New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-05-30
ROTATION IN OFFICE,

Perhaps the most reasonable obstacle
to the extension of President Grants term
of Office consisted in the continuance of
all the same official incumbents for an
additional period, giving to some of the
Office holders twelve years of service and
of patronage. We are not prepared to say
that such civil service law as will elm
mate the subordinate patronage of clerks
and accountants from the political con-
troyersies of the republic may not be the
ultimate compromise among all parties.
The adoption of such permanence for
ministerial agents has had very salu-
tary effect in England. At present, how
ever, in the United States no party could
go into campaign without the ammuni-
ton chest of promised patronage, and
the first step toward organization is that
which the Democratic party has taken in
the Connecticut election. Each candidate
for the Senate was bled by the Democratic
State committee to put up large sum of
money for the political favor of the COM
mittee. The knowledge that there was
some $685. in hand from this source
alone stimulated the Democratic candi-
dates for the Legislature to heroic efforts
against the Republicans, and each strove
to prove himself worthy Of the greatest
distributable share of the bonanza.
We may, therefore, suppose that &C.
cording to party usage the whole patron
age Of the federal government will be put
in the wheel this summer by each party.
Let the result of the election be in favor
of the Republicans or Democrats, there
will be, no doubt, clear sweep Of incum-
bents, except in some cases of extraordin-
airy merit or necessity. We may appre-
bend that the departments at Washing
ton, the postoaices in the principal cities,
the Offices of Internal and customs reve-
nue. will all be reviewed and the principle
of rotation applied in favor of the tens of
thousands who are as competent to fill
the Offices as the present incumbents can
be. In view of this universal review and
scrutiny the investigations to which the
Democracy has SO generously devoted it.
self will afford an immense advantage to
the country and to the Republican party,
The inquiry into qualification and char
acte- viii enable the Republicans
to discriminate between the false
and the true. To have stood such an ex
parte scrutiny, without censure will give
to such incumbent higher claim for the
renewal or even brevet Of his official COM
mission than he could possibly have on
any ordinary vindication Of his services.
If Upon such scrutiny the parties investi-
gated are convicted of incompetency or
wrong, they will be of course dismissed
Republican service as unworthy further
trust.
With the principle Of rotation in Office
as fixed feature in American politics
the scrutiny of officers who may naturally
expect to give place to others after eight
years of service, can have little other
effect than to give them an improved
chance for further appointment if thus
proved free from imputation, while it can
not affect the destinies Of the numbers
which must yield to the inevitable law of
rotation.
We shall regard with much equanimity
such Investigations as may involve the
qualifications of official incumbents. Con-
viction Of incompetency can but expedite
by few short months the regular ex-
piration of their commissions, while it will
enable the Republican party to present an
and expurgated list of
nominees for all the Offices within the
gift of the people. The Democratic in
will observe that the convic-
lion of one member Of q party does not |
establish the fact that any member of any
other party would fill the vacancy per-
fectly well. 1t will be remembered that |
The conviction of the Democrat, Tweed, |
he centennial and champion public rob-
Der, by no means proves that Mr.. Tilden,
! Democrat, is not an honest and respect
able man.