The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1881-12-20
CIVIL SERVICE.

NJ WILL SEX NlCEa.
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Senator Pendleton in Advocacy OF
Its Reform.
APPOINTMENTS BASED ON
MERIT. p, .-
WASHINGTON, Dec IL In the Senate
ta-daS Mr.. Pendlelon delivered speech
on the civil service, and advocated its
reform. The bill which he offered is the
same, in effect, which he presented a.
the last session, aad provides for the ap-
pointment by the President Of
A Commission of Five Persons,
OF different political parties, OF wnom
three shall have no other official place,
and w saalfhe experienced in the pub
tic service; that such com mission shall
devise and submit to the President for
his approval, suitable rules, and suggest
appropriate action for making the act
defective, and when so approved and
promulgated it shall be the duty of all
Officers Of the United States in the De-
lpartments and offices TO which any such
rules NAV relate, to aid, in all proper
wavs. in carrying said rules, and any
modification thereof. into effect; that
such rules shall provide and declare for
open competitive examinations for all
positions under the classes TO be speci
fed; that all original entrance to the
public service shall be at the lowest
grade; that there shall be period OF
probation before any absolute appoint
mept or employment aforesaid; tha'
promotions shall be from the lower
! grades to the higher on the basis oil
merit and compe ition; that no person
| il the public service is for that reason
under any obligation to contribute to
any political fund, or to render any po
litical service, ami that he will not be
removed or otherwise prejudiced tor re-
fusing to do so that no person in said
service has any right to use his official
authority or influence to coerce the po-
llitical action of anv person or body 4;
there shall be non-compeljtive examina-
tions in all proper cases before the com.
mission, when competition may not be
found practicable; that notice shall be
given in writing to said Commission of
the persons selected for sppoiatment or
employment from among those who
have heen examined, of the rejection OF
any such persons after probation, and OF
the date thereof, and record of the
same shall be kept by said commission
The remaining sections provide for
the enforcement of the above provis-
ions
SIR. Pendleton said that the officers OF
the eoverDment-those involving neither
political power nor the choice OF poll
aics, but routine administration only
touch at some point and in some degree
the material interest of every one of our
City millions of people. To say that
tie men test fitted for the work should
be appointed to these offices and should
hold them until men still better fitted
should appear is to utter truism which
not one of these fifty millions will con-
trovert. And yet it has come to pass
that the unanimity in admitting this
truth in words is only equa ed bv the
unanlmity in disregarding it in action.
1t has core to pass that the offices are
dealt with as the prizes of partisan AZ .
tivity; as the rewards to be distributed
to active, faithful henchmen by party
chiefs of high or low degree, to be held
until the salary or emolument or honor
shall have furnished sufficient compen.
sation, and then TO he given to another
| partisan worker who has performed
greater or later service. This practice
has permeated every part of our Gov
ernment, Federal State, county, town
ship and municipal. 1t reaches every
appoin,ive office. 1t involves every Of
6cpr, almost every man supposed to have
il ha nee with the appointing power. i
affects the appointment and tenure a;
we'll of the laborers on the streets as o
lhe members of the Cabinet.
| lH0 SpOliS SySOCus
This is the spols system. The name
explains itself. The name opens mp tC
every thoughtful man, nay, to every MAJ
who will see even without thinking, 6
vision of wrong, injustice, brutality
wastefulness, recklessness, fraud, pecu
lation, degradation of persons ana o
parties, which has driven from public
life much of the cultivated intellect ant
refined morality of lAe country, and fill
even the most hopeful mind with sad
ness for much in the present and grav
anxiety in the future.
He then referred, in fitting words, t.
the assassination of President Garfield
and insisted that the brutality of our pol
ilcs, which lraduces characters and vii
fes molives-the desire for office-th
belief that Garfield could and ought t
,, divide the spoils among the victorious
these made this crime possible; thes
made it possible for the assassin to as
sert that he thought be was doing hi
party and his country service thes
are the fostering beds in which suc
fools are born into such msdmen, an
such schemes of wicked deviltry al
hatched
; The act of Guiteau is exceptional
the causes which contributed to il al
imbeddpd in our system and are ev'
4 present.
Instinctive1y the people. without di
,inctiou to party, traced the source an
6 significance of Guiteau's act. The
found i, in our system of administrator
4 Their intelligence was made keenly a.
tive. Their conscience was awakenet
. Their sensiblity was touched 1t neet
= but little guidance to lead them to Il
: lie ermination, by law, and by publ
: opinion stronger than the law,to destro
!, this office-giving and offlce-seeking sy
!, TEN. That system is the real assass
. of Garfield.
i Office Reward of Partisan Servic'
II The idea tina, one hundred thoussr
It Offices, purely administrative, almost al
J. solntely clerical in their nature, payir
o 800, 900, ,O00, are to be distributed
l. the President and bis appointees. aft
every election and as often during b
term as the rapacity Of place-hunte
,e can persuade or force him, as the 1
J. wards of partisan service to be earn
v by mere personal activity or contrib
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