The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1877-03-08

CCutfl, Out q uulGou
CIVIL SERVICE.
| I ask the attention of the public to the
paramount necessity of reform in our
| civil service, a reform not merely as to
| certain abuses and practices of so-called
| official patronage, which have come to
! have the sanction of usage in several de-
| partments of our government. but a
| change of the system of appointment IT
| self-a reform that shall be thorough,
! radical, and completes return to the
. principles and practices of the founders
| of the government. They neither ex-
| pected nor desired from public officers
any partisan service. They meant that
public officers should owe their whole
| service to the government and to the
people; they meant that the officer should
| be secure in his tenure as long AS his
| personal character remained untarnlsh-
| ed and the performance of his duties was
satisfactory They held that appoint
ments to Office were not to be made or
expected merely as rewards for partisan
services, nor merely on the nomination
of members of Congress, as being EMIT
led in any respect to the control of such
appointments. The fact that both polit-
ical parties of the country, in declaring
their principles prior to the election,
| gave prominent place to the subject of
| the reform of our civil service, recognlz-
ing and strongly urging its necessity in
| terms almost identical i'll their specific
| import with those have here employed
| must be accepted as conclusive argu
ment in behalf of these measures. It
must be regarded as the expression of
the united voice and will of the whole
country npon this subject, and both po-
litical parties are virtually pledged to
| give it their unreserved support.
| The President of the United States, Of
necessity, owes his election to office to
the suffrage and jealous labors of o DIT
ical party, the members of which cher
lsh with ardor, and regard as of essential
Importance, the principals of their party
| organization But he should strive to
be always mindful of the fact that he
serves his party best who serves the
country best. In fnrtherance of the re-
| form we seek, and, as in other important
respects change of great Importance, [
recommend an amendment to the Con-
stitution prescribing term of six years
for the Presidential office, and forbid
ding reelection.
With respect to the financial condition
of the country, l shall not attempt an
| extended history of the embarrassment
and prostration which we have suffered
during the past three years. The de-
preston in all our varied commercial
and manufacturing interests throughout
the country, which began in September
1873, still continues. 1t is very crafty
ing, however, to be able to say that there
are indications all around us of COM
| ing change to prosperous times.
Upon the currency question, intimate
ly connected as it is with this topic, L
may be permitted to repeat the state
ment made in my letter of acceptance,
that in my judgement the feeling of I'M
certainty inseparable from an irredee M
able paper currency, with its huctua-
tions of values, in one of the greatest
! obstacles Of q return to prosperous
times. The only safe paper currency is
one which rests upon a coin basis, and
| is at all times promptly converted into
coin. [ adhere to the views heretofore
expressed by me in favor of Compression
| al legislature in behalf of an early re-
sumption of specie payment. am sat
! isfed not only that this is wise. but that
! the interests, as well as the public senti-
! ment Of the country, imperatively de-
| nland it.
| Passing from these remarks upon the
| condition of our own country, to consid-
er our relations with other lands. We
| are reminded by the international
| complications abroad, threatening the
! peace of Europe, that our traditional
| rule of noninterference in affairs of for
eign nations has proved of great value in
| past times, and 10 be strictly observed.
The policy inaugurated by my honor
ed predecessor-Gen Grant-of sub.
uniting to arbitration grave questions
| In dispute between ourselves and for
| eign powers, points to new and in
comparably best instrumentality for the
| preservation of peace, and will, as [ be-
Geve, become beneficient example of
| the course to be pursued in similar emer-
gencies by other nations. If questions
! of difference should at any time dr1-
/ ring the period of my administration
| arise between the United States and any
foreign government, it will certainly be
my disposition and my hope to aid in
| their settlement in the same peaceful
and honorable way, thus securing to our
| country the great blessings of peace and
mutual good offices with all nations of
/ the world.
Feilow-citiEens, we haye reached the
| close OF political contest marked with
! the excitement which usually attendsthe
! whose members espouse and advocate
with earnest faith their respective creeds.
! The circumstances were, perhaps, in no
respect extraordinary save in the close
ness and the consequent uncertainty Of
! the result.
| For the first time in the history of
! the country it has been deemed best, in
| view of the peculiar circumstan-
/ ces of the case that the objections and
| questions In dispute with reference to
the counting of the electoral votes,
| should be referred to the decision of a
tribunal, appointed for this sole pur-
| pose, its members, all of them, of long
| established reputation for integrity and
| intelligence, and, with exception of
| those who are also members of the su-
/ preme Judiciary, chosen equally from
| both political parties, its deliberations
enlightened by the research and the ar
currents OF able counsel, was entitled to
/ the fullest confidence of the American
| people. Its decisions have beenpatient-
| ly waited for and accepted as legally
| conclusive by the general judgement of
/ the public. For the present opinion
/ will widely vary as to the wisdom Of the
/ several conclusions announced by that
! tribunal. This is to be anticipated in
| every instance where matters of dispute
! are made the subject Of arbitration I'M
/ der the form of law. Human judgement
! is never unerring, and is rarely reear-
| ded as otherwise than wrong by the I'M
| successful party in the contest. The
| fact that two great political parties have
IL this way settled Q dispute in regard to
/ which good men differ as to the law 10
/ less than the proper course to be pur-