Lyon County times. [volume] (Silver City, Nev.) 1874-1907, 1877-09-08
CIVIL SERVICE Reform.

Hercu!esn is the labor uDde. taken
by President Hayes and his Cabinet
IN reforming the civil service "f the
general government. Corruption has
been growing upon the service ever
since the days Of jefferson, and to-
day almost every federal office that
can possibly be converted int" a
vehicle Of fraud upon the public ana
the government Is u vile stencil In
the uostriis of all honest people. AS
a rule. when a man seeks federal
office. it is more for tine stealings
than for the salary. In every branch
az the civil service the honest incum-
bent is the exception, and the people
have come to expect their servants t"
rob them, deeEing it almost impossl-
bl. to prevent these peculations.
By direction Of I've President the
beads Of the Departments have 10
siitutcd inquiries in the larger cities,
and the result everywhere shows
great need of reform. The mint and
custom house service Of San Fran
cisco IS undergoing investigation, the
public record Of which, SO far as y
has progressed, is familiar TO opr
readers. A commission that recently
inquired into the working Of the New
Orleans custom house recommended
to the Secretary Of the Treasury a
Dian to correct many abuses and ma
terially reduce expenses. The COM
mission appointed to investigate the
New York custom house fnd that
pretty much the entire mach 'ery
needs remodelling. Under the pres
ant system, the widest oppoItunit
ia given for the waste Of the pubii'
fuads through the multiplication III
offices and clerkships which could
be dispensed with without any detrl-
mept to the service. The commis-
sion find men drawing large salaries
and doing NO work, or else doing s.
little that honest occupants OF the Of
fees would be ashamed to say that
they were earning their daily bread.
For instance, the report shows how
things are managed in the weighing
department, u summary or which is
piyen as follows in one Of the daily
journals:
"Weighing in the custom house
sense, is an organized system OF
double plumber, of which the govern
ment and the merchants are equally
the victims. Each district is IN
charge OF weigher, who draws a
salary of $4,000 year, but does NJ"
weigh anything, his duties being
transmitted to foreman. The
weivher's foreman draws a salary OF
$1,000 a year, aud does not weigh
anything, but turns over the work to
seven or eight laborers. The labor
ers receive forty cents an hour, and
do not weigh anything, but take
figures from the city weighcrs, or
from the foreign marks ON the goods
Then there are numerous clerks who
receive salaries OF $1,000 n year, aud
do nothing for it, leaving the duties
to substitutes who are rated as
iaborers at forty cents AL hour. A
large proportion OF the laborers'
finally, do nothing except draw their
pay; and, in word, the entire de-
partment seems to be Organized only
10 enable party workers OF certain
low class to draw salaries and talk
politics. But they drive pretty
Lively business ip leyying illegal
charges upon the merchants, and
the, have regular schedule OF i'm
positions which it il not easy to dis
ppgu,sh from blackmail."
At = Cabinet meeting Thursday j
decided that public INTERESTS would
be better served by the appointment
of new officers for three leading posi-
tions in the New York custom house,
and it h probable clean sweep WI
10 made, rs this seems the only way
TO satisfactorily reform the service.
And perhaps the same remedy will
be necessary at other important ports.
d. P. WIaaINToN. late member
Of Congress from the fourth dis
trlct Of California. aud defeated by
one vote last fall, says he has sue
G. Avwne in tho ra.