New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-03-09

his annointment. Sen1t0r A.. or Congressman
p. could not, under President Garleld's sys-
TEN, 20 to the White House or to one OF the
Depariments and say :" would like TO have
"Mr. C. turned out and Mr.. d. appointed in
"his place." Party service or personal SER
vice to influential party leaders might avail,
as now, to secure appointments to I'LL
vacancies, but would not be considered at
all as reason for putting new men in the
places Of efficient men already in office, who
had not served out the term for which they
were appointed.
Perhaps President Garfield has hit upon the
golden mean of what is practical if he does not
propose what the reformers think is theoreti-
cally desirable in the way of reforming the
Civil Service. Evidently he is not an adVo-
cate of life tenures. Whatever may be salu
in favor of taking the hundred thousanu
subordinate Federal offices entirely OUT VI
party politics and putting them on business
basis be no doubt thinks such schehe
quite impracticable in q popular governmenYy
administered by political parties Wine az
the State, County and Township Offices are tne
prizes of political activity and influence, IL is
not reasonable to suppose that the people "Hi
consent to have all the Federal ofhces excep'
dozen at Washington and five or SIX IN
each State placed wholly beyond ther
reach and put into the hanus Vi a
permanent official class. The average citi-
zen. who is able to influence by his VoVo
the choice of q sheriff or tOwn-clerk' Will NOV
ipdorse apy system which makes 1T lmpossiDie
for.tbe marty to which he belongs when VIC
torious in National campaign, to determine
who shall he postmaster in his town. Ninety
nino rotors ont of every hundred believe that
the offices should be filed by members Oh the
victorious party. The hundredth man mas
different theory. Perhaps it is better tne-
orv: perhaps not. Whether 1t Is better OF
not. the practical statesman cannot greatly
concern himself with it. He has 10 De guiueu
nv the views Of the ninety-nine men Who'
being in large majority, have right IN
republic, to have their way
Il is. therefore, within the limitations clearly
prescribed by the popular will that President
Garfield must work 10 this matter OF lmproV-
ing the Civil Service. He could not, II ne
wou,d Mace the great majority of Federal
oricns outside the range of party strife. If he
sbonld ATTEMPT it he would fail, because he
would not be sustained by the people or by
the neople's representatives in Congress. The
whole business of schOOlmasters' tests FOR ONCE,
il might as we'll be frankly recognized, has
never got much hold on the pubic minn'
Examinations there ought to be, everybody
admits, but the general opinion Is that
tbev should be restricted TO ascertaining
whether the appointee Is well qualified for
tbe srecial duties of the Office which he is to
fiji. The President sees, however, that there
ia one important direction in which the public
service can be improved-One valuable reform
can he thinks, be made with the approval OF
the people and the cooperation of Congress.
fixed tenure can be established to the great
bencft of the service and the immense relief
of all who exercise the appointing power.
Suppose the period for which commissions are
made to run is fixed ut four years. An APP
pointee would then be secure during that
period. No sweeping changes could be made
on the coming in of new administration
opposed in politics TO its predecessor, because
the commissions of officials would expire at
different times during the four years PreI-
dental term, and thus the service would he
protected against tho sudden advent OF
large number of new aud unframed men.
The limited Tenure would not necessarily
imply that an official is TO 60 out when his
commission expires. disappointment Tor an
other term would no doubt follow in most
cases, unless political motives should dictate
change. The question would, however, be
omen to fair consideration whether the old
official should be continued or new man put
in his place. Discharge would not be removal,
and would imply no disgrace. General Gar
fields plan, in a word, is a compromise be-
tween the old Objectionable system of uncertain
tenure and arbitrary removals and the un-
popular scheme of life tenure, with its con-
comitant feature of an oilicehoding aristocracy
which the extremists among the Civil Service
reforne rs propose. 1t is certainly worth n
fair trial