New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-07-29
WHERE CIVIL SERVICE REFORM SHOULD
REEIN

WHERE CIVIL SERVICE REFORM SHOULD
BEGIN.
In discussing the particular phase of Civil
Service Reform to which public attention was
so abruptly called By the report of Guiteau's
pistol, TUE TRIBUNE took occasion to repeat
what it has often said heretofore, that the cry
ing evil of the present system, or lack of sys-
TEN, in the service is the custom of making
sweeping removals in all the subordinate as
well rs principal departmental Offices upon the
| accession of a new Administration, especially if
the change involves Il change of parties in DO
litical control. 1t is this which begets in the
unbalanced minds of thousands of unemployed
shiftless persons the notion that with a
change of Administration they may drop
into soft official places and lead easy lives.
disappointment overcomes them, and they be-
come paupcrs or criminals. In mitigation of this
evil it was suggested that there should be some
system, regulation or law by which reasonable
fixity OF tenure of the subordinate non-poltical
Offices should be established, so that honesty,
capacity and fidelity should really be the tests
for permanenco in Office, instead OF partisan
political service. Such reform IA this, look
in5 simply to the elimination of the important
factor Of official spoils from the political prob
lem, would dc away with the great evil-in
Democratic cyes-of active participation in
politics by otliceholders and the other great
evil-in Republican eyes--of excessive and I'M
principled activity on the part of the idle and
shiftess who want to be oflicehollcrs. 1t
would, in short remove or greatly modify the
spcls feature in our political contests
| Much merrnent seems to have been excited
III certain quarters because of THE TRIDUNR's
suggestion IN this regard, that it is much easier
Tor the outs to accomplish this particular reform
Than Tor the ms. 1t is so absurd to hold the
outs to any responsibility at ALL or to expect
anything of them except that they will take
every advantage, fair or unfair, of their oppo-
nents. Let us see if it is upon tho whole so
absurd. Suppose i'll the last campaign General
Hancock had complied with THE TRIBuNE's
suggestion and come out with n letter saving
that, in proof of his and his party's sincerity in
Their Civil Service Reform professions, he
would pledge himself in the event of his cleo
non to make no removals other than in the
heads OF departments and those Offices in which
changes were necessary TO a harmonious adj
mlnistratiOn, except for cause; that in the
subordinate Offices there should be no political
changes. Or, what woud have been better,
suppose the party had made such pledge in its
platform. What would have been the effect {?
Why, simply this: the Republican oficehol,ler
would not have shocked the Civil Service Re-
former by unseemly activity in politics, with
the obviously selfish motive of keeping his
place; nor would the Democratic osfccseeker
have disguised him by his equally selfish ac-
ivity in striving for n change of Government
which should give him a comfortable Official
position. SO much as this-and it would have
been very practical and important reform
could have been accomplished by the Demo
cratic party through pledge in its platform, or
independently Of lis party by General Hancock
in public letter. Il would have done more TO
kill the spoils system than anything that has
been proposed i'll all the years of reforieagita-
ton.
And the party in power and in office had no
such opportunity. Being in power and having
its friend, IN office, its promise to mako no
sweeping removals involved no sacrifice: was
simply matter of course. That pledge was al
ready implied; it went without making The
habitual Tcformer did not suggest that.
What he did propose was that the man in Office
should be disabled from political activity
from contributing to The success of his party
from defending bis place; from doing what he
conld to prevent lis being kicked out of the
service in which he earned his bread. Wen.
suppose that notion had been carried out rs the
ref0rmer proposed, and the Republican party.
simply because il had earned the confidence of
the people and been trusted with the admins
tration of tho Government, had been deprived
of the active aid of several thousand faithful
officers whose only offence was that they had
been loyal enough, honest enough and faithful
enough TO be put in office and kept there-sup-
pose this force had been crippled and disabled,
and, rs consequence, the Democrats had ar
rived at power. What then z How would the
service have been reformedf Everybody
knows. No man would have been retained on
account of faithful service; no man appointed
except for partisan work. The only party that
ever did anything to purify and elevate the
public service would have gone out of power
and let in the party that never in all its history
did anything but corrupt and demoralize it.
SO we repeat that under existing conditions
the power to establish tho important reform of
giving permanence and fixity of tenure to the
Federal offices is with tho outs, and not with
the ms. The reform must begin with the dis
arning OF both spoilsseekers and Office
holders. To disarm the oficeholders would
only increase the aggressiveness OF the spoi,s-
seekers. DisRrm the spoilsseekers and the
oflicehOlders have the selfish motive for their
activity removed. Whether this accords with
the professional rcformer's notions OF not. Il
is plain practical common sense.
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