Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1880-04-24

maintaining itselfthereindefnitely,
and was beaten down and super
seeded by the mode of civil service
appointments which is now in force
and has completely divorced the
motive of civil service appoint
ments from partisan conditions. II
is impossible in the present paper
TO enter into the details of this sys-
tenn; suffice it to specify that APP
p0intments are distributed there on
a principle of competitive examina-
ton before examiners who are
entirely independent Of the execu-
tive government; that men in Office
can only be displaced for mis-
conduct to be proved before tribu-
nal equally independent, and that
as a fact a change Of party predomi-
nance like that which has recently
taken place there produces nochauge
in the corps Of civil officers except
as regards the members of the cabi-
net and few of the highest officers
of state.
These are the leading features of
the reform which has been found
efficient there. 1t is easy TO see that
there are enormous, if not insuper-
able, difficulties about initiating a
similar reformation here.
The great difficulty exists in the
now inveterate fallacies entertained
by the people of the United States
regarding offices. The idea of our
average politicians is that these
were created as prize to play for
in the game of politics, any advant-
age the people in general may. de-
rive from the functions of the Office
being a matter of secondary consid-
Grafton altogether. 1t is not for the
people, but for the Office-holder and
the ofiice-seeker that government in
all its departments exists. Politics
is a great gambling transaction in
which the offices are prizes, and
man who does not want an Office is
out of place altogether; he had bet
ter withdraw from the game and
give place to those who mean bust
ness. Party means nothing with
such men except that the players
are divided Off into two sides, the
members of which work together
for the possession of the prizes, and
with them questions of public in
terest are nothing but pretexts un-
der which votes are solicited for one
side or another. This is no carica-
ture; We are far from denying that
there are many who look upon
political transactions as a means to-
wards the welfare of the whole peo-
pie rather than a game of grab for
the benefit of politicians, but this
class is never actively engaged in
politics, and the game is conducted
by those who go into it with an eye
to the prizes aud with no other
motive.
The average politician, then,
whether republican or democrat,
can be no sincere advocate of civil
service reform. What cares he for
a political game in which there are
prizes? He means business and
plays for what he can get. A genu-
inc and earnest attack, therefore, on
this dangerous power based upon
patronage will never originate
among professional politicians; it
must be forced upon them by the
people; votes must be made to de-
pend upon its acceptance, and, if
the democratic party should gain
the victory in the present contest,
its employees must come into power
bound by such stringent pledges
that, whether they like it or not, the
breaking down of the patronage
powershall be the first object oftheir
efforts.
We can see plainly enough the
difficulty of achieving this, but I'M
less it is done it is no use talking of
republican institutions. A party
once in power can maintain itself
there in defiance of the will of the
people.
1t can be done in only one way.
A class of men who do not want
offices must come to the front and
take the leadership in the contest.