New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-10-19
CIVIL SERVICE REFORM.
GAIL HAMILTON'S PAPERS.
XIV.
rrSrrr ANp 1ERMs or ornCE.

w int the officer should remain In pflce 50
-, q. his moral character remained un'hn'S"'u
d the performance Of his duties sSt'ia''"i''
80 WAS disposed 10 Fainsay IT. Yet opS'i
ho d,falcations and forgcrics and h"u'l"i9 l"c
.oreraIly that have in THESE later DAYS CIV
,hs monotuuy of commercial ne N''c ' 49,.
- Iy the old cashiers and directors. H",' /
nat heard one extensive P''ui'''" ~
,,,-,, Of a new hand. Not one. -
..,. owl and bitter thing for "a man III fc',""
"a, ,ooa wear TO 60 out of office al the emu ~
o. years : hut the man IN receipt "l F'''V'
90, tgs to do the same thing. why j. S""''
a. pr..id.nt NOT sauce for The clorh' II ls ''S',.
t.f,1 men fiji 10 bc clerks than is 10 ma i"'" "
,oh. President IL is a more intricate ''''
dartIt thing 10 Dee "a good President INA" ~ 1as
cod cl,rk Nevertheless. when the lI'''''''
,.rv,5 IN, time ont hc has to 20. WY - ~ IL,
'' - constituent for the clerk TO follow
Limi ,,....l.,,,o ~ ia short
-, N,opc blamcs him for wishing to stay
!, ts ,u honorable position and bears living
- Vr George William Curtis declares Office
,fG,, IN be q term Of roproach, and he has zeal
',, ,rIoy.l-to use "a Down East Phrasc-cvcry
lion. term be could lay hls tongue to, to make IT
~. Rut | have vet to see the Federal officer who
cIt ashamed TO hold or degraded by holding, ms
,ers Most of them would like pcrmancncc i'll Office
,,, GREAT many others would like to take turn
q, m, same wheel. and the American people are now
conducting their Government on the principle that
ibe office, should be kept handy Ihey q" not IKE
toLayr a man far beyond their reach. They prefer
,ohav. him where they can get al him. They think
tbc bestway Go keep an honest man honest is l"
watch him. They like frequent elections AID op-
rointnerts well in hand and there seems to bc no
reason why 10000 clerks should be selected for in
anenabc life tenure when all the rest of
u. have 10 live from hand 10 mouth
Iv,n as things are the really indispensable
officers remain II is only across the pages of
Nh Iatou's magazine that tie whole 10000
a., ont every four wears American citizens are SO
,,,,rlg,rf that "a very short training enables the
,,,,,.. ou,r to work well I'm the ranks; hut uo one
l. 81, c,.,t ., interest IN fnal ing the Government
l.l. roll .r,,o,I.',. os flIe uarty I'm power If the
democratic Marty prevails IN 1850. they viii not
.,,cro aU E.prl1icars from tie deck. There
willie q GREAT crowd ,ait., 10 board the old hulk
hut the Democrats th.msel,e. viii bc sure 10 keep
81 holm and ba,>ar tho mon Who arc essential II
,,rdoituc- SD much the better f1ru, for we shall
.,rirc utor, Them ar4lf and clan them below the
I,t,t.s aud talk, tbr thing IN Lal. ourselves
Aud chi. an is the strongest incentive IN
,,tt lvi,c Out.ide az o-.'- own conscience there
,,..,,l l.,I,,o,l- os ,.r,ue os I'm. consciousness
,,,t .t.r, ,s ,,ri,bnd, at ,,i,r heel, who VIII be
,r-, In find ,ou ONT An eager. watcLful. lutclh-
cont ornositior, l. the very best rsart,tcc Of the
-, -. .,. ,,.,. %, ,,,,c- Tho, o.r.r v.l. know.
ra.I.,s 1,.I.I 80 ~. .,.l g, o,stcd l,. b,s roIit-
.l o,.,o,.,.t an excellence utter
H. ,,,l, o., tl ,,,,, ,rl i. ~, ,lrdi.turI,.d life
-. 1.yos 49,. .l,,r,-.,,,.,,,rs and the
-, a., ,,,3.r ,l. Last Administration Tint
49,. ,l s,.,,,, ?, ,h. rr,.,,t There was
= ,,o, mo- ~ homo, irteIlfc,rt biob-
minded ,e,,l. In Tins ,ouutrv who looked
pn,, ,,o,r thing. with prayo disapproval
Ti.o -, loo ci.v,r1v confrivcd 70 make Ia
&c. !, INT II remains that n set Of Reform cr,-
,,ri,.ts vrorld mover have been able 10 rear such
,, ~ t,rs II te, had NOT soyycd their seed I'm soil
already enriched for real Reform hy the existence
az real evils That this particular Reform j.
rrocdv uu,,ruuulou, and Illogical il 30 indlca. ion
that there has nowhere and never been any evil to
reform.
Tb,rcvor,ld s.cm n be both nroprietv and analogy
en- bsvir,, the tc,ure of office fYcd There can be
no reason why appointments as well as elections
should not be for certain time 20 that
r man shall have some standing ground. A
Governor. q Congressman, a County Treasurer
Knows that for wear, or two years, or
whatever his term may be, he is not 90 be oustcd
from l. position and he has time 10 show his met
tie Yet his term Il 80 short that De is not likely 20
GET ont Of svupathv with the people and to mlsrcp-
resent them. Why should not a Federal officer be
secure IN his appointment "a long as his Con-
gresham or his chidf The bearing Of patronage
apon Congressional nomination and election has
been ridicuously exaggerated. 1t is an exaggcra-
hon invented apparently 10y men who want to 20 to
Congress and cannot, hut think # they only thold
If the Offices they could. In their own impotence
they fancy that men have power because they are III
fuential and do not suspect that men influential
Lccause they have power. TIE great fault found
hitherto is not that Congressman STAY IN Congress