Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1881-12-14
CONGRESSIONAL.
BOTH HOUSES OF THE NATIONAL
LEGISLATURE IN SESSION.
Senate Debate on Civil Service Reform
Participated In by Pendletor, Dawes and
Hill-The Republican Record on the
Question Shown up bv Hill-A Purely
Business Session in the HOuse-After the
Reference of 756 Bills it Adjourns to
Friday Next.
Senate.

rallrOau cudTRts.
Senator Hoar, from the committee on rules,
reported lack the resolution for select com
mittee of seven to be appointed by the chair,
on the extension of suffrage to women or the
removal of their legal disabilities. He asked
unanimous consent for the present considera.
ton of the resolution. Vest objected.
Senator Ransom submitted resolution con-
stituting select committee of five to inquire
into and report as to the condition of the Po-
tomac river from the city Of Washington, the
navigability of said river, the effect OF bridges
across the same upon navigation, floods, and
health of the city, and what action ought to
be taken in the premises, etc. Adopted, and
Senator Ransom, Jones, New, Kellogg, con-
stituted such committee.
At the close of forenoon business, Pendle-
ton took the floor upon his bill to regulate
and improve the civil service. He defined the
spoils system thus: The universal rule Gf
there be any exception, it only emphasizes the
rule), is that service IN office, was partisan
work and official salary as pay, and change
In office holders. As soon as the salary shall
have been paid for the work, or a better or
newer worker appears. He traced Guiteau's
motive in shooting President Garfield, and the
fact is potent that he wanted an office and did
not get it, and he believed the president was
a new distribution of offices. He believed a
new president would make new distribution
and that he would have another chance. His
desire for office and the belief that he had
earned it, the belief that the president could
and sought to divide the spoils among the VIC
tors, the brutality of our politics which ira
duces character and vilifies motives wherever
a difference of opinion or action exists, these
made his crime possible. For the assassin
&lo< Ia r,~1f 1a dOfp nc
party and his country service, these are fes-
tering beds in which such fools are born into
such madness, and such schemes of wicked
deyiltry are Matched. The act of
Guiteau Is exceptional. The causes which con-
tributed to it are imbedded in our system and
are ever present. Of the effect of the spoils
system on public men and public service Sena-
tor Pendleton said: "This system drives sena-
tors and representatives into such a position
that not only do they neglect the chief duties
of legislation, but too often they are tempted
by their friends and supporters and are almost
coerced to make support of the administra-
ton, conditional upon their obtaining offices
for their friends. Nor is this alrnor even the
worst. His appeal to love OF
money and love of patronage as stimulants to
exertion creates fierce and brutal party spirit
which stops at no wrong in the accomplish
ment of its end. 1t makes an intelligent eXer-
makes free election and fair count Impossi-
BILE. 1t levies contributions on the salaries of
all officers and eXpends vast sum thus col
lected in corruptlng voters. 1t lowers the tone
and degrades the sentiment not only of public
men, but, more important sstIll,
of whole people behind them.
We must supplant this system. We must
chase it out with hue and cry. In its place
we must put another and better system,
Jnl tl,a r1a hat in off tinac ov,d
public trusts, to be administered solely for
public good; that the fittest man shall admin
lister them until still filter and better man
shall be found; that offices have no right to
be, except that a faithful execution
of the duties attached to them is
necessary to the public welfare, and the
maximum of efficiency and minimum of cost
is the constitutional condition on which they
should exist. We must establish the idea that
the business of fifty million of people must be
transacted by business men, upon business
principles, and all the more ngidly and faith
fully because it is the business of the people" "
Pendleton then explained at length the
scope of his bill, saying he invited criticisms
and discussion of it. He closed as follows: 81
appeal to the senators on the other side OF
this chamber. You have the administration.
You have the offices. You are enjoying the
power and emoluments. This bill does not
lie i
peal to the senator's on this side of the cham
ber. We are in the minority. We have no Of
fees now. The chances of time will sooner OF
later put them in our grasp. Let us now de.
clare that we will have none of those offices,
except those which may be won by merit.
Let us give this earnest of our sincerity
in this great reform. Let us give this
token of purity and patriotism of our coming
administration of the government. Let us
fha cv-ar Or1r kI.x
we contend for power, not that we may enjoy
the elements of office, but that we may lead
the country in the pathways of advancement
and benefcence under the inspiration of true
Democracy. Patronage, however pleasant for the
moment, is a curse to any man. Let us put
it behind us now. Let us do the right now.
Let us destroy it now, and we will in future
reap our full inestimable reward in having dis
engaged our party and our president from the
influences of which will surely plant seeds oi
early defeat IN our coming victory, and in
having saved our country from the perils
which now environ it,
After Pendleton's remarks, Dawes, replying
to the criticisms upon his position on the
subject by Pendleton, said they were due to
his own inability, both now and in the last
congress, to support that feature of the sena-
tors measure providing for the establishment
in Washington of board of examiners, or i'm.
perium In impero, with no prescribed tenure,
who are to superintend and control all exam.
nations in all departments and places in the
civil service covered by the bill. The senator
now argued that he (Dawes) for this
reason, did not want to have any legislation
on the subject. His own effort had been to
awaken O public sentiment out of which
would be evolved Legislation of practical utili-
ty and he had stated and reiterated that for
ten years the statute books had contained au-
thority enough to accomplish everything the
most ardent reformer desired to have accom-.
plished. He believes board, such as is pro.
posed, would depend for lis eff.
fciency solely upon the spirit
of the executive who appointed
it. His own conviction was that the remedy
for abuses in the civil service was in the peo.
pie of the country, and could only be applied
in full by them.
Chill, Of Georgia, said iu his Judgment the
difficulty was not in want of legislation, and
therefore 1t was very difficult to see how the
remedy was to be applied bylegislation. One
great difficulty, he thought, was that while
everybody was preaching very earnestly
on civil service reform, nobody was
practising it, and it did moi
seem to make any difference to the people
whether their representatives were practiclng
it or not. While the country was weeping
over the tragic end of the president, a federal
judge was soiling his ermlne by indicting q
letter to the successor of that president; one
who by reason of the corrupt civil service
complained of, had succeeded 70 office, appeal.
ing to him to make appointments on purpose
f0 Dleasa that iudoa nd