Orangeburg news and times. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1875-1877, 1876-09-23

election, thereby disposing Of all per-
sonal motives TO thwart reform, while
Gov. Tildcn is not. IIc leaves open
his chance Of a second term, and con-
sclucntly ell the personal induce
mcnts to pcrpctuate the present sys-
lem. lie merely docs what the great
corruptcr Of the civil service, Andrew
Jackson, did. In each Of his first
three messages to Cong ross, jackson
urgently recommended, like Gov
Tildcn, constitutional limitation Of
the presidency to one term. In his
fourth message Jackson omit cd the
recommendation, for he had already
been reelected for second term,
having zcalouslY prostitutcl the exc
culivc patronage to tha' cnl during
all his first term.
The two evils which Gov. Tide cn
mentions as infcsting our civil service
arc merely symptoms directly due to
the present purely partisan system Of
appointments. There can be no re-
form without correcting this system,
and that Coy. Tildcn does not pro-
pose to do! lie says that the first
step is the elevation Of The standard
Of selection; that is to say, only the
honest and competent must be ap-
pointed. Is there anybody who SAYS
anything else? Docs anybody de-
mand the selection f,hc dishonest
and incompetent? Every rogue now
i'll Office has been appointed bv those
who insist, With Gov. Tildcn, that
only the honest and competent shall
be selected. The difficulty is in the
very position that Gov. Tillen
assumes, namely, the appointment Of
the incompetent and uniaithful by
those who insist that only the hon est
and fit shall be selected. The vital
question Of reform is not whether, but
how, the standard shall be elevated;
and upon that point Gov. TMden has
nothing to say. Ills second step is
taitl exercise Of the authority to
remove for misconduct. Thas is, Of
course, desirable, but it is something
that depends entirely upon the per-
S"nal character Of the appointing
officer, and it is Il power which, rs
Coy. Ti!dens great party leader,
An.lrcw Jacks IN, showed, is liable to
The most monstrors abuse. Indeed,
it has been proved by experience to
be 4 power too liable to abuse to be
tolerated i'll any system which does
not guard most carefully against its
Illicit exercise. There are many
intelligent and sincere friends Of re-
form who think tina. the most import
ant step ofall is the strict regulation
OF the arbitrary POWER which Gov.
Iilden would leave untouched, with
a praycriul hope that it would be pro
pcrly exercised
Gov. Tildcn's treatment Of this
subject by its cvasions and o,n issions
shows conclusiycly, to our apprchcn
sion, that he is not himself III favor
OF real reform of the system, and
that he is perfectly aware that he
would be dropped by his party if he
declared for it. There is nothing in
what lie says to prevent, in case Of his
election, rs clean Il partisan sweep Of
the Offices rs that which jackson
made and which his party will de-
mand. All that lie says is, III sub
stance, that there ought to be good
men iii the high Offices, and that they
ought to appoint good men in the
lower, and remove bad mon. The
Democratic clerk Of Mr.. Morrisou's
who named his child for tho assassin
Of Mr.. Lincoln, and the Democratic
door-kecpcr Of the House, Fitzhugh
would cordially agree that Gov.
Tildcn treats the subject OF civil SER
vice reform like statesman Of The
sound Jucksonian school; but every
man who Inns seriously studied the
subject will sec ut once that he has
deXtcronslY trincd With one Of the