Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1880-07-21
lancaster f11telllgenrer.
Garfield on the Civil Service.

since the publication of Gen. Garfieldk
letter of acceptance less trouble has been
experienced in getting the clerks in the
departments to respond to the demand
upon them by Secretary Edw. McPher-
son for a portion of their salaries to be
applied to the Republican campaign
fund. 1t will he remembered that Gar
field had been an advocate of civil ser
vice reform. He had been quite rs ad-
vanced theorist of that school as Geo.
VIM. Curtis, or Carl Schurz. and had
publicly advocated complete separation
of the influence of congressman from the
executive appointments. He had taken
just as high ground us Hayes in "civil
service order No. H. or as Sherman.
when lie said to Arthur in dismissing
him : ''Pe.sOns have been regularly paid
10y you who have rendered little or no
service the expenses of your Office have
increased, while its receipts have dimin-
ished. Brides, or gratuities in the shape
of bribes, have been received by your
subordinateS in several branches of the
custom house, and You have in 10 case
supported the effort to correct these
abuses" Against these abuses Garfield
had protested with such earnestness, and
for their reform he had advocated such
practical measures that the COnklingS,
and LoganS. and Camerons had no more
incentive 10 enter with zeal into CAM
paign for him than the department
clerks had to chip in to the hat as it
passed around among them.
But with the appearance of Gar.ield's
letter of acceptance, in view of the con-
struction which the stalwarts put upon
1T, and the disgust with which it has
been saluted by the New York Times, the
Ereniny Past, the Nation, the Spring
field RepuLlicaa and the Cincinnati COm-
n,crriul, the beef-eaters seem to have
taken fresh courage. In this clause he
makes complete surrender of his previous
principles
The executive should, therefore seek
and receive the information and assistance
of those whose knowledge of the commu-
mites in which the duties are to performed
best qualities them to aid in making the
wiScst choice.
by that he means that as president he
proposes to surrender the appointing
power to congressman, to make the pub
lie patronage the spoil of the senatorial
syndicate, and to give the CamerOnS, the
Cmklings and Logans the same oppOr-
tmnities they have heretofore had to dis
pose machine rule upon the people and
their party in the great states. At least
that is the construction they have put
upon it and which he wanted them t.
put upon it. 1t was Il bid for their sur:
port. 1t restored CamerOn's health and
brought him to Washington to confer
with Jewell, whom Grant had kicked
out of the cabinet: it abbreviated Conk-
liny's European tour to Il fishing jaunt
and now it has swelled the clerks con
tributions at Washington.
The whole performance is more valu
able in illustrating Garfield S double-faced
political and personal character than in
indicating his real views Oh the subject
under investigation. 1t WAS he who in
1876 in Il public speech said:
Congressman have become the dispcn.
scrs. sometimes the brokers, of patronage,
and civil Office has become 4 vast corrupt
ing power to bc used in running the ma.
chine of party politics. Every man of the
1O2, 900 feels that his only hope Of staying
is iii toadying to those in power, SD that
the Offices are an immense bribe, securing
to the party in power an army of retainers
vino are the most servile of their sort in
the world. Nothing less Man tie absolute
dlrorce Of tile appointing function from
Congress cdn remedy the eCH. 1t should be
done SO completely that every member OF
Congress shall be able to make such a
boast As Thomas Hughes, NJ. p, did on
his visit to this cOuntry-tllat, although he
was personally on good terms with every
member of the cabinet, he could not intiu-
ence the appointment of clerk.
Whether his position then was sound
or unsOund, it is manifest that he now
makes ignominious retreat from it to
catch the support of the stalwart wing
of his party. He is the same evasive
cowardly, time-serving position shiftel
that he has displayed himself to be OH
every trying occasion of critical public
interest. PrOtectionist and free trader
stalwart and conciliator, radical and con.
servative, lIard money and double-stand.
ard advocate, pretenler to piety and the
patron of political fraud, he changes his
mask for every exigency and has differ.
ent uniform for every service. No such
man can again be elected president OF
these United States.