The Portland daily press., 1876-08-07

tency and held for fidelity in the public en-
ploy. The convention wisely added that re-
form is necessary even more in the highe-
grades of the public service. The President,
Vics-Pres;dent Judges, Senators, Represen-
tatives, Cabinet officers-these, and all 9TH
ers in authority, are the peoples servants,
their officers. The offices are not pri-
vate requisite. They are public trust.
Two evils infest the official service of the
Federal Government. One is the prevalent
and demoralizing notion that the public SER
vice exists not for the business and benefit of
TIE whole people, but for the interest of the
oficeholders, who are in truth but the SER
wants of the people. Under the influence of
this pernicious error public employments
have been multiplied, the number of those
gathered into the ranks of officeholders has
been steadily increased beyond any possible
requirements of the public business, while in
efficiency, peculation. fraud and malyersation
of the public funds, from the high places of
power to the lowest, have overspread the
whole service like leprosy.
The other evil is the organization of the
official class into body of political mer-
cenaries, governing the caucuses and dictat-
ing the nominations of their own party, and
attempting to carry the elections of the peo-
pie by undue influence and by immense cor
huPbAoh Auhop, yoICuldIlCdlly COlleCttu lIOul
| the salaries or fees of oficeholders. The
official class in other countries by its own
| weight, and sometimes in alliance with the
army, has been able to rule the unorganized
| masses, even under universal suffrage. Here
| it has already grown into a gigantic power
| capable of sitting the inspirations of a
| sound public opinion and of resisting an easy
change of administration, until misgovern-
ment becomes intolerable and public spirit
has been stung to the pitch of civic reyo-
| luton.
The first step in reform is the elevation of
the standard by which the appointing power
selects agents to execute official trusts. Next
in Importance is conscientious fidelity in
the exercise of the authority to hold to &C.
| count and displace untrustworthy or incapa-
BILE subordinates. The public interest in an
honest, skillful performance of official trust,
must not be sacrificed to the usufruct of the
| incumbents. After these immediate steps
which will insure the exhibition of better ex-
amples, we may wisely go on to the abolition
OF unnecessary offices, and finally to the
patient, careful organization of better civil
service system, under the tests where yer
practicable, of proved competency and fidelity
ONE TERM
While much may be accomplished by these
methods, it might encourage delusive expec-
tations if I withheld here the expression of
my conviction that no reform of the civil SER
vice in this country will be complete and
permanent until the chief is constitutionally
disqualified for re- election, experience having
repeatedly exposed the fallacy of self imposed
restrictions by candidates or incumbents.
Through this solemnity only can he be effec-
tually delivered from his greatest temptation
to misuse the power and patronage with
which the Executive is necessarily charged.
Educated in the belief that it is the first
duty of citizen of the Republic to take his
fair allotment of the care and trouble in pub
lie affairs, I have, for twenty years, as a pri-
vate citizen, fulfilled that duty. Though
occupied, in an unusual degree, during all
that period, with the concerns of government
l have never acquired the habit of official life,
When year and half ago entered upon
my present trust, it was in order to consum-
mate reforms to which I had already devoted
several of the best years of my life. Know
ing as do, therefore, from fresh experience
how great the difference is between gliding
through an official routine and working out a
reform OF systems and politics, it is impossi-
Bile for me to contemplate what needs to be
done in the Federal administration without
an anxious sense of the difficulties of the
undertaking. If summoned by the suffrages
OF my countrymen to attempt this work, !
shall endeavor, with Gods help, to be the
efficient instrument of their will.
SAMUEL J. TILDEN.
To Gen. John A. McClernand, and others,
committee of the Democratic National Con-
| yention.