Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1880-04-24
CIVIL sEnYlCE M ENGLAND.

We extract the following from a
book compiled with much care by
the Hon. Dornaan b. Eaton. 1t is
entitled 'tCivil Service in Great
Britain-A History of Abuses and
Reforms and their Bearing upon
American Politics." This is a sub
ject we have to face in the next
presidential campaign, and, as We
desire our readers to be fully in-
structed ON the subject, we trust that
as many as possible will procure the
book and read it. We want them
to know that all the evils which are
here threatening our republican in
stitutions existed and were as mis-
chievous in England as here that
remedies We're applied; that these
remedies were resisted by the same
arguments as those which are used
against reformation in this country;
that the same obstacles were opposed
to reformation and overcome; that
the reformation has been, in spite of
them, rendered complete, and the
inference is that reformation can be
effected in this country also il an
earnest and united effort is made.
To the argument that the old
fashioned patronage system was
necessary to the stability and good
effects of parties, it was replied that
they had never been more vital,
vigorous or honest than in that peri
cd during which examinations had
been encroaching upon patronage.
On an average, under the partisan
spoils system; party had not been
able to keep an administration in
power more than three and one
half years; and in 1915, it failed
to keep Sir Robert Peel in power
even one year. For every person
or faction that was cOnciliated by
an appointment, there were many
offended who had sought the same
appointment. 1t was very likely
that changes of administration
would be less frequent if there were
no appointments whatever to be
made. If appointments, on the
other hand, were increased hun
| dred-fold, was it not clear that party
struggles would be more bitter and
politics far more corrupt? Patron
age and spoils were as disastrous to
the moral tone and discipline of q
party as the right of sack and pill
lage had been to armies and fleets.
| The theory that party can be kept
! together only by the hope and real
| ity of spoils, is in fact but the sur
vivorship, in milder form, of the
once universal theory that an army
could only be raised and kept in
| efficiency by the prospects Of pill
lage "When the measures were
first proposed for the abolition of
patronage, the old pOliti-
cal officers treated it with the like
| incredulity that the old Mahratta
chieftains treated the notion of
European armies in India being
moved or maintained in the field
without regular plumber" This
theory is wholly false, alike in war
and peace, in politics and in mill
tary service. The more largely a
party relies upon patronage and
| spoils, and the less it appeals TO the
/ public, on the basis of principle and
good administration, the more GER
tain that party is to suffer defeat.
The simple fact that year by year
the popular protest against favorit-
ism and the demand for open COM
petition had increased, despite all
the efforts of party leaders to arrest
it, was conclusive of the intrinsic
weakness and failure of the partisan
system. As the result of his broad
survey of British politics, Mr.. Hal
lam declares, There is no. real
cause to apprehend that a virtuOus
and enlightened government would
find difficulty in resting upon the
reputation justly due to it"