The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1876-08-03
nREFORM Is NECESSARY. y

after announcing this proposition, is goes
IN to declare that experience proves that
% efficient, economical conduct of the gov
" eminent is not possible il its civil SER
g vice be subject 10 change at every cleo
" ton, be prize fought for at the ballot
box, be brief reward Of party zeal,
" instead of posts of honor assigned for
proved competency, and held for fidelity
q" in the public employ" This declaration
vas made by the great democratic party,
he party 10 which the decentralization of
he civil service is mainly due; the party
which introduced into the American civil
ervice the dogma that 10 the political vic.
ors belongs the spoils of office the party
which was never known to appoint to, or
retain in, office political opponent, no
natter how completely his competency"
night have been proved or how faithful
he might have been IN the "public en-
"ploy !" the party which signalized its
last accession to partial power by utterly
llsregarding competency and fidelity, and
making the mast sweeping changes in all
he offices under their control known to
history, and by couferrng them simply as
prizes" as "brief rewards of party zeal
To show their practical Interpretation of
his demand for 'reform" to show the
honesty and sincerity of the declaration
hat the civil service should not be q
prize fought for at the ballot box" "a
brief reward for party ZEAL" but should
le ''post of honor" conferred for capacity
md integrity, and held for efficiency and
idelity; to demonstrate how much the
country can rely on its pledge to reform
back to the administrations of Andrew
Jackson, Martin Van Buren,, Franklin
Pierce, or even, of James Buchanan-ad-
ministratons which, to quote from the St.
Louis platform, "permitted fraud, favored
smuggling, enriched dishonest officials,
bankrapted honest merchants" "honey-
'combed the offices of the federal govern
. eminent itsef with incapacity, waste and
% fraud, infected states and municipalities
g with the contagion of msrule," robbed
municipal, state and national treasures of
Millions, and finally attempted to disrup,
he Union, and involved the country in a
four years war-but we have it all told in
the history of congress during the last eight
months, during which period they have
had absolute control of the national house
of representatives.
They commenced by making complete
change in the civil service of the house,
removing all of the officers, from the high.
est to the lowest, one hundred and fifteen
in all. These embraced officials who had
proved their competency by their fidelity
in office, and their patriotism on the field
Of battle. Fifty-seven Union soldiers
sixteen of whom were disabled by wounds
| received in battle-were so removed, ant
torty-seven ex-rebel soldiers were appoint
ed to office in their stead. Among this
number was that "biger man than ole
" Grant" who was made door keeper sole.
ly because he had been sergeant at armt
of the confederate congress the chaplain
whose chief and only recommendation wal
hat he, northern man, had refused L
pray for the president of the United States
Abraham Lincoln, during the rebellion
and the postmaster, Stewart, who was ,
colonel in Ashby's rebel cavalry.
| The "reform in the civil service" did no
stop here, but new clerks were appointed
to all the committees, including HANDLE
ton who was rewarded with the most i'm
portant cerkship-.that of the committe,
on ways and means-becsuse he hat
named child John Wilkes Booth, "ir
"honor of" the assassin of Abraham LIN
coin. The reform did not stop here, To-
this reforming and honest democracy ha
just shown their regard for the will o
the people, as expressed at the bal
lot box, by seating, in pursuance of I
corrupt bargain, John Goode, jr., as
representative from Virginia, although i
was known and conceded that he was de
feated at the polls.
The facts need no comment. They SHOW
the utterly rotten and corrupt character O.
the national democratic party. They prov,
that This demand for civil service reform
ON their part, 10 dishonest and insincere
They give the lie to all of their professions
and show how utterly unreliable are all o
their promises and pledges. To use tn,
language of the st. Louis patform-witl
the addition of word; "Professions, fal
"sified in the performance, attest that tn
"party In power" in the house of repre-
ntatives-''csn work out NO practical an,
salutary reform"
Our democratic brethren profess sor
of holy horror at the fact that Zacharial
Chandler is secretary of the interior and
at the same time, chairman of the republi
can national committee. Bad isn't 1t ?
was all right, though, for David A. Smalle,
of Vermont, to be a judge of an Unite'
States court and, at the same time, chair
| man of the Democratic national committee