New-York tribune., 1881-12-14
XLvIIrH CONGRESSES SESSION

| A BILL TO RETIRE GENERAL GRANT-MR' PENDLh-
TON ADDRESSES THE SENATE UPON THE SUBJECT
oP TIE CIVIL sERvICE-THE EXPENSES OF
GENERAL GARFIELD's LINES.
SENATE. ...... WASHINGTON Tuesday Dec ~ 1881
At the opening of the Senate petitions for
the prohibition Of unjust determinations In raioao
charges presented
Bills introduced and referred TO comml'teeS aS
follows:
BY Mr.. VEST Dem, Motto incorporate the inter-
oceanic ship Railway Company, and for other purposes
Committee on Commerce.
BY MI FAIR Dem, Eev.)-For an ascertanment ana
report by Secretary OF War of the amount of money
expended and assumed by Nevada in suppressng Indian
hostlities repeng INVASION etc. Committee on Indian
| Affairs. - 49,, A.. -
rement Of Brevet Major General W. W. Averill, with
the rink and pay of Brigader General Committee on
BY Mr. WINDOW Rep Minn.l--Authorzins the CON
strcon Of the north branch Of the Union Pacific Ran
| July .. 1864. Committee on Railroads. -
Mr. LOGAN (Rep. Il), from the Committee on Military
eral Grant on the Army retired list Placed on the cal
Mr MAXEY Dem, TexJ Of the committee, said the
report just made not unanimous. and he would ind
cate his objections tG it at the proper time. 49,
| Mr.. EDMUND5 (Rep, Etl submitted resolution
requiring President II in his opinion not ncompati-
bic with the public interest to communicate TO the Sen.
ate all the correspondence between the Government of
the United States and ts diplomatic agents in Peru and
Chill respectively occurring since the st oy April 1872
touching public affairs in between those States ana
| such correspondence the subject DC In
| possession of the Department of State.
| Agreed to without dissent -,
| Mr.. HOAR tRep., MassJ offered resolution, which
was also adopted without relnlrk, lnstrucnG the CON-
mittee on Military Affairs To inquire what Legislation, II
any needed To enable the widows and heirs OF deceased
soldiers receive the benefits Of bOuntes to SAID soldiers
while living, and remaining uprhd at the time of their
The report of the Committee Privileges and Elec.
tons upon the memorials affecting ne title OF the New
York Senators their lau the table after
statement by Mr.. GARLAND Dem, Ark that upon ex-
animation he saw nothing to dissent nom III the report
hig ugfi uag
matter
| MIR. PENDLETON UPON THE CIVIL SERVICE
At ll5 p. the bill to regulate and improve the Civil
Service taken up, and Mr.. PENDLErON (Dem.,
on addressed the Senate lie began his speech by char
acerlzng the "spoIls system system of service
and Office. partisan and official salary pay, and
change in the oice-holder the salary shall
have PAID Tor tne WORK or beter or newer worker APP
pears To the effects OF this hateful system he attributed
The murder of President Garfield ana most of The wide
spread corruption existing In American politics. The
fact patent he said, that Guitoau wanted Office and
did IT, and hc believed the President respOn
sibc for mir failure He wanted a new deal new dis.
tributOn Offices He believed that a new President
would make new distribution aud that he would nave
another The oice-and belief he
had earned 1.-THE belief that the President could and
ought 10 divide the spos among the vctorsthc brutal
iy ofOur politics which traducos character aud yilics
motives Whenever difference Of opinion or action
itsthese made hls crime possihle these made it pos
lhe Tor tho assassin 1" assert thai he Thought he was
dong his party and hl- country strvce these the
fostering beds Ia which sucn fools born into such
hatchci The act OF Guiteau is exceptona the causes
present This system drives Senators and Rep
rscutatycS into such position that not only dc they
tempted by their friends and supporters and almost
cocrcod 10 make support Of an Administration cOnd
liOnal upon obtaining offices for their friends. Nor Ia
thus al, even the worst This appeal 10 love Of money
and love ~ patronage, the -tuulants To cXcrtion
creates erce aud brutal party spirit whrh stops at
wrong m the accomplishment ~ III end. IL makes an
intelligent exercise ui the elective franchise impossible
It makes free election and Hir count impossible II
lcvics contributions the salaries o all the Offices, and
cNprnd tho thus collected in corruptiug the
voters IL lowers the tone aud drgrthrs the sentiment
not only Of the public men but more important still, Of
Tins system mas impaired TIE efficiency Of the service
slnge example wlii ilIsrate During l,5d1 consecu-
i've secular days PRIOR {" le'l the renoyas IN the Gus
tom House In NcWlurk numbered lGTH, more than AT
the rate OF onr every day for nearly i've yenrs The
aggrcgat" was nearly equal Ia removal OF every man
The twice IN that time This office has nothing
Ia do with party politics II Is Office duties
s5jOOOOOOO yearly are to be- estimated and collected
other port the world o. the business large.
tarin laws compicated and indefinite Thirteen
schedules cuuncrar duties on fifteen hundred different
article--a thousand miscellaneous articles t0 be
added. Eight hundred aud twenty-three articles pay
al valoIcin duties. Five hundred and fortyone pay
spcchc rates, and 81 assessed compound The
result "As snen as 3ust 20 nave neen hPec,sd bribs
unnecessary officials were employed Money was
torted rom merchnnts smuggling and differentiation
took place In 1874 Il tue United states nearly
- 900 To collect duties lees than 5000 0f
only +5,OOOOOO to collect The duties - 500 900 900
ports. The collection Of at that time
IN the Uncd states three times as much In France
tour times ~ much ~ IN Germany ami 1--we times as
| much - ~ Great Britain.
! THE SYSTEM CAS- AND MUST DE REFORMED.
We must suppaut this systcm-wc chase It ont
with huc cry. In IT. place must nut the other
and better system founded on the idea tnat public offices
are pubc trusts 10 bc administered solely Tor the public
good. that the htrzt men shall administer them until
su atter ana better men shall be- found: that offices
have no right be- except that the faithful execution
the duties attached 60 them ts necessary 10 tc puc
welfare ana thr maximum Of efficiency and the mint
mum o cos couEtu" the only condition on which they
should exist We must establish the idea that the bust
ncss Of nifty millions oi people must be- transacted by
business upon business principles, ana al the more
ugidy and faithfully because 1t Is tho business OF the
people. Are we to be told ht TINS -pos system Is 80
strongly mtrcuchcd IN the affections or ia" prJnuces
or the habits oi oar people th9s we cihho 1rHl,n II
point o our carly history rms was not the system ."
the Constitution This was not the system Of the fathers
| II IL only fifiy yea old.
poini yuu t. the history OF England. The spoS sys.
tenn had been carried to perfection there s evils had
Crc6 and th ARMY ne wen as the civil service by
the further fact that tbe mobility and hierarchy monOpo-
| Jaucs Fox Read Mncauny'- history from tho acces.
SION william Look with wonder ON the Unparalleled
robbery Of the Government and people And yet after
one hundred and MY years or uNuriant growth while
the Nobility and the Ministry and the members Of Paria-
mrn wrry In the full enjoyment Of the patronage in
Churcn and State the face Of an adverse Parliament
i'm May 1850 Lord PameIHion, by an order IN Council,
emf up the system, root and branch and introduced
competitive examination. Parliament by direct vote
forced the In Council, made eNnninatonsappoint-
ed according 90 merit In css than one year Parliament
reversed condemnation and volunteered To make any
appropriation which should be found necessary and In
loss tlan two years parnaJ9' Dy unanimous 3 80 '3e, &
whole civil service II has been 40 extended Gladstone
amidst nppaudng cheers that tho full extent or his
patronage the appointment of his own private sccre-
tary
do not say that the British system is entirely suited
to our conditions The OF OiG", the age of
trance the retiring pension the establishment Of an O
ca class by encouraging young men to enter and pro
wiling them for hic perhaps cannot and ought not to
be ransplanted here But do not say the history OF
this change OF system in the British Empire presents Ia
us u splendid example OF selfdonial and courage and
power In cradcating an acknowledged abuse.
MR. PENDLETONS BILL.
The bill which have the honor to introduce for
the second time aims to effect similar change the
subordinate civil service OF our Government. Its pro
visions not apply TO officers elected by the people,
-L--.-- l.-L d.. L.