Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1880-06-19

rules. governing appointments 10 ONCE,
adopts the declarations of President Hayes
that the reform Of the civil service Should
be thorough, radical and complete. To this
END II demands the cooperation of the leg
lslatlHe with the executive department of
the government, and that congress- shall so
1egislate that fitness, asceItatned by proper
service.
1t will be seen that it endorses
Hayes, which it never would have
done if Hayes had not first relin-
quished every shadow of civil SER
vice reform at the bidding of the
stalwart wing of his party, which,
by the bye, is not SO much wing
as the main body of the party. To
proceed, however, if read in con-
nection with the rest of the platform
it seems to have but little continui-
ty with.it. 1t reads like an after
thought, and it is in fact an after
thought. As first reported from
the committee on resolutions, there
was no civil service in the platform
at all, but delegate, we think
from West Virginia, moved, as an
amendment, the present clause
with an additional sentence in it
which does not appear in the clause
as adopted. In compliance with
amendment the platform was re-
ferred back to the committee, with
instructions to report civil service
clause. The committee retired
with it and reported the amend
ment as amended, which was then
adopted as part of the platform.
The sentence omitted was the only
one that gave it any force-it
affirmed that offices should be held
during good behavior, and that
holders should not be displaced
without Investigation.
While the clause was under dis
cussion a Texan delegate made a
most amusing speech. He ruefully
protested that he didn't like civil
service reform he said, 1--WE are not
here to give offices to the democrats.
l believe in the doctrine that to the
victors belong the spoils. l want
the offices given to republicans |;
that as aol5dt zee came here for" etc.
Poor man! no one thought it worth
while to comfort him by telling him
that reformatory professions mean
nothing in republican mouths.
Stupid man! he ought to have
known that. He need only to have
studied the professions and practice
of the Hayes administration to have
understood that.
But the unfortunate plank re-
ceived another d0uche of ''beautiful
disdain" before the convention adj
journed. When General Ar.hur
was nominated for vice-president,
delegate from Virginiaarose and,
in speech the more contemptuous
from its breVity, renlided the con-
vention that there was u civil SER
vice reform plank in their platform
which had better he expunged be-
fore making such II nomination.
Altogether the poor, thin civil
service plank does not need demo-
cratic structures. The contempt it
has incurred from republicans
Themselves, is quite enough to kill
it.
One word more, however, about
General Arthur's nomination, as
it has crept into this discussion.
The following is the rather severe
comment of the Philadelphia Times
on that transaction
Such nomination is not only an insult
to the administration, and u shameless
groveling to the machine influence, but it
is a dangerous belittling of the vice presi-
dency, and an ineXcusabIe affront to the
public intelligence.
Rather severe of the Times, but
not foo much so for the occasion.
The emperor, Caligula, when an
appointment Of his to the Roman
senate was objected to, angrily
answered that he would send his
horse to the senate if it suited him.
Just exactly the contempt which
the words expressed for the Roman
senate and people, was evinced by
the Chicago convention for the peo-
pie of the United States, when they
made that nomination.