon his canvass, although
bound by the pletge thereof, with the in
tention of being governed by any such
principle or policy. There may have been
here and there exceptions, but we speak
the general rule. All, or nearly all, be-
lieved that to the victor belonged the spoils.
The result has proved the correctness of
our position. Two years and two sessions
of Congress have passed and there is no
reform of the 81 stem of laws"-and the
refusal of an appropriation, triliing in
shows that there is no incntion
to inaugurate such a reform
Now whether Congress passed law or
patIta rfEaSSsGBDaag" tt66nSvN9H2S, ihott re-;
meant something by the declaration quoted
in the first sentence. 1t was not intended
for mere nonsense, for mere buncombo Lut
1t was intended for and understood to be a
declaration of principle If, however,
anyone should think that the members of
the convention intended it for buncombe,
It is certain that the people did not so re-
gard it. They took it to be solemn de-
claration that Offices should not be disposed |
of as rewards for party services or, as the
resolution has it, "for mere party ZEAL"
This principle was, of course, expressed in
he most condensed form. As general |
,ule, resolutions do not contain every word
n the English language, 60 into lengthy
argument containing all the grounds upon
which they expect to base The support of
he principles enunciated therein, with
reference to authorities, citations there
from, ETC., etc. In fact, resolution is
iot congressional report, political
speech or sermon. 1t is brief, concise
OF a principle-nothing more,
nothing less. They are generally so OK
pressed that people of ordinary under
tandng can comprehend their meaning.
t was supposed that this resolution in
eference to "civil service reform" was so |
and there is not much doubt
hat it was so expressed.
We should never have had any doubt in |
eference thereto, but for the receipt of a |
California republican newspaper yesicr-
lay. Therein it is argued, with all the
'orce OF language at the command of the |
,ditor, that it only refers to the general |
government for what, it asks, has "a nat
onal republican convention" to 10 with |
offices at the disposal OF the state govern
'ment, the people Of the several towns,
cities, counties and state" 1t proceeds at |
great force and length, and there would |
Ie some reason in il but for the fact that |
10 fool should be elected or appointed to |
office no matter what his politics may be. |
And this we take il is one of the Under
ying principles of the resolutions first
lbovo quoted. When, therefore, this Cal
fo:nla newspaper declares against the civil
ervice reform resolution of the republican
rational convention as applied 10 the dis
,osal of state, legislative, county and other
,fIices, it declares that natural born fools
ire eligible and should be appointed to
,fiice. Upon close examination of this
newspaper, we discover why this editor
,ensures Congress for not cnacting a law
making civil service reform effective,
ather mildly finds fault with Congress for
rot granting the appropriation asked for by
he president for perfectng the system of
,ivil service, and is so death down on" all
application of similar rules to state, county
'r legislative Offices The editor, it seems,
s the postmaster of the postofIlce village,
while one of his associates is candidate for
. county Office and the remaining associate
wouldn't take it hard if one branch of
he next legislature should give him one Of
he little offices at its disposal. We com
mend his case to our old friends Edgerton
md Dorrancc and trust that they will lend
lin a helping hand. This is civil service
cform with vengeance, but 1t is about
he idea most politicians have of it.