The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1881-08-20
Bogus Civ.l.Servics Reform.

Bogus Civ.l.Servicc hciOrms
With the hypocritical cant about
Civil-service Reform no self-respecting
citizen has partic e OF patience. The
phrase has become by-word. Most OF
the men who have palavered about the
subject and covered it with their sicken-
ing rhetorical drool are deservedly sus-
pected of the worst sort of dema-
goguery, if they are not despised.
Grant protested to be a Civil-service
Reformer; but it was only to get rid of
personal ANNOYANCE and evade '.the
courtesy OF the Senate" he now so
stoutly contends for. He merely want
ed pretext for ignoring the "claims"
OF leading Republicans whom he dis
liked. while he appointed whoever he
pleased to any Office that happened to
be vacant, regardless of qualifications
or character MANY of his appoint
ments to important Offices were not
only disgraceful in themselves, but an
insult to the country. Hayes made
great pretensions to Civil-service Re-
form, and stuffed the Federal offices
with scoundrels who had helped count
him into the Presidency, and political
tramps and nobodies from Ohio. violat-
ing every principle of sound policy and
ordinary propriety.
Garfield was fully blossomed Civil
service Re;ormer. He advocated the
/ subject in speech and press. He waxed
eloquent in depicting the evils of the
present system and the beauties of the
one he proposed to put in its place.
Three months in the White House. and
be has repudiated by his acts every
principle that he proclaimed. Pension
Commissioner Bentley, who had been
years in an Office where he had saved
the Nation 81, 100000, and prevented
| the stealing of as much more, was re-
moved on account of 6 the pressure" of
the thieves who found him in their wav.
General Smith, Collector at Bangor, a
faithful and successful officer, was dis
missed in the middle of his term to
recompense Davis for retiring from the
Senatorial contest and insnring the cleo
ton OF Hale. General Merritt. the re-
spected and admirable Collector at this
| port. was removed in the midst of his
term to reward Robertson. whose course
at Chicago made Garfeld's nomination
possible. Stanley Matthews, railway
lawyer, was put on the Supreme Court
bench, for which ne was VIGOROUSLY I'M
fit. to placate interests and please indi-
viduals. Wallace X. White, notorious
as briber. a second Sessions without
the latter's ability, was made District
Attorney in one of the territories. A
score OF other instances can be named
in which not only has every profession
been falsifed. but every sound principle
of executive action has been trampled
under foot. No wonder that Civil
service Reform is looked upon as a mere
pretense and suspected as blind when
it is not loathed. And now Mr.. Gar
field has been shot by a man who was
mad that he was not provided for by
the President he had worked to elect in
the expectation of an Office.
Whatever interest the country might
have had in Civil-service Reform has
been killed by the hypocritical pre-
lenses and Inscriptions acts of its adj
vocates. Moreover, the people of this
country do not want an ironclad civil
service system fastened on the Federal
Government. Everybody knows that
scho0lmaster examinations are not tests
of capacity for the public service and
are ridiculous. Why demand that s
Weigher, or Inspector, or tide-waitel
in the Custom-house shall answer 9
schoolmaster's catechism when Senator
Logan murders the Kings English
every time he makes a speech, and one.
third of the Senators are incapable oil
correcting himp Three-quarters of the
talk about Civil-service Reform is the
! = Il -
to abolish the whole spoils system,
which is debauching the politics of the
country and degrading the General
Government into an immense plumber
shop for the distribution of places to the
favorites of the highest officials. This
system degrades the 100000 Fedora
offices into a vast corruption fund
with which an Administration pays
the expense of its election and
promises to pay for its continuance
in power. And to get rid of this sys
tenn there should be such tenure Of
office act as shall make it impossible for
even q President TO remove anybody
save Cabinet Minister during his off
cial term except for just cause. All the
subordinate places of the Government
should be taken outof politics altogeth,
er. A man appointed to an Office should
be so assured of his position for his term
that he can give his whole time and
mind to the public service 1t is the
Presidents duty to appoint the best
men he can find to offices as they be.
come vacant. There is no system un.
der Heaven by which weak or unprin-
cipled President will be compelled to
make good appointments. AS General
Hancock well said, the only way to re-
form the Federal service is to begin at
the top by putting men at the head OF
the Government who will make wise
appointments. The Senate was in.
tended to be sieve to keep all bad
nominations from taking effect. There