The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1877-09-10

TO party service. Tue result is, that in
stead of having the. services of skilled
woTKmen, the civIl service of the coun-
try is conducted by bungling appren-
tees, men who have all to learn and no
time to learn it in. The wonder is that
our civil service is even as efficient as
we find it.
But beyond all this, there is much
that is only evil and that continually,
and continually, growing worse.
Against these evils men of all parties
are clamorous for Reform; but. un OF
tunately, no man of any party has yet
enlightened the public as to any definite
nature or mode of reform. Competitive
| examinations were thought TO be pan
acea Tor all these Ills that our civil
service is heir to. But their tutility
was apparent almost as s@on as they
were resorted to. The course of latG
adopted by the President, to prohibit
interference by officials in the "macDine
politics" OF the country, hoping thereby
to divorce otfice-noldlng from party poll
tics, is very we'll as far as it goes; but
that ii Will of itself work any substan-
tial measure of civil service reform, we
must be allowed 70 entertain most Sc
rlous doubts.
The only feature appertainiDg to this
prohibition, as to Official Interference III
partisan machinery, That can result IN
permanent and substantial good to the
Civll Service is found in the tendency it
may have to curtall the influence Of
Cungressmen in the making OF EXecu-
tive appointments. That it shah prove
elective for this purpose remains yet to
De seen. LII Is III that usurpaLlon by
congressman of the Executive patron
age that the greatest evils to our Civil
Service have originated; and it has be-
come SO deeply rooted in our system by
years of usage as to require, in our opin-
ion, some deeper and more heroic SUI
gerry to eXurpate 1T than the mild meas
ure now adopted Tor that purpose can
possibly afford.
Possibly, this mischieyous intrusion
OF members of Congress upon the prerog-
atiyes OF the Executive may be an evil
inherent in our system AS now consti-
luled. IL SO, some radical change, even
W the extent of a Constitutional amend
ment, ought to be made in order to re-
strain such Congressional Interference
with executive functions. 1t is u fact,
100 notorious to require proof, that OF
late years scarcely any appointment, to
even inferior Offices, mas been made
except at the personal solicitation, and
Otttimes uictatlon, of Congressmen; who
demand compliance as the price OF their
political adhesion to the policy OF the
President. And instances are too nu.
merous TO be agreeable, wnere, on refusal
TO comply, the Executive has been vim
dIctIyely snubbed by Congressman as
though a personal grievance OF atfront
to themselves was implied; and political
hostility, secret or open, has resulted,
AS though some SPECIAL right of the Con-
gressman had been trampled upon.
The motive Tor tenaciOusly clinging to
this assumed and usurped prerogatIYe
by members Of Congress is perfectly OBJ
yious. 1t gives them all the power OF
spective districts, to reward their own
particular and personal auherents, and
TO stimulate them TO extraordinary eX-
ertious, by ways that are dark and
tricks that are mean, il need be, to Sc
cure their ,Congressman's future cleo
lion. Meu, sucn as these truculent fol-
lowers generally are, are not the best
men for improving or reforming the civil
service OF the country. Many of them
are incompetent, and most of them are
dishonest. And yet, when their incom-
potency or dishonesty becomes revealed,
ii is the President, not the Congress-
man, who is to bear the brunt OF indig-
nation. From no other one cause, per-
haps not from all other causes, has
service been so thoroughly injected into
Lne Wnole system, as from this Congress
sional usurpation of the Executive pre-
rogative.
70 hope for any thorough reform in
our civil service, now demanded by all
sorts and conditions OF men, while this
corrupting influence prevails, is utterly
vain. Like all corruptlng influences, it
will only grow worse, and still worse,
until the head becomes sick and
the whole heart faint. 1t behooves
men of all parties to demand some
measure that will etf4ctually eradi-
cate this blot upon our system, and
restore our civil service TO it's proper
purity and efficiency. Let the reform
commence at the head, and not begin
with the remote eXtremities.
FEEDING YOUNG FOWLS
There are few farmers wives who do