Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-05-01

How this can be accomplished is the one
great problem of the time; but, If it is
possible, it must be sought in the improve
ment of the system first. To prevent poll
tics being adopted as profession to pre-
vent the usurpation of political power by
any cliques or factions or parties to Sc.
cure efficiency, honesty and intelligence in
the public service; to do away with three
fourths of the myriad elections which
keep politics always in a ferment at pres
ent i; to establish just balance of power
between the State and Federal Govern
ments, checking Capitalization and making
disruption impossible to eliminate every
thing in the nature of "spoils from poll
tics and by these means to encourage the
participation of our best men in public bus
mess, and the consequent abolition of dem
agogism as bait for office these seem to
US to be among the most vital measures to
be taken, and every one of them can be ac-
complished if right beginning is made.
We hold that the beginning, to be right,
must be made at Civil Service Reform.
That is the key to our whole political
situation. Until that is regulated no good
of any permanent kind can be done. And
England has shown us how the work can
be accomplished. Half century ago her
civil service was as bad as ours. Every.
thing went by influence and favoritism.
Capacity was never thought of. Ministers
governed the country through patronage.
Public opinion was a cipher. All this has
been changed by stripping Parliament of
patronage, and making merit the touch
stone of admission to the civil service.
The same policy can be adopted in this
country. 1t is the only one which can
check the progress of corruption in our
politics. At present we force our Congress
men to sustain themselves by the tricks of
the "machine." 1t is not the Congressman
who are responsible for this; it is the
people. The latter alone are accountable
for the survival of system which throws
all the power of nominating candidates into
the hands of three or four men, and deprives
the voters of all intelligent choice The
fatuous and degrading fancy that all our in
situations are the best conceivable, fostered
sedulously by demagogues, and repeated
in thousand forms, has doubtless done
much to prevent wholesome analysis of the
situation. But 1t is to reform of the
Civil Service that we must look for deliv-
erance. Patronage once taken from Con-
gress, it will soon be found that the motive
of the machine has ceased to exist. To-
day no man can secure any political adj
vancement without arranging in advance
with score of hidden manipulators. He
must bargain away places before he is
elected. He must traffic in the property
of the public which was never intended to
be at his disposal. He must pay toll to
swarm of political thieves and pirates
who haunt the political vestibules. 1t
is because this is so that our best men
no longer seek public office; that the char
acter Of Congress declines steadily that
there are no longer any great statesmen in
public life that issues of conviction are
disappearing, and are being succeeded by
personal issues, and mere wars of factions
for the spoils. All these demoralizing
agencies are due in the first place
to the abuse of patronage. The
same class of evils naturally finds
its representatives in State, county and
municipal as well as in national politics.
Everywhere the people are less able to
make their will felt. Everywhere the least
honest and respectable political elements
are becoming the most influential. Re-
form the civil service and this would soon
cease to be the case. With the extinction
of patronage the professional politician
would find his occupation gone. He would
be compelled to seek some more useful and
less mischievous calling, and once more
self-respecting men could offer themselves
for legislative or executive positions, with
out the fear of being bound by corrupt
bargains as preliminary process. This is
the initial point of practical reform. After
it everything else that is necessary will
come with far less trouble, but before it
nothing can be done. To prevent the pos
sibility of usurpation of governmental
powers, or change of governmental forms,
by either plutoeracy frightened by mob
violence into the arms of despotism, or by
mob crazed by the sinister teachings of
demagogues, stable and honest and non
partisan government must be secured
and We know no other way to secure this
than that which we have here indicated.