The New Orleans Democrat. (New Orleans, La.) 1875-1876, 1876-03-18
THE CIVIL SERVICE.
The Methods by which the Government
Has Reen DehaMChe0. I

The methods by which the Govern
ment has become scandalously de-
bauched can be explained so clearly
that any plain citizen may understand
it. The Constitution intends that the
Senate shall be IL check upon the Presi
dents appointments, and that while all
nominations shall be made by him, on
his own responsibility, the Senate shall
take care that fitness, and not favOrit-
ism, shall be the test. But in practice
this wise and safe system is subverted
by farming out certain Offices to mem
bers of Congress and Senators to be filed
ing that the President shall not be
thwarted in such appointments as he
chooses to reserve for himself In the
State Of New York, for example, most of
the local appointments are virtually
made in the Republican Congressional
Districts by the members of the House
who represent those districts, with no
other restriction than that all the
appointees shall be warm supporters Of
the President. This control OF the local
patronage of their own districts enables
the Republican members Of the House
to pack the party caucuSes and cOnven-
tions through their subservient tools
and defea. the rivals who may aspire
to their seats. But there is large num-
Der Of districts represented by
in these are conceded to Senator
Conkling, who has for the last six years
been the fountain Of office and honor in
this State, except in the Republican
districts. This partition
and distribution Of patronage puts all
the offices in this great Democratic city
within Mr.. Conkling's gift, as well as
in various parts OF the State,
and has established him us the control
ling party chief. Whatever offices the
President chooses to reserve, to be
filled by his own favOrites are conceded
to him, of course. The same system
prevails in other States, and it has come
to be recognized rule Of courtesy
the Republican Senators that
none Of them vote against the con
tirmation Of the others in their
own States, and that they unitedly sup
port the nomination in which the Presi-
dent is personally interested. The up
shot OF this system is that there is no
check at all on the appointment Of per
sonal favorites, who are sure Of confirm
alton, without regard to their integrity
or qualifications, unless they are noto
riously bad and scandalous. The Presi-
dent has the uncontrolled appointment
Of set Of personal favorites; each Re-
publican Senator has the equally uncon-
frolled appointment Of his personal
favorites in his own State, and by a sort
of give and take courtesy which has
become the prevailing rule, no
body interferes to defeat the friends
Of anybody else: Sherman makes
in Ohio, Morton in Indi-
ana, Logan in Illinois, Ferlinghuysen
In New Jersey, and other Republican
leaders in other States. the President
reserving out Of the heap places for his
own pets; and the result Of this mutual
and log-rolling is that the
wholesome safeguards OF the Constitu-
ion are subverted and the Federal pat
ronage is farmed out to irresponsible
party leaders, to be used for their per-
,onal advantage and the promotion OF
heir political interests. Managed
On this demoralizing system,
the government patronage Is nee
essarily hotbed Of rank corrup-
ion, because it is prostituted to
selfish private ends. President Grant
Is no more responsible than the party
leaders who have acted as his willing
accomplices in carving up and dividing
the carcass Of which each has claimed
his share. They are even more to blame
than he is, because he consented Gin
at least to the civil service re-
form, which would have cut up the cor
rupt patronage system by the roots. It
is notorious that civil service reform was
defeated by Congress, and the President
stated this fact in one Of his mes
sages as his reason for abandoning the
cause. Everybody in Washington knew
that that important reform was the jest
and derision of leading Republican
members Of both houses. They defeated
u IN ] the share Which was one of the main
sources Of their power in local politics
at home. They are all alike responsible
for revolving corruption, which is inher-
ent in such system, and Of which the
shocking Belknap exposure is only
Y. Herald.