The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-08-04
Signed
Senator Gordon's Biil-Foliy Eiabo.
rated.

rated.
Some measures before Congress consist
of one great, complete folly. Senator
GoRDoN's bill differs from these. Ii is COM
posed ofseveral follies, and is a sort OF con-
glomerate, or pudding stone Of ridiculous
propositions,
The purpose of this BILL rs expressed in
Its title, is ITO establish competent and
non-partisan revenue corps The word
corps, as applied to the civil service,
IL hardly appropriate. Corps means
n body of troops, u division Of an
army. Senator GORDON possibly had n
prejudice i'll its favor from being mill
tary man. For ourselves, We are so i'm
pressed with the importance OF keeping
military ideas out of the civil service, that
we feel repugnance to the introduction
of military terms, to designate It's several
divisions.
Competent revenue officers it is desirable
TO have, since revenue officers of some
kind are indispensable. As to their being
non-partsan. we do not see why that
should be required OF them. any more than
that they should be eunuchs.
Let US consider, in detail, some OF the
provisions of the measure which Mr.. Con-
DON has introduced into the senate.
First: "All appointments in the Revenue
Department shall be confined TO The lowest
grades, namely, gaugers and storekeepers.
Apply this principle TO any private bust
ness, that OF a hotel keeper for instance.
bootblack has sometimes risen 10 be-
rome a good steward. Suppose the law of
the State forbade hotel keeper to employ
any steward unless he FIRST came us boot
black
Secondly These gaugers and storekeep-
nrs are to be appointed upon competitive
examination" Examination in what? In
gauging and bookkeeping, OF course.
Whether the one who has gagged the
longest or gagged the most, or the one who
has kept store the longest or kept the
biggest store, is TO be deemed lrst in the
competitive examination, we are not in
formed. As the corps, however, is to be
"non-partisau," while the successful ap-
plicant must be proficient in gauging and
bookkeeping, his chances will also depend
largely on his being profoundly ignorant
Of state and national affairs, and CORE
Epondingly Indifferent to them. The ne
r.
which, according TO Mr.. WHEELER, the
Republican candidate for Weep President
there is not single school house, would be
likely to bear off the palm in this branch
of the examination.
Thirdly: The higher grades OF Deputy
Collector, Collector, and Supervisor, shall
be filed only by promotion from the next
lower grades, and also upon competitive
examinations. No man in the United States
can be "A Collector of Internal Revenue. a
Deputy Collector, or Il Supervisor, unless
he has first been gauger or a stOrekeeper
Now man may be fully competent 10 be "a
gauger or storekeeper without possessing
scarcely any Of the qualifications requisite
TO good Collector or Supervisor. Indeed,
his accepting the inferior and almost con-
tenptible position Of gauger or store
keeper is, in itself, no light evidence
OF his uniitness for an Office in every
way OF different and much higher
Kind, and requiring far more intel
igence and capacity. Nor is there
anything in the nature OF the duties of
Rnuger or storekceper which makes the
practice of them calculated to qualify a
person above others for Collector or SUI
pervisor.
1t is plain that the title Of Mr.. Cor
DoE's bill is msnomer. Instead OF
reading: "a bill TO establish competent
corps, II should be: - bin TO establish
a more Incompetent corps" Now, wehave
all the men in The country to select Col
leotors, Deputy Collectors, ana Supervisors
from; aud they are bad enough at that.
Then We should have only the limited aud
inferior class holding the Offices Of gauger
hnd storekceper-witha stupid ndiffer-
ence 10 public affairs 10 be regarded as a
recommendation in picking from even this
poor lott
Fourthy; The promotions are TO be de-
termncd by an Examining Board. These
boards are to be appointed by the Conn
missioner Of Internal Revenue. with the