Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1877-08-31

In a government like ours, the organiza-
tion of parties is necessary and inevitable.
1t is the indispensable method of maintain
ing and carrying on the government. Under
an absolute despotism, there is nothing for
political parties to do, no scope for their
action, no possibility of their active exis-
tence but, in our government, they are
essential and certain. In d democratic re-
public, the people must aid will combine to
organize and carry on the government, and
there will always be two parties. There's are
some who pretentiously announce their SUI
perioritY to parties, profess indIyldualism In
politics, and think themselves inefably wise,
while they are inexpressibly foolish. These
people can no more administer and maintain
the government than they can change the
laws of human action and remodel human
nature. In u government like ours, 1t Is a
fundamental fact that there will be and
must be parties. An attempt at civil service
reform, which ignores this fundamental fact,
and seeks to dig great gulf between the civil
service and party politics, is folly, and
must necessarily be failure; for, each ad-
ministration is sure to have its own policy,
its own preferences, and its own rules, for
the regulation of appointments to office
under it. No man can be elected President,
without the support of n party; and no
President can reasonably ignore the relation
parties sustain to the government he admin
lsters. 1t is duty which he can not safely
disregard, to seek support for his admins
tration in making appointments to othce 10
do other wise, and aim to have all govern
ment officials transformed into political
eunuchs, or useless devotees OF political IN
diyidualism, can not fail to do grave injury
to himself and to the party by which he was
elected.
The nation has never had in the prcSiden-
tial chair a more upright and honorable man
than President Hayes. nor one whose aims
were more conscientious and patriotic. But
President HAYES Is not incapable Of mis-
takes, and we find an illustration of this in
his order directing all government ofheials
to separate themselves completely from party
polite. Probably this order was due in part
TO the influence of certain members OF his
cabinet. Be this as it may, the order does a
wrong TO those whom it effects directly, in
lures his party, and weakens the support of
his administration. If there were in some
of the cities, or in other places, abuses that
needed correction, the corrective should have
been applied where it was needed. Such
a general order was not needed by the civil ser
vice. 1t does no good while it Goes much
harm. Gen. Garfield, an earnest supporter
of President Hayes, says that nothing the
administration has done has given the Re
publican party of Ohio such II 'set back
as this civil service order. ltdoes not help the
Republican party anywhere, nor will 1t do
much anywhere to correct abuses OF the
civil service. 1t looks like an attempt to
realize an unpracticahc ideal. Some OF the
worst abuses of the civil service will be
found in connection with the non-political
rings, such as the Indian ring. Civil service
reform means the correction of all abuses,
the removal of bad or incompetent men from
office, and effective measures to prevent the
appoin tment of men who are unit or un-
Trustworthy Worcester Spy.