Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1875-03-26
lHhnt The pnpcra SRN.

VIII Mnttl INCk lHlO IltI Olu lONlAlOll lii lHt
Republican line next fall. There is TO he a
severe contest in Illinois, with fair pros
| pects. All this Is merely preparatory work
| "a gathering in readiness for the grand
| battle in 1876. That will be the most stir
ring contest we have seen in thirty years,
| according to the present outlook, and the
| result cannot be foreseen at this distance.
| - Washington Letter.
The evil Of our present civil service is
the understanding of nearly all the ncum-
| bents that when their party goes out of
! power they will have to get out Of their
! places. If the party succeed in keeping in
| another term they will stand chance to
continue in office. This understanding
| MAKES the oifice-holdors into compact
| body of subservient and industrious wire
pullers, mortgaged body and soul, TO the
| Administration. They dare not have any
! opinion not agreeable nj headquarters, and
| they are expected To he on hand whenever
| notified, TO pack caucuscs or do any other
| similar service for the Adm Illustration or
| their own particular patrans. A real re-
| form of the civil service would he the most
| popular measure with the great body OF the
| people a political party could adopt today
| - boston Hcydid.
In these past days of temporary dizziness,
| business has been settling down upon a
safer aud surer foundation. Airy specula-
| lions and financial bubbles have collapsed
| to the lasting benefit ofthc community. Los
sons Of caution have been learned that will
not soon he forgotten. We may, therefore,
| look to see an entrance upon long aud
prosperous reign of all kinds OF business
| once the start is fairly made. Not that the
! immense profits realized in some eases,
I within the last few years, will he duplicat-
| ed byour manufactures. That is neither
| L. 1NI
| ton OF affairs produced such profits. But
what we want. and what we have reason to
| expect, is general activity in trade, COM
mercc, manufactures and i'll needed enter
| prises, where workmen and operatives can
| find steady employment, and employers
| be rewarded with fair returns. This is the
| consummation 60 greatly to he desired and
toward which We are rapidly tendug.-AI-
| bdHV Journal
We cannot regret that since no sincere
effort has been made for the general OH
servance of the civil service rules, they are
| now revoked, because such system as the
President approved and adopted, unless
carried out in good faith, actually increases
the evil it is designed to correct. There is
no doubt that the President honestly wish
ed TO do something TO diminish the appal-
ling and threatening mischief of the syS-
tenn of appointment by mere political in
fluence, and with little regard to character,
capacity, industry, or the good of the SER
vice. But his views and feelings upon the
subject did not permit real reform in the
character of the system; and while the
whole spirit and purpose of the reform
were dsrcgarded in high appointments, a
prolessed technical observance in insignif-
cant instances was only absurd. Yet the
friends of reasonable system need not
despair The result of the effort of the last
four years has been general awakening
of tho public mind TO the importance of the
subject. 1t is not one which will he for
gotten, for the evils of the present practice.
constantly increasing as they are, Will press
more and more for decisive action.-H0r-
pcr'S WIeekW
We cannot see how this change in our
postal laws is 10 he defended nor can We
understand why it was made, except on
the theory that it was a job "put up by
agents of the express companies and car
ried through in the last hours of the ses-
sion-hours which are prolific of bad leg
islation. 1t is Numerically opposed 10 the
principle which has hitherto governed leg
slation in this regard, the reduction Of
postage rates being the settled policy. But
| on the "iob' theory it becomes eXpica-
BILE. And the manner in which the change
was brought about points as strongly in
was tackled on to the Sundrv Civil Appro-
priation bill as an amendment inst at the
close of the session, and probably very
few, except those pecunlarily interested,
knew anything about it, The repeal of
this obnoxious and OnerOus provision
should he insisted upon by the people and
they cannot he safe, and ought not TO be
contented, until an amendment has been
added to the Constitution making it impos-
sible to pass measures at lightning-like
speed in the expiring moments of n session
of Congress. -Hhdcd ~. " JoWn"i.
Senator ITamlin of Maine, appears to
have been the chosen champion Of the EN-
press companies. lie made plausible
plea for the amendment in the Senate,
which caused one or two Senators to waive
objections which they raised, when the
amendment was agreed to without debate
few probably understanding its full i'm
port 1t was sent to the House between
two and five o'clock in the morning, and
there concurred in without debate, not
dozen members probably aware of its real
scope and purpose. If Senator Hamlin
had sought deliberately to make the mem
DRY of the Forty-.h Congress odious
among the people, he could have devised
no better eXpedient. We do not like To
conclude that he sold his services to the
Express monopoly fora consideration, and
yet he is too intelligent and experienced
Legislator not to have known the bearing
and oppressive consequences of the meas
IRE to which he asked aud obtained the as
sent Of Congress. This Struggled and
swindlng amendment is all the more i'm
polite aud offensive in face of the fact that
Senators ana Representatives voted them-
selves the privileges of sending again free
through the mails, at the expense of the
public treasury, tons of their own speech
es in the Congressional Record, and other
documents. The Northampton JOUrndj on
tie Postage SiCiDdic.
The people have no wish to repud'ate
the Republican party. The elections last
fall are not so to he construed. The party
or politician who thus calculates, sadly
misjudges the temper or purpose Of the
people. The rejection of men, or the con
domination of evil practices, here or there,
must not he mistaken for disapproval of
Republican principles, or the readiness of
the people to place in power party which
has been so sadly uniaithrul to every trust
| rcposed in it in the past, by generous and
not unirequenty fOrgying people. The
people do not intend to turn the govern
| ment over to the opposition. They are as
| truly attached to the principles of the Re-
| publican party now as ever. And this at
tachment they want to and Will eyince, If
We are true to ourselves and the plain
est teachings of the past ami present. Al
| ready it is plainly discernible that they are
arousing to the dangers threatening on ev-
| cry side, and the very possibility that those
| who lately sought TO destroy the govern
ment are to control its politics and admin
| istraton, IL leading the best and most dis
| Greet men of, not the Republican party
| alone, but of all parties, TO inquire whittier
we are tending and what we shall do to
strengthen our columns and give us still
the control of the Government, Each day
each act Of the opposition, each word de-
clarative Of their plans and purposes, all
hut serve TO intensity this feeling and crys-
| talZe in acts this resolve. Let both sides
i