The Grange advance., 1874-03-04
Civil Service Reform.

It is very evident that civil service re-
form is obnoxious to large proportion Of
United States officials. They adopted it,
so far as they have done SO, against their
personal interests, prejudices, practices,
and protests. They have never, in any de-
gree, attempted to give it fair trial, and
thew have, so far as possible, thwarted
every effort of President Grant in that di-
rection. 1t is no wonder now, when the at
tention Of the people is turned in other di-
rections and their interests enlisted in more
immediate and pressing concerns, that
determined offensive movement is under
taken against the entire plan which for
some time, in a limping way: has been
adopted in determining the fitness of
candidates for Office Heads of depart
ments, when inquired of, answer: "It
don't work. Congressman clamor: lit
is failure" nliterate workers in politics
| who seek reward for their labors, howl
on general principles ''The reform is q
fraud"
! A vast majority of politicians are banded
together to break the reform down, and the
President through undue influences, has
allowed so many exceptions to it's rules in
his appointments that the morale Of the
system is very weak. We are not prepared
to say that the reform, as it has been
worked, was success. 1t was a crude
and tentative effort to undo an ancient evil,
and yet an evil as useful to politicians as it
is injurious to the public interests, and
therefore very difficult to uproot and dan
gerous to encounter. We presume that
occasional injustice has resulted and will
result from strict construction and appli-
cation OF the rules. No system will apply
with equal success to every case. There
are men who would fill certain official po-
sitions creditably, while unable to pass the
required examination. The system is not
claimed to be perfect, nor is it to be criti-
cised by comparison with a perfect system,
but with the one it attempts to supplant -
That plan, as every one knows, is equally
competitive with the later one. Its sue
cesstul applicants are subjected to stricter
test and kept on a a longer probation.-
But what is that test and that probation
Simply skill in managing elections and a
demonstrated power to control certain
number of votes, coupled with an approved
fidelity to the Congressman or other official
who holds the coveted position in his con-
troll. If Offices were distributed as a re-
ward for political services to the State
there would be little objection from any
source. and the people would bear patiently
with new incumbent until he mastered
his business but when they are considered
spoils and divided up as booty among vic.
torious politicians the matter assumes a
, different phase. 1t then becomes mere
indirect mode Of paying for personal favorf
out Of the public treasury, and no party
dare 60 before the American people for its
} suffrage with such plank for its platform
The utterance of the Philadelphia Conven
tion upon this subject was explicit. This
is the plank:
:, Any system Of the civil service under
which the subordinate positions Of the gov
ernment are considered rewards for mer'
party zeal, is fatally demoralizing, and w
therefore favor reform of the system 0
laws which shall abolish the evils of pat
ronage, and make honesty, efficiency, an
fidelity the essential qualifications for pub
' lie position, without practically creating
life tenure Of Office.
The Post and Mail stands firmly upo,
s this plank and demands that the victors il
the last Presidential campaign makes goo'
its sentiments. The abuse which has crep
into our politics through the practice q
!, unequivocally condemned in the Philadel
- phia declaration, must be rooted out. W
favor reform in the civil service syster
= as adopted by the President, where it need
it, and when it is needed, but we oppose
e relapse to the old scalawag system Of farm
ing out Offices to political henchmen.-
- and Mail.
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