St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1881-05-06
Curtis on Civil Service Reform.

ence which is itself the perennial spring
of all prodigality, and of all disorder,
which loads us more than millions of
debt. which takes away vigor from our
arms. wisdom from our councils and
every shadow of authority and credit
from the most venerable parts of our
constitution With this sentiment as
the burden of his theme, Mr.. Curtis
went on to say
Everywhere this party system holds
us all in its grasp by organizations
raised upon the patronage of the civil
service which is itself prostituted to
personal ends, and is itself the most un-
American of all American mstltu-
tions. Against so tremendous an evil
there is but one adequate appealing
appeal To public opinion. The appeal
is from Philip drunk to Philip sober,
from the people drunk with party pas
sion to the people sober, with that Sa-
gacity and sclf-restIaint which alone
make popular government practicable
and IA republic of equal rights the no
blcst of human states. That Is an APP |
peal that no American fears IT is an
appeal that he makes with the pro
foundcst confidence.
Under the operation of the present
system, the public service is no longer
your service: it is no longer il service
of the people of the United States; II |
is private service of Il body of politi-
clans and their dependents in every |
state. All avenues to public employ
mcnt of this nature are closed toss per
cent. of the people of the United States.
They are open only to few tavoi1tcs
and hcnchmcn of influential politicians.
The European monarchical power to
tally disrcgardcd the nation, and held
that the public service was the proper
ty of the King, who dealt IT out ut his
pleasure to his faVoritcs. The Amel1-
can spoils theory equally dcspoilS the
people and puts IL few politicians or
bosses in the place of the King, prom
ising him to farm out the service
to their followers. And when it is pro
posed. us 10y the grace of God and will
of the people it is proposed. to over
throw this privileged class. To break
down the ariStncratic gates and To open
! the public service of the country To all
the people upon equal terms, The whole
Oligarchy of patronage breaks INTO the
chorus that the proposition Is Il CON
Spiracy of Sorc-hcadS to found an arts
tocracy of of1icc-holdcrs upon the ruins
of liberty.
Referring to the consequences of the
present system of civil service, Mr..
Curtis said it ''stimulatcs an enormous
and needless multiplication of places
and salaries; while, in the actual trans
action of public business itrcSults in the
least possible work mt the highest posi-
bile expense. A system which
makes minor public places the reward
of personal service is unav0idably II
system of corruption and inctlicicncy."
Then, giving Il rap at the so-callcd
courtesy of the Senate and the at
tcmptS to make the President bow
down before the cap of some lcgiSla
tive Gcslcr in the matter of appoint
mcnts, the speaker continued
But if rejecting such dictation and
acting upon the conviction which he
expressed 10 years ago, that reform of
the civil service is becoming Il demand
of the time which no party can afford
to ignore, President Garfield shall bold
ly take up the good work which his
predecessor began and carry it still fur
Their forward, he will feel his arm
strengthened with the strength of the
people, and he will see the cap of
the usurping Gesler tluttering ignomin-
iouSly to the ground. You will oh
serve. ladies and gentlemen, that all
the swindling contracts and needless
offices and official inctlicicncy come
from the taxes and the taxes come, ut
=. last, from the pockets of the people.
Now, prosperous nation may choose
to Squandcr its money but no nation
can safely Squandcr its honor. 1t can
not safely permit the loss of Sclf-rc-
Spcct in its agents To he the condition
of serving it, because that tends to de
grade the national service and to de
moralizc the citizen.
The speaker referred to the Subscr-
viency of men in public service to those
who aid them in obtaining position
and to the claim that this is part of
the system -condcmniug it in the fol
lowing words:
Why. of course il is the system; that
is my complaint. 1t is system which
declares that the civil service shall he
filled in manner which tends To cor
rode the very manhood of those who
enter il, to make them toadiCS and
lackcyS and parasites and SNcOphautS.
Ii diSgraccS the national name: it de
grades the national character: it hui
initiates American craftsmanship. at
is the system" cry the political ped
dlerS and huckStcrs. Yes. it is the Sys-
tenn So addition. division and silence
were the System" of Tweed and his
ring: but when the people of New
/ York saw plainly in what kind of net
they were taken. they rose like lion,
they shook themselves, and, like the
spray of Il cobweb, the System" float
ed away.
Another consequence of the loose
way in which minor offices were filled
was spoken of as follows:
A wasteful and cxtravagant service
not only tends To destroy the sclt-rc-
Spect of the holder. not only
. breeds enormous corruption. but ii is
transferring the control of the govern
ment from the people To Il few politi-
clans who have usurpcd the whole pow
ct of parties. BY patronage they con
. troll the caucus and the convention 10y
I patronage they nominate the candi-
dates and more than g.5OO. 900 of the
I l0.W0,OOn of voters in this country,
most of YOU here at this moment in
I cluded. have no other choice. when YOU
< go to the polls upon election day. than