The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1877-08-22

To the Editor of the Tribune.
: SfR: The Civil Service of England is held up
by Reformers as the goal Of our ambition.
There is the land of pure delight where saints
immortal reign. There competitive examina-
ton has free course to run and be glorifed.
There peer and peasant are on the same foot
ing. man has no prestige from connection
or acquaintance with the great, but is appointed
to office only after a stern certificate of fitness
There money is restrained to its legitimate
uses The purity of elections is secured By the
most rigid laws against bribery, and the wies
of politicians are unknown.
confess that look upon all these assertions
with entire distrust. No law of nature is more
universal than that uttered by the Hebrew
savant: As in water face answereth to face,
so the heart of man to man. Two nations of
common blood and similar institutions will in
evitably be similar in character. am happy
to believe that both England and America are
continually striving for good government, but
should need the most ndisputable testimony
to believe that England had fonnd any royal
road to virtue. While in certain respects Eng
lish ways may be bitter than ours, aud certain
others in which ours are better than the Eng
nSn, anu certain OtnerS Sill IN which each
ones way is best for itself and they could not
be interchanged to advantage, I judge that
the integrity and intelligence of the educated
class the political class, the governing class of
the two countries do not materially differ. L
question If the government of England IA
more economically, more honestly, more deftly,
more justly, more democratically administered
than ours; whether its Civil Service costs less.
accomplishes more, and is on the whole con-
Quoted with more purity and patriotism.
he L he'll hr;r
tify this question are circumstantal, indirect,
involuntary, and therefore more valuable than
direct testimony, which may be supposed to be
biased by desire or dread of consequences
And first l give the novel;. No one can
read square yard of English novels without
seeing that government service is the stock ref
uge of every distressed hero towards whom the
author has benevolent intentions. Ard this
service is usually opened to them, not through
their own power and prowess but through the
Intervention of some titled kinsman or some
magnanimous noble rival. Mrs. Oiphant's disa-
vowed Edward is allowed by the Lady Augusta
to marry her daughter as soonas some consulate
is secured to him; but not a word of any for
mldaDle and imperlous competitive examina-
tion. Mrs. Alexander's Tilted lover, whose
most hopeful fitness" is an effort at reform
after his dissipations, is deeently provided for
in government office, not by competitive ex-
animation, but by the splendid gentleman who
has "cut him out'-a flower Of the nobility.
But thing of this sort has spread wide and
deep through society before it filters down into
women's novels as general and natural re-
source.
And it is not in women's novels alone that
we find it. Mr.. Anthony Trollope will be ad-
mitted by all TO be as good authority as one
could have on Parliamentary matters. In his
very clever story of "Dr. Thorns'' he says:
Sin these days of snow-white purity the
sin OF bribery Is damnable. 1t is the one sin for
wblcn, In the House OF Commons, there be no
forgiveness. When discovered It should render the
culPrit liable to political death without hope Of
pardon. -. 1t is pollution to the whole
sacrifice. Such is the language Of patriotic
members with regard TO bribery. = The laws
that an unfortunate candidate may easily become
guilty, even though actuated by the purest inten-
TONS. But not the less on the account does any
gentleman ambitious of the honor OF serving his
country in Parliament think it necessary, as a
preliminary measure, to provide round sum OF
money at his bankers. candidate must pay for
no treating, no retreshment, no band OF music: he
must give neither ribbons to the girls nor ale to the
men. II huzza be uttered in his favor, it is at
his peril; 1t may be necessary for him to prove
before a. committee that 1t was the spontaneous
result OF British feeling in his favor and not the
purchased result Of British beer. He cannot safely
ask anyone to share his hotel dinner Bribery hides
itself now in the most impalpabe shapes, and may
be effected by the offer of glass of sherry. But
not the less on this account does Door man find
that he is quite unable to overcome the difficulties
OF contested election"
And the story Of DR.. Thorne tells us how it
is done.
In Screen Pastures and Piccadilly," novel
now appearing from week to week in various
periodicals, Mr.. William Black repeats the
wondrous tals. MIR. Balfour is the rising, am
bilious, clever young Farliamentarian Of the
better sort. He has lost his seat in one bor-
ough and is desirous to secure another and con-
suits MIR. Bolitho, who is the Parliamentary
agent-employed by members, as our Reform
ers would say, "to do their dirty work for
them. The conversation of these men is ex-
tremely entertaining reading for the worship
pers of British politics. Mr.. Balfour is ad-
vised to 60 up and see Chorley; who carries
Englebury borough in his pocket. Old Harm
den, the present incumbent Is very unpopular
he has been spending no money Iateiy-and
when he is appealed to- vows he will not spend
penny Tor bogus contest. Chorley is the
great man OF Englebury, friend Of the Dukes
and must be conciliated by putting little busi-
ness IN MS way-or especially by buying up
some land which he has, not to put too fine
point on it, stolen from the common, and about
Wnlch ne Is a little uneasy, and giving it to the
vllisge Tor public green, thereby conciliating
both: or course the borough must not know
anything about it till after election; for even
the expressed intention of doing such thing
would be serious matter for Mr.. Baltour.
ChoTley, indeed, is rather startled by Baltours
frankness in speaking of 1t to himself, for "he
was accustomed to recondite diplomacy caucus
meetings, private influence, and befittipg
gravity" and was quite shocked by hearing a
spade called spade. He called it the high
sense of duty of a member of Parliament
Old Harnden-the man who would aud would
not spend money according to his liking-was
honest and straightforward, but his brother-in-
law, Macleary received $500 in hard cash for
tslKlng out a bill near the end of the session:
MI. Dsiiour's only rival was one Key, VINO mad
been sent out of England time after time TO the
most unhealthy places, but came back smiling
every time, and threatening to get into Parlia-
ment again If they did not give him better
appointment! Is Mr.. William Black so igno-
isf own country as not to know that