The daily gazette., 1881-07-16

l
by the world last year, nearly one hal
was mined in the United States, an,
SIC, 900 of the SOC, 1000 900 worth O
silver produced in that year was th'
product of American mines.
How TO Compass CtviI-servfce Re
form.
Sincere friends of sscivil service re-
form," who imagine that section l.
753 of the Revised Statutes will suf-
flee, If efficiently executed, to destroy
the spoils system without supplement
tary legislation, will do well carefully
to read over Mr.. DOrman b, Eaton's
excellent treatise together with the
report of Senator Pendleton's commit
tee and the bills reported to the Senate
by Mr.. Pendleton. They will then
clearly see the error into which they
have fallen. Section 1,758 il almost
but not altogether sufficient. It would
probably fall little short of doing the
work in the hands Of a President
chosen under the spoils system. Even
with the best-disposed of Presidents
in the White House we must expect
an immense amount of opposition to
ciyil-service reform from the heads of
seven departments and from the mum.
berless bureaus in those departments.
The iron will of jackson himself in a
struggle with the present spoils system
would require ''the trusty shield and
weapon" Of a positive and mandatory
law forbidding members of Congress
and Senators to demand removals and
appointments. Beside which, prudent
people will bear la mind the possible
chance of another pistol in the hand of
another revengeful Guiteau. II the
law is made mandatory and 1t is put
out CT the power of the President to
order head of department to ap-
point any man who has not come safe
ly out of the furnace of q fair competi.
tive examination, nobody can visit his
failure to receive an appointment upon
the President.
The political tramps may make war
against the law and demand Its repeal
but that is thing which the voters may
| be left to deal with II we can only once
se. AS. Pondieton's bills on the statute
book. There is little prospect that, fol
many month to come, President Gar
field, even If his life be happily spared
will have the physical strength necessary
to enable him to attack the spoiIs system
unaided by law the passage of which
will show to demonstration that public
| opinion Is behind him and the terms Of
which shall leave no alternative open tf
the Executive but to execute it.-Already
signs of half breed as well as Of stal war
opposition to Mr.. Pendleton's bills ma,
be discerned here and there in the press
\ and In certain quarters even Journals
professedly not to say PROFESSIONAL,
! Democratic hang back. What the spoils
men In both parties fear Is that II Mr.
Pendleton's ideas can ever be success
fully worked In the Federal Govern.
ment the people will insist on seem,
them applied In the several State anI
city governments. The land is filled
with 'lawyers, theologians and polIti.
clans" Of the type Of Guiteau. They are
standing menace to public order
though of course all OF them are moi
quite SO "hard up" in money matters as
to be desperate, or so taken up with
malice envy and revenge as to be ready
| to shoot President or Governor of 4
State or Mayor of city who refuses
to give them Office. But nobody can tell
how contagious crimes OF this sort may
become, nor how quickly our politica
tramps may fall into line with thu
Socialists, Communists and Nihilists wb(
have publicly declared in London thai
their operations are to extend "from st
Petersburg to Washington" and are t
Include "Presidents of the French ant
American repnblics."
The voters of this country will Jc
well to reflect to what pitch of arro-
gance and insolence political tramps
The true " sturdy beggars of this coun
try, may be led up if the respectabl,
voters Of the Union "show the whit,
feather" In this crisis. 1t is necessary
that legislation In the direction of Mr.
Pendlcton's propositions should bt
taken by the next Congress, II only Ii
order TO show the workers." hummer
and political deadbeats generally tha
they are not to control this country By
demanding offices at the muzzle of /
pistol.
Mr.. Schurz can do excellent servic,
by clearly explaining in the EueninS
Post why he did not put a competitive
examination In operation in the interior
Department during the four years fol
which he was at the head Of that vasl
J establishment. II he tells US that b,
7 waited for the command of the Presi.
dent, can he also cell us why Mr.. Have
did not efficiently execute section 1,75;
of the Revised Statutes Mr.. Schurz
like Mr.. Garfield, when In Congress
: professed great faith in civil-service re
| form, but the public is not aware tina
Mr.. Schurz from March, 1877, to March
1881, so much as lifted finger in th
Interior Department In behalf of com
petitive examinations and against th
spoils system. Would 1T not be NOR,
ssemly for the ex-Secretary to explain
his own record in this matter than +
assail Democrats who have had no ex
ecutive power since 1851, but who di
| 10 the last Congress tender Bis 900 I,