Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1876-10-25
I hungry" who shout for Tllden and Re-

| : a s
hungry" who shout for Tllden and Re-
| form f
| Those who have been carried off their
| feet by this reform din and clamor would
| be wise to stop and ask themselves, where
| il comes from, and what it means. Then
let them contrast with it the unmistaka-
BILE utterances of Gov. Hayes on the same
subject. In his letter of acceptance,
with reference to the spoils system, he
said:
More than forty years ago system Of max
| ing appointments grew up, based upon the
maxim, "To the victors belong the spoils' y
| The old rule, the true rule, that honesty
capacity and fidelity constitute the only real
| qualifications for Office, and that there is no
other claim, gave place to the idea that party
services were to be chiefly considered. All
parties in practice have adopted this system.
1t has been essentially modified since its
| first introduction. 1t has not, however
been improved At first the President
either directly, or through the heads Of de-
partments, made all the appointments; but
gradually the appointing power, in many
| cases, passed into the control of members Of
Congress. The offices, in these cases, have
become not merely the rewards for party
| services, but rewards for services to party
leaders. The system destroys the independ
encc of the separate departments of the
Government. It tends directly to extraya-
! gance and official incapacity. 1t is tempta-
ton to dishonesty; it binders and impairs
the careful supervision and strict accounta-
bility by which alone faithful and efficient
| public service can be secured; ii obstructs
the prompt removal and sure punishment OF
the unworthy. In every way it degrades the
civil service and the character of the Gov
| eminent
1t ought to be abolished. The re-
| form should be thorough, radical and com
! plete. We should return to the principles
and practices of the founders of the Govern
m ent-supplying by legislation, when
| needed, that which was formerly the estab-
lished custom. They neither expected nor
desired from the public officers any partisan
service. They meant that the public officers
should give their whole service 10 the Govern.
ment and to the people. They meant that the
officer should be secure in his tenure as long
as his personal character remained unfair
| nished and the performance of his duties
satisfactory. If elected shall conduct the
administration of the Government upon
these principles, and all constitutions
| powers vested in the Executive will be EN-
ployed to establish this reform.
| There is no mistaking the exact mean
ing of that. 1t is declaration in favor OF
the reform that disposes of the whole
question of administrative reform for
when Government officials give their
whole service to the Government instead
of to party, when their tenure of Office
continues so long as they efficiently and
| honestly discharge their duties, and when
the Administration is conducted on those
principles, there will remain nothing to
| be accomplished in the way of admins
trative reform.
The principles declared by Gov. Hayes
| in his letter of acceptance are not new
with him. In 1879, in his speech at
| Glendale, which was reported in full in
| the Cincinnati papers, he took occasion to
refer to the published speech of the Hon
Aaron +. Perry on Civil-Service Reform
and to indorse it as sound doctrine, "
| and to add that he trusted the day was
not far distant when the doctrines declared
by Mr.. Perry would be carried out in adj.
ministration. What Gov. Hayes then
held to be sound doctrine is manifest
from the following extract from Mr.. Per
rvs speech:
The difficulty, as conceive, lies in false
pretense of appointing men for the benefit
Of the party, when, in fact, they are not APP
pointed for any such purpose, but to secure
followers, and runners, and electoneerers
| for the men through whose influence they
are appointed II we can get rid of this diff
iculty, there will be very little left to be got
| rid Of
| My idea of the true remedy for this was
simply by the force of opinion, by the action
| of the President and heads of departments,
| and, if necessary, by act OF Congress, to for
bid members of Congress, both in the House
and Senate, Federal officers, judicial and
other, Of all kinds, FROM asserting, as peyq,i-
sites, tie right Of nominating .fo, offices Of any
| l}y.d ,Af " ia he Ippt N "A
heads Of departments the right given them
| by the Constitution, 10 nominate the Officers
| ,cit'ou eternal pressure and the Senate to act
upon them ,c,ttoa reference 10 personal az,
| ra,tge1lentS among the Senators Themselves.
GOV. Hayes, too, has acted upon the re.
form principles declared in his letter OF
acceptance among his appointees as GOV.
ernor OF OHIO, the record showing Il long
list Of Democrats appointed to office by
him, foremost among whom was Gen
Tom Ewing, whom Gov, Hayes made one
of the Board of Directors OF the Soldiers
Orphans Home--a most important trust
involving the expenditure of large sums
of money, and no small share of what is
denominated patronage
Those who are sincere in their demand
for reform who will review the record and
party affiliations of Gov. Hayes and Gov
| Tilden respectively, will see how they
may throw away IA man who means re
| form for man who himself is part OF
the spoils system, and whose profession,
for reform are to be trusted precisely a,
much rs would be the professions OF the
Turks of heartfelt desire To protect the
| Christians in Servia.-Chicdqo Tribune.
Hayes and Ci,il.Seryice Reform.