The Portland daily press., 1878-03-18
ONDAY MORNING. MARCH Is.

Eaton speaks as if ''party" were mere caprice
"a sort of veneering without strength, put on
to serve mere temporary purpose. Does he
not know that party is as deep, as abiding, as
pervading as principle-that all which is vital
in party is principle? 1t is idle to speak of the
people as opposed to party. The party is the
people. The people divide into parties just as
fast and Just as far as they are free and ntelli-
gent. A Government is always in the hands OF
one party or the other. lis never, for any
length of time, run by mob, And i. always
is and always will be carried on by the inter-
ested aid of the managers of the party In pow
er. When the English Liberals are uppermost
the English Government is carried on py the
Liberal party managers and when the English
Conservatives are in the majority, the Con-
servative leaders carry on the Government and
are responsible for its administration. What
Mr.. Eaton ptonouuces to be a delusion is the
absolute truth. Not only can Government
be carried on by the interested aid of party
managers and their dependents, but it cannot
be carried on without it, An administration
can be carried off by mush and gush, but it
cannot be carried on. The Government may
be betrayed into but it never can be trusted to
the hands OF the opposing party. The senti-
m5nt and conviction of the people, formulated
in party anc organized by party leaders, passes
before them in the form of administration for
final Judgment. 1t is true that Mr.. Eaton
raises his head in the one sentence only to cut
it off in the next, but he seems so entirely un-
conscious OF the decapitation that it is necessary
to give him gentle knock. ..
In speaking of the cost of the Civil Service
Commission and its rules Mr. Eaton says: "It
never cost $4,000 per year-not half as much
as would be expended in intrigues and bribery
about the selection OF single collector, not half
as much as the neglect and incompetency of any
one OF many partisan or meIcenary ofhcers
annually cost the Government"
OF course MIR. Eaton means that the $40, 1000,
expended in intrigues and bribery about the
single collector was expended by the Govern
ment The 1000 spent on the Civil Service
Commission and Its rules was spent by Govern
ment. We are not talking about economy for
citizens, but economy for the Government.
There would be no point or purpose in saying
that $40 600 is not an exGravagant sum for the
Government to pay for reform, because knot
of men are busy buying and selling chances on
their owu account outside. But Mr. e itons
general remark that $4,000 would readily be
spent in selecting single collector is not Of the
smallest value as evideHce. Let him name
five collectors in the whole country whose Sc
lection cost the Government 900 apiece in
intrigues and bribery. He adds, in the same
succinct and conclusive style. that it is not
half as much as the neglect and incompeteucy
OF one of many partsans or mercenary officers
annually cost the Government That is, there
are many officers who, by reason of being chos-
en- on partisan grounds rather than by coDpeti-
tive examination, cost the Government $40 600
apiece every year through their neglect and in
competency This, also is an airv nothing, un-
less Mr.. Eaton will give it a local habtation and
name. OF the many partisan and mercenary
officers whose costly iucompetency he
affirms, ask Mr. Eaton to name ten, just ten.
ask him to give the names of ten Federal
officers, chosen on partisan grounds, whose
neglect and mpetency-not dishonesty
cost the government $4,000 apiece year aftel
year. l ask him also to give the names of the
party leaders upon whose recommendation
they were appointed to Office. Unless he does
this his statement does not rise above the level
of slander. His sweeping general assertion is
not OF the slightest possible use except to hor.
rify those who know nothing about it, In any
court of Justice Mr.. Eatou would be ordered
off the witness-stand in five minutes, if he had
nothing better than this to offer. IT the mere
pleasure of seeing himself in print contents
him, he is safe, since there is no refutiug gen
eral statement; but if he wants to be a mar
amosg men, let him be a man among men, le
him give specifications. and something tina
looks toward proof
cenary oficers?" He is lavish of epithets
His article is peppered all over with bireling
and mercenaries. If Federal officer work.
for the United States government and receives
salary therefor, does. that constitute him {
hireling? Must he keep books, and inspect
samples and examine candidates for love o.
country alone and without wages, in order no
to be mercenary and hreling? When Mr.
Dorman b. Eaton was appointed Civil Service
Reform Commissioner, did he 90 on to Wash.
If he did not, he was just as much hireline
as the Secretary of State, who receives $4,000
year from government for the time which was
earning him S50, 600 year outside of govern.
ment Does Mr.. Eaton write his article in the
Atlantic Monthly, and do the other authors
write their articles 10 the Atlantic Monthly
from pure love of literature, declining all pay
Unless they do this they are just as much hire
lings as the collectors and clerks. In the army
the hirelings and mercenaries are not the sol
diers who receive pay; all soldiers receive pay
They are the soldiers who fight for pay alone
who fight, not for their own country, but fo
any country whatever that will give them 81;
month. They have their counterpart in pol
itics, not among the Federal officers who ar,
champions of party, who are Republicans Of
Democrats by conviction, with zeal and warmth
aud love, who believe that their party embod
les the principles which are for the safety and
welfare of the people, and who may be, al
least presumed to recognize the responsibility
they the under to bear their standard high
The counterpart of the Hessians is rather to bt
found in the men who have no party convic
tions, no party attachments, but are willing tt
take office under any party, SO they can gel
office; who want only the emoluments o
office, but have no creeds to enforce with en-
thusiasm and practice with fidelity. A mer
cenary may bs a brave soldier, but soldier
is not less likely to be brave because he is fight
ing for his hearthstone as we'll as for his pay
An office-holder wlthouG political opinions o.
preferences or principles may be honest, bu
he is not less likely to be honest because he be
leves thoroughly in the party which placed hin
in office, desires eagerly its advancement, anG
feels responsible for its purity aud power.
GAIL HAMILTON.