The Brookhaven ledger. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1875-1883, 1876-08-10

D6ChuSt tlty ItiI " lOSS Ill tNtEYLlinl
they would attempt. They stop ant
wait; the merchants dares not buy TO
the future consumption Of his custo
mers; the manufacturer dares not max
fabrics which may not refund his out
lay; he shuts his factory and discharge
his workmen.
Capitalists cannot lend on s%ecurit,
they consider safe, and their funds Ii
almost without interest. Men of enter
prise, who have credit or securities t.
pledge, will not borrow. Consumption
has fallen below the natural limits o
a reasonable economy; prices of man,
things are under their range in fruga
specie paying times before thewar. Vas
masses of currency lie IN the banks I'M
touched. A year and a half ago the lie
gal tenders were Mt their largest vol
ume, and 212, 000, 600 since retired hav
been replaced by fresh issues Of SO,
000, 000o of bank notes.
In the meantime the banks have beel
surrcnderiDg four millions a month be
cause they cannot find Il profitable us'
for it. The public mind will no longe.
encourage shams-it has suffered
enough from illusions. An iusincert
poIity increases distrust-an unstable
policy increases uncertainty. The peo'
pie need to know that the government
is moving in the direction of ultimate
prosperity, and that it is doing Sc
through prudent, safe and conservative
methods witch will be sure to inflict nc
new sacrifice on the business of the
country.
Then the inspiration of new hope and
well>iounded confidence will hasten the
restoring process of nature, and pros
perity will begin to return. The st.
Louis Convention, concluding its ex-
preston in regard to the currency by n
declaration of its convention as to the
practical results of the system of pre-
paration it demands, says:
1--WE believe such a system well de-
vised, and, above all, intrnsted to com,
petent hands for execution, creating at
no time an artificial scarity of currency,
and at no time alarming the public
mind into n withdrawal of that vaster
machinery of credit by which ninety-fve
per cent of all the business transactions
are performed-a system open to the
public and inspiring general confidence
would from the day of its adoption
bring healing on it's wings to all oul
harrassed industries, set in motion the
Wheel of commerce, manufactures and
the mechanical arts, restore employ
ment labor, and renew in all its nat
ural sources the prosperity of the peo-
pie"
The government of the United States,
in my opinion, can advance to a resump-
ton of specie payments on its legal ten
der notes by gradua' and safe process
ess, tending to relieve the present bust
ness distress. If charged by the PEG,
pie with the administration of the Elk
e~cutive office, / should deem it q duty
so to exercise the powers with which ii
has been OF may be invested by
Congress as best and soonest to con-
duct the country to that beneticient re-
suit.
CIVIL SERvICE REFORM.
The Convention Justly affirms that re-
form is necessary in the civil service;
necessary to its publication, necessary
to its economy and its efficiency, neces-
sary III order that the ordinary employ
ment of the public business may not be
a prize fought for at the ballot-bOx; a
brief reward of party zeal instead of
posts of honor assigned for proved COM
potency and held for fidelity in the
public employ.
The Convention wisely added that re-
form is Necessary even more i'll the
high grades of the public service. The
President, Vice President, Judges, Sen
ators, Representatives, Cabinet officers
these, and all others in authority. are
the peoples servants. Their offices are
not o private perquisite; they are a
public trust.
Two evils infest the official service of
the Federal Government-one is the
prevalent and d~emoralizing notion that
the public service exists, not for the
business and benefit of the whole peo-
pie, but for the interest Of the Offices
holders, who are in truth but the SER
wants Of the people. Under the inhu-
ence of this perniciOus error. public en-
pigments have been multiplied; the
numbers of these gathered in the ranks
of ocfiie- holders have been steadily in
creased beyond any possible require
ment of the public bushes, while inef-
ficient. REGULATION, fraud and malversa-
ton of the public fund, from the high
places of power to the lowest, have
o~verspread the whole service like lepro-
CIV. The other evil is the organization
of the official class into q body of polit-
cal mercenaries, governing the causes
and debating the nominations of their
own party, and attempting to carry
elections of the people by undue in
fuence and by immense corruption
funds, systematically collected from
the salaries or fees of Office holders.
The official class in other countries,
sometimes by its own weight, and some
times in alliance with the army,
has been able to rule the un%organiZed
masses. Even under universal suffrage
here it has already grown into a gigan-
tic power, capable of sitting the inspi~
ration of a sound public opinion and of
resisting an easy change Of administra-
ton, until misgOvernment becomes in>
tolerable, and public spirit has been
stung to the pitch of a civic revolution.
The first step in reform is the stand
ard by which the appointing power Sc
lects agents to execute official trusts.
Next importance is a conscientious
| fidelity in the exercise of the authority
to hold to account and displace untrust-
worthy or incapable subordinates. The
public interest is an honest, skillful
performance of official trust. and must
not be sacrificed to the usufruck of the
incumbents.
After these immediate steps which
will insure the expedition of better
examples, we may wisely go ON
to the abolition of unnecessafy
offices, and finally, to be patient, care
ful organization of a better civil service
system under the tests, wherever
practicable, Of proved compe-
tency and fidelity.
While much may be accomplished by
these methods, it night encourage
delusive expectations if L withheld here
the expression of my convictions that
no reform of the civil service in this
country will be complete and permanent
until Chief Magistrate. is constitutional
ly disqualified for reelection.
Experience having repeatedly expos
ed the futility of self imposed restric-
tions by candidates or incumbents,
through this solemnity only can he be
effactually delivered from the greatest