Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-06-08
CIVIL. SERVICE RgFe2R III The coz
VENTIoN.

The amendment to the Chicago platiorfa
proposed by Parker Of Massachusetts wontc
have committed the Republican party
souarely t. thorough reform OF the civil
service. The amendment was as follows
ssThe Republican party, adherlng to the
&" principles affirmed by its last National
sc Convention in respect to constitutional
"rules governing the appointment OF OIL
" GERS, adopts the declaration of President
:. HAYES that reform in the civil service
shall be thorough, radical and complete.
.To that end is demanded the cooperation
q of the Legislative with the Executive
g Departments of the Government, and
g that Congress shall so legislate that fit
ness, ascertained by proper practical
g tests, shall admit to the public service
that the tenure of administrative officers
I" Except those through whom the distinc.
60 tive policy CT the party in power shall
:. be carried out) shall be made permanent
i" during good behavior, and that the power
g of removal for cause, with due response
90 bility for the good conduct of subordin-
'ates, shall accompany the power Of ap-
IS pointnent. This resolution embodies
clear cut and thorough policy of civil
service reform. The method proposed,
if carried faithfully into practice, would
in short times raise the civil service to
standard as high as that OF Great
Britain, which is now the best in the
world It would destroy the machine
completely, and relegate to more legitimate
and honest industries the thousands who
now seek precarious livelihood by lending
themselves 10 the degradation OF politics,
and the defeat of the popular will through
adroit manipulation. 1t is the strongest
and clearest proposition that has been
brought forward in this connection, and
it's adoption would have honored the
Convention and the party. But 1t
was received with anything but enthusl-
asm, and it cannot be doubted that the
sentiment OF great many delegates was
quite faithfully represented in the blunt
and outspoken statement of Stenigan, of
Texas, who said : "His State had had
enough of civil service reform. They
"were not here for the purpose OF getting
% Offices for the Democracy. What are we
''here for except to get office? He had
s'great regard for that motto of the Dem
"ocrats. Ito the victors belong tie
s'spoils. If Republicans are the victors,
"they are entitled to offices, and those
s:who labor in the cause will get them, If
Justice is done We see here the
plainest expression of the politicians creed.
He looks upon politics as merely and
simply mode Of getting office, lie re-
CARDS the public service, which is neither
more nor less than the machinery through
the work of government is accomplished,
as something to be fought for, and then to
be divided, like any other plumber, among
those who win it, The idea that the
American people have any rights in the
premises, outside of party, has not &C.
Cured to the politician. He does not want
any reform in the civil service, which is
to say that he does not want to secure
efficiency, honesty, economy, in the peo-
pies work. He proposes that the old
corrupt and demorahzing scramble for
office should continue, no matter what it
costs the country, and he refuses to do any
thing that will curtail the power Of
patronage, or prevent Congressman from
putting unfit men IN office.