Litchfield enquirer., 1877-12-20
Civil Service Reform and the Political

publican Senators If Messrs. Conkling, Blaine and Edmunds are right, Hayes is an utter sham; his apparent efforts to remove appoint ments from Congressional and political control, a fraud; and he himself the mere tool of his subtle and selfish Secretary of State. If this is true, the people were egregiously humbugged by the Republican party year=since and their platform, their candidate, and their can- didate's letter of acceptance were all parts of a grander and grosser fraud than F. T. Bar mum ever practiced on credulous populace.
 This is palpably the Senatorial view of the matter. The leading Republicans of that body make no pretence of Civil Service reform on their part. They sheer at every attempt to break up their control of federal appointments. A clause of the Cincinnati platform declares 'that Senators and Representatives who may be judges and aceusers should not dictate ap- pointments to office! !" Yet we are told that Mir. Conkling appealed to the Senate to retain Messrs. Arthur and Cornell in office because I their removal twas intended to break him down and dishonor him politically ;" and that he be- sought them toprotect him against the appoint ment of Mr. Roosevelt because he was .his bitter persoual enemy" Republican Senators hearkeneddo his appeal. and put themselves frankly on the record In favor of the very abuse their party had solemnly promised at Cincinnati to reform; II there is any honesty | in the action pf these Hcpubliean aSenators. it must be found in the claim that the declara- tions of National Republican Convention summoned to nominate Republican candi- date for the Presidency, donot bind a Republi- can Senate House that the federal Senate is not only above the President but above the l People. m = If, however, the President is not what Messrs. Conkling, Blaine and Edmunds con- ceive him to be-a fraud, or anonentity-but a | firm, honessys&hd able man, with able cabinet advisers, ,can Ee' doanything for Reform against the pronounced opposition of a Republican Sen ate? Apparently not. Even if he should prove to the satisfaction of that body that Mir. Arthur is not running the New York Custom 1 House in the interest of Reform but in the in- terest of Mir. Conkling, that would only strengthen the Senatorial opposition to his re- moval. In short the President can hope for no substantial aid from his own party in Con- gress in carrying out any projects of reform. He may effect something. alone or he may receive unexpected help from the Democracy, but from the Republicans be can expect noth- ing.
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 In what condition;| then. does this complete and pitiable collapse of their Reform policy leave the Republican party for 1888? They were in popular minority of 25O, 900 votes in 1876. The 19 electoral votes of South Caroli. ma, Florida and Louisiana, which were counted in favor of Mir. Hayes are certainly Democrat ic as against anything like machine Republi- canism. The Senate becomes Democratic in the next Congress. In refusing their aid to the liberalizing and reforming policy of the President, the Republicans of the Senate have thrown away all chance of fsuceess in 1880, ex- cept the single hope that Democracy will behave still worsBthan Republicanism. The positive, aggressive policy of the President is abandoned, for dull hopeless defensive; and the hope of reform through the Republican party is abandoned, that Roscoe Conkling may be returned to the Senate in 1879.
 Nor must we forget that last weeks great and perhaps decisive victory of machine poll tica over reform politics was won by Demo cratic assistance. Congressional Democracy seems no better inclined towards Reform than Congressional Republicanism Democratic Senators who have repeatedly gone on the re- cord against the constitutionality of the Ten ure of Office act assisted MT. Conkling to re- tain his friends in office through the provisions of that act. AS partisans, their action is no doubt shrewd, for the Democratic party have little to fear from machine Republicanism. It may possibly carry the New York legislature Tn 1878, but it can never carry the elect4Tal vote of that state in 1880. Hayes Republican ism, however, is very different matter That threatens real danger. It might break the solid South, or it might reconquer Connecticut and New York in 1880. Hence the Northern Democrats, as body, gave their help to the Republican machine" in it's fight with the President. The Southern Democrats. especial ly Bayard, Gordon and Lamar, pursued a more patriotic course, although Messrs. Gordon and Hill, in subsequent debates In executive ses sion, are reported to have fallen back on the vicious doctrine of Senatorial interference witl the federal appointments of their respective States.
 This controversy seems to prove, in short, that Civil Service Reform has nothing to hope from either party in Congress Whatev, CT the President may intend, the machine is supreme in the two Houses. A few South ern Democrats seem to besomethng more thar partisans; but the bulk of our Congressmen art mere politicians, squabbling for the control ol offices and pursuring their petty partisan ad vantages without regard topatriotism or jus tice. We trust that the people are coming tc rate them and their machines at their true val ue and the question of Reform may be eventu ally presented to the Congressman in sucf fashion that he will not dare to neglect it.
 Naval Officer Cornell has just been elected amember of the New York State central com mittee again, and several other federal officer in Mir. Conkling's dominions are disregarding the presidents order eg While Reform seems dead in Washington has shown abundant vitality in Boston wherr, Mir. Henry L. Pierce was elected by the Re publicans and Reformers combined ove Prince, the Democratic Candidate.
 There is to be Connecticut Episcopa Church Conference at Hartford; on Tuesday Jan. Sth., at which various subjects suited t, the occasion are to be discussed, -as.s
 There is enough Republication left in Beau fort Co, South Carolina, to elect Republical } state senator. ga 45 } | Amoug the postmasters recently confirmed