The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1880-12-18
CIVIL SERVICE REFORM.

There Is a strong movement on INC paiI vi
the democratic press at the east, the New York
World leading off, to make civil service reform
a plank in the democratic platform and n
prominent issue IN future elections. The tiue
has certainly come when something of the
sort Is needed. Under the present system a
party once fairly seated in power at Washing
ton cannot be dlspossessed by any means short
of a twothirds vote of the people, and with
the whole force of the government from pres'-
dent down, not counting out a considerable
portion of the army and navy, thoroughly or
ganized into mighty electioneerlng machine,
the obtaining of such majority is next to an
imposslbility.
Why look at il! There are 100000 office
holders employed in the civil service OF the
government, besides nearly 100000 more in
the post Office department The pay of this
army reaches $3O, COO 600 a year, and in holly
contested presidential election an assessment
upon this official horde equal to 20 per cent.
of their salaries can be made, amounting to
$6,OOO,OOO for electioneering purposes IN sin.
gle campaign!
How were the democracy defeated in No
vemberg The republican managers had mon
ey enough, raised by assessments upon the
office holders, to buy the necessary votes IN
Indiana IN October and in New York IN No
vember, and thereby carried both those states
That is the long and short of 1.-THE whole
story. The day of free, untrammeled and
uncorruptcd elections has passed IN this coun-
try" las says the Washington Post) 1.-THE
republican party can continue itself in power
as long as it pays"
But" says the Chicago Tribune "a study
of the history of the Democratic party fails to
reveal any sympathy with the proposition to
reform the civil service, and any pretentious
effort ia that direction emanatlng from the
Democrats would be received by the country
with derison The traditional practices of
the Democratic party have taught the country
that the hope of civil service reform must rest
with some other organization"
WhIlc that may be true of the democratic
party of the past so far as removing political
opponents from office ana putting IN their own
friends goes il is not true in the mater OF con-
verting the whole government periodically IN
to mighty electioneering machine and levy
ing upon the office holders as well as using
the money of the government in certain cases
to perpetuate the rule of the party in power.
No such disgraceful spectacle was ever wit
messed under Jackson, Van Buren,, Polk,
Pierce or Buchanan as an assessment upon
office holders for political purposes or as cab
met officers, heads Of bureaus, custom house
officials, &c, &c, deserving their posts during
an election campaign and perambulating the
country from one end to the other, making
stump speeches, setting up the pms" for this
candidate or that and corruptng voters by the
lavish expenditure of money.
But harmless as the practice under demo
cratic rule was compared to the gigantic di.
mansions the abuse has attained under repub-
lcan rule the democrats can we'll afford, III
view of what it has lead to, to discard their
own earlier practice and insist on thorough
reform. That reform need not consist in the
creation of an Office holding class by indef
nitely lengthening out the tenure of MINOR
offices. There can still be enough rotation
IN office to give all fair chance without
making "clean sweep" on every change of
the party in power. Such a reform need not
prevent making merit the sole test of appoint.
ment, dlscarding partisan service and party
utilization from the test of sole qualifications
nor need it present such an arrangement of the
terms of office and qualifications for re-appoint-
ment as shall render the incumbent independ
ent Of the continuance in power of this or that
party. But what is needed above all else is
the utter demolition of the assessment system
and turning all the agencies and instrumental
tiles Of tie government into mighty cleo,
tioneerlng machine. Penalties involving the
penitentiary and even the death punishment
would be none too severe to break up this
most anti-republican, demoralizing and de-
structlVe system.