Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-12-27

huence OF popular sentiment, winch ID
"this country is constantly operating
force favorable to honest, efficient admin
"istration. 1t would repress the laudable
"and honorable ambition of other citizens
"to serve the Government in official posi-
"tions, and would manifestly tend to
90 weaken the hold that our system OF
popular government has upon the minds
"of the people" Here we have the most
fatuous, silly, illogical, demagogic propo-
sitions that the most inveterate spoilsmen
have ever employed, put forward under
the pretense of reform. This really will
not do, Commissioner Raum. 1t is tres
passing too audaciously upon both the
patience and intelligence of the American
people to tender such fustian to them in an
official report, and above all to pretend
that you desire nything else than the per-
petuation of the spoils system.
There is not single true assertion in the
doctrine which the Commissioner has laid
down az the foundation for his sham re-
form scheme, which, we may as well state
at once, consists in nothing more than the
making of all Government appointments
for four years, with one year for probation,
and arrangements for retiring allowances.
His allegation that fxity OF tenure is ir-
consistent with the genius of our Gov
eminent, is ridiculous and fatty untrue.
The truth is that the spoils system is incon-
sistent with the genius of our Govern
ment, and that in the earlier years of the
republic all the principles which are now
classed as reform principles were in full
operation. 1t is only within the last forty
years that the spoils system has existed,
and when il was first introduced it was re-
garded rightly as fragrant departure from
the fundamental principles of American
/ government. The assertion that public
sentiment is opposed to the tenure OF office
during good behavior is, moreover, a most
impudent untruth for a Government official
to print in his report. He might as well
have said that public sentiment was op-
posed to honesty in the public service.
The stupidity of the advocates of the
spoils system, however, is only less re-
markable than their hardihood. They
cannot invent any new arguments, and the
old ones have been shattered to pieces, yet
they still keep picking up the fragments
and putting them together again.
Commissioner Raum's objection of
privileged class " is rank nonsense, and
his other objections are as rank dema-
gogism. The public service is simply
great business concern, of which the people
are the proprietors. 1t is their first inter.
est to have their work done WELL and
whenever they have found faithful and
honest employees, it is their interest to keep
them. And if they continue to do faithful
and valuable service they ought to be
retained indefinitely. The spoils system
was invented for no patriotic purpose.
1t is essentially unpatriotic. It is the
machinery of selfish, greedy, INSCRIPTIONS,
shameless faction.i It has never been
anything else than an agency by which
party leaders could maintain their power
at the public expense, and to the detriment
of the public business. The "rotation in
office doctrine is alike imbecile and cor
rupt. 1t is not true that every citizen has
claim for office. No citizen has any
other claim than his personal merits give
him. Where there are no merits there are
no rights. But the spoils system excludes
merit, and gives Office to demerit. And the
talk of privileged class is prepos-
ferrous. A permanent class of Government
clerks is no more privileged class than
permanent class of mercantile clerks.
What special privileges WOULD they possess
Will Commissioner Raum tell us? Under
civil service principles they would have to
earn every dollar they were paid. They
would have no more political influence
than any other citizen. If they meddled
with politics they would instantly lose
their places.
But with civil service reform the country
would have its business well done by CIVIL
attentive, competent men, instead of by a
horde OF incapables who obtain their offices |
through the machine, ?" and keep them by
doing the political dirty work of their mas.
tiers, instead OF the public work for which
they are paid. Aud instead of depressing
the laudable and honorable ambition of
other citizens to serve the Government, +"
the new system would throw open all the
subordinate offices to competitive examina.
ton, and enable the really competent
people, who are at present shut out from
the civil service, and thousands Of whom
would gladly enter it, to try their chances
It would give us the best class of public
servants, in fact, instead of the worst. And
in doing this it would strip Congress of
that patronage which has become SO intol.
cradle burden to our public men from the
President down, and thus enable them to
devote their time to those important meas
ures of public utility which are now neg
lected because the spoils system engrosses
all the attention of Representatives and
Senators, and heads of departments and
Presidents. What Commissioner Raum
means by saying that fixed tenure of office
would manifestly tend to weaken the
hold that our system OF popular govern.
8 meEt has upon the minds of the people, "
he probably could not explain himself. 1t
is no doubt mere specimen of rhetoric
such as the politicians of his school employ
when they find themselves in difficulties.
There never was an abuse yet that some |
class did not defend as being identified |
with "our glorious Constitution or the |
foundations of popular government. .
But we shall not allow the Commission. |
er's observation to go unexamined for all |
this. He says fxity of tenure would |
weaken the hold of popular government.
How? Has it done SO in England. Is it
rational to anticipate that honest, efficient.
economical administration of public bust.
ness is more likely to weaken the hold of