The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-12-25
HAYES AND CONKLING.
THE SOUTHERN DEMOCRATIC sENA-
TORS SUSTAINING THE pREss-
DENTS APPOINTMENTS,

Hayes Civil Service scheme and why II
will FaiI-sirant's Experiments
the civil service IL to Truly
be Reformed.
Especial Correspondence of the Democrnt1
WASHINGTON, Dec 20, 1877
Tho attitude assumed by the handful of Demo
cratic Senators who voted with Roscoe Conk
ling against
| THE NEW YORK NOMINATIONS
together with the position taken by the Wash
ington Post In the same premises has serves
to develop with considerable clearness the rels.
tions between Mr. Hayes and the Southern
Democrats as a body in the Senate. 1t is dis.
covered that, Notwithstanding the faithlessness
of Mr.. Hayes and his friends both TO tho so nth
and to themselves in the matter of seating Kel.
iogg has not alienated from the Administration
any appreciable part of the Southern strength
but that the Senators from the South are still
ready not only to vote in solid phajanx for Mr.
| Hayes nominees, but also to make fervid
speeches In their behalf and even to proceed to
the extremity of personal collision with the
| personal enemies of Mr.. Hayes in his own
party upon the floor OF the Senate. This Ia q
state of affairs that cannot fail to excite ut least
inquiry among the people of the South as ia
whether tho term democracy" mems any-
thing In that section, and. If so. what and how
| much
| Undoubtedly 1t is the province of senat tor
in
EXECUTIVE SESSION
to ignore party and to vote upon nominations
in accordance with his judgment as to the in
terests of the public service at large. But II
seems to me that there is limit even in this re-
gard. beyond which 1t is impossible to go xfth =
out imparing that uniformity of purpose. that
regularity of front. and that cohesion OF re :
sDonsbility which are requisite to the respecta-
bility of party organizations.
take 1t that every Southern Democratic SEN
ator desires above all things to pave the way
for an assured success Of the Democratic par rty
In 1880; such success shall place all
branches of the government under our con troll
and by majorites 30 decisive Us to put anv nj
tempt ut another electoral count" out of the
question. If / have wronged any Southern
Democratic Senator by including him in this
sweeping category. hope he will notify me, go
that may make due reparation ut the earle st
moment But we may take 1t for granted. I
think, that the universal desire Is as | have
stated. Thus the question still open for discuss
sion Is limited to method of accomplishing
the result which all desire. And from this
point of view 1t is pertinent to inquire how
the National Democratic organization by the
employment of its forces in the Senate to sug-
tain
THE ADMINISTRATION
In those policies which may be antagonized by
the whole or any part of the Presidents own
party in that body, If the policies of the Presi-
dent were distinctiyely Democratic and antago-
nized by the Senate Republicans "a SUCH or II
he had nominated Democrats to office for the
purpose of repairing to some extent the wrong
wrought upon the majority of the people by
those who counted Mr.. Hayes in. there would
be no doubt as to the duty of all Democratic
Senator's But such Is not the case. Mr.. Hayes
takes pains to announce in his messages
with somewhat monotonous iteration. that
tho policies which he recommends were
set forth in the last national platform Of the Re-
publican party as distinctive articles In its
creed Now one of these policies has been
strictly Democratic. to wit: that which was en-
bodied in the withdrawal of the Federal forces |
from the duty Of forcing alien and hateful mis- |
governments upon the conquered people there |
Of 1t was therefore proper that
THE REPRESENTATIVES, OF THE NATIONAL DEMoC-
RACY
should sustain the President In this policy
which they did by the way. In the rather Tngra-
;Ious form OF refusing to vote supplies for fear
hsy e would be used to enforce other policies.
But th1s Is all over now, and the good that has
Deen done could not be undone short of another
var possibly as terrible as the one we have Just
4 that ne has bsen sustained by the Democracy:
or 1t he has the applause of the people,
Let us cl9se the books there, becaYse they are
!ether different line of business. He calls it
CIVIL SERVICE REFORM"
In his previous messages Mr.. Hayes has re-
erred g this subject in vague and glittering
renerlIlfipS rafruipnf frnp |
ION OF the thing rs his mind conceives it, so
hat we are all In the dark as to what he under
tands by the term.
He now proposes to clear UP these doubts by
evoting
AN ELABORATE SPECIAL MESSAGE
0 the subject of civil service reform and moth
ng else, upon p the ,reassembling Of Congress in
lon in substance. though 1t may pre-
ent some new aspects rs to form, Grant.
machine naa politician though he was. and deeply
yed as he was in the hues of extreme party !
'm. frequently went into the civil service re- !
orm business to the extent Of two columns Of
1 his Congresses to make some laws for him. '
9 that he might proceed experimentaily. The g
ls1ory OF Grants experiments are before us. q
nd not encouraging. On the other hand the y
'ndency of careful perusal Of the history of :,
GRANTS CIVIL SERVICE REFORM =
to convince, the reader that the whole busi- '
ess is humbug, quite as atrocious as the in
nceflty OF the motives which led to its agita-
At all events the country has had quite enough
that sort of civil service reform, which con-
sts in resounding proclamations of purpose
qdlng 1 with ridiculous fizzles OF pe formance. Q
he Kindergarten system Of competitive ex- t
nination. made ridiculous by George William a
urtls celebrated board several years ago, il
as latterly been still further sunk into utter O
'ntempt by the, roaring folly which s, hurz in. o
oduced into the Interior Department. The =
ouDle with the civil service is not that its sys-
IN Is ln Itself faulty, but that the men who are L
larged with its duties are vicious not that The 81
aehlne &C al OF government is badly devised but RI
at I me men who run it are corrupt: not that a
9 plan handed down to us by the fathers is d
'solete; but that the people who have Inherited b
2 nave ~ become @ @ unworthy of the heritage. A h
tons. A political party which finds its U.
hes1ve forces in the basest impus ses and vilest W
olives men are capable of would debauch any OF
untry, in spite Of any system The trouble re
th our civil service lies in the baseness of the te
struments with which Radcalism has mis- ht
led the country; not in the badness of the in
tut1ons under color of which the mischief
s been done.