The New Orleans Democrat., 1876-07-12
A MORAL LECTURE.

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acceptance. one Is almost tempted to
regret that man with SO many wise
and virtuous plans for civil service
reform In his head Is so little likely
ever to have an opportunity to carry
them out. We are consoled. however,
by the fact that IL Gov. Tilden has not
yet furnished us with an epistle on the
subject, his record as Governor Of New
York. with the st. Louis platform,
guarantees US fully as much In this line
as the rather sloppy letter OF the
Ohio Governor promises. And then,
upon reflection, we are little
disposed TO distrust fine professions
on this subject from Gov Hayes side OF
the house. We shall not deny that he
Is very sincere In his purposes. But
the Governor Is very weak man, and
will, IL elected, have very little to say in
his own administration. 1t must be
borne in mind that he was not chosen
as the Republican candidate because he
Is great man, nor because he
Is competent to I'LL the high
Office for which he Is candidate
Indeed, these facts are 50 public
that no effort Is made to disguise them,
and the Governor. himself, told us as
much in his speech to his neighboIs
just after the nomination. Gov. Hayes
was nominated because he is a good
natured sort of nopentity. and each
leader Of the party agreed to accept him
as compromise, because each leader
counted on running him: and, among
them. they will run him. His admins
tration will not be the administration Of
President Hayes, but the administra-
tion OF Morton, Cameron, Logan, Blaine.
Conkling and company. And when
those high old rascals get hold of the
Governor, what, we should like to know,
will his virtuous views on civil service
reform amount ,o2
These same men have been running
the Federal Government since 1868, and
what tave they done for civil service
reform? When Gen. Grant was inaugu-
rated the number of officials on the civil
list OF the Government numbered but
fifty-four thousand two hundred and
seven. Under his administration. con
trolled by the same men who will
control that Of Gov. Hayes, If he
be elected, the number Of Officials on
the civil list had been in 1875 increased
to ninety-four thousand one hundred
and nineteen, an increase of thirty nine
thousand nine hundred and twelve in
nine years. Nor has there been any
real necessity for this enormous in
crease Of the civil service list. Under
President Johnson's Administration
with the accounts OF the war to settle,
with all the immenge civil machinery
which had been organized during the
war, there was ecessity for a much
larger force in thfs civil service than
there has been siflce; yet, since then,
the men who are running Gov.
Hayes, and WHO will control his
administration, III he be elected, have
increased the Number of office holders
nearly forty Thousand. There Is no
earthly neeessity for this army of Gov
ernment hire lings; they are employed
and paid out of the money wrung from
the people, .simply to swell the retainers
of the Republican party.
And is there any reason to suppose
that the Republican party proposes to
change i'ts policy in this matter? Gov.
Hayes. it is true, discourses to the coun-
try wisely and we'll Of civil service
reforpn, and his cunning words
are very fair and may bamboozle the
unwary. They constitute an excellent
ticket, indeed, for an editorial in the
Republican, or for stump speech by
Packard. But while we read the Gov
ernor's lecture on civil service reform in
one column Of the newspapers, in the
next we find full and detailed accounts
of the fierce struggle Morrill,, Morton
and Logan, the trainers Of Hayes, are
making in the Senate to defeat
the movement Of the Democratic
House to cut down the civil list by
looping off forty millions of dollars
from the usual appropriations. Most of
this forty millions Gov. Hayes trainers
are fighting for Is designed to pay the
salaries OF this useless army of forty
thousand Radical officeholders who live
on the substance OF the people. This
action OF the leaders of the Republican
party, who are to control Gov. Hayes,
is designed to prevent reduction
of the civil list or of the expenses
Of the Government. Their pur-
pose is to continue the profligate
system they have established and il
Gov. Hayes is elected and their influ-
ence in the Administration of the Gov
ernment thereby prolonged, they will
prolong their present profigate, corrupt
and useless system. Gov. Hayes letter
on this subject is very we'll, but the
policy Of his party is fixed, and he is
not strong enough to change it.
1t Is not new thing for Republicans
to discourse upon civil service reform.
A few years ago Grant and his Con-
gress had a great deal to say on this