Litchfield enquirer., 1881-06-09
CIVIL SERVICE REFORM. George William Curtiss in Music Hall,
 Boston.
MIR. CURTIsS' ADDRESS.

MIR. cURTIss' ADDRESS.
 A hundred years ago, beginning this speech upon the reform of the civil es- tablishment, Edmund Burke saidin par lament: What I confess was uppermost with me, what 1 bent the whole force of my mind to, was the reduction of that cor spring of all prodigality, and of all disorder, which loads us more than millions of debt, which takes away vigOr from our arms wis dom from our councils and every shadow of authority and credit from the most venerable parts of our constitution This ample and resounding arraignment of the malign power of political patronage naturally occurs to l every American, who sees, as we see at this moment, contest for petty place arresting and obstructing the public business of the 1 country, vast system of fraudulent posssl star contracts exposed. sustained and mada possible by political influence, and the poIs- lar will of the great city of the continent uc- rided by knot of professional politicians, | who hold that patronage is DiOre to be desired than pestience is to be feared. [Applauss. Everywhere party system, the power which Burke describes as corrupt influence, holds us all in it's grasp by organizations now raised upon the patronage of the civil service. The service itself is prostituted to personal ends.
 
 ton and removal is so unreasonable, so shift less, so wantonly wasteful, and extravagant, so dangerous and demoralizing, that of all great American institutions it is the most un- American. Against so tremendous an evil so firmly intrenched in party traditions and prac- tice, there is but one adequate appeal. It is the appeal always open to Americans it THE APPEAL TO PUBLIC OPINION.
 We are all, all who hear me, more or less party men. The result, therefore, would seem to be feregone conclusion: but it is not so. The appeal is from Philip drunk to Philip sober, from the people drunk with party passion to the people sober, with that sagacity and self restraint which alone. make popular government practicable and re- public of equal rights the noblest of human states. That is an appeal which no Ameri- can fears; it is an appeal that he makes with the profoundest confidence. Now the civil service of the United States is simple bus mess agency. It includes, of course, all civil officers, from the President to the smallest clerk in a department; but, for the purpose of this discussion it is held to embrace the great multitude of clerical and administrative places which are absolutely non-political, and whose duties are the same under all ad- ministratiens and, with these, embraces, also, the vast throng of contractors depeu. dents by the entire ramifying system in all it's honorable aud dishonsrable scope, from the faithful post office messenger, who earns pittsnce or salary, shivering lest some poll tician should want his place for somebody else, to the star route contractor, who steals $1 O00, 900 from the treasury. and believes himself to be too important and powerful a political parsonage to be held to account all. from one end to the other, is founded up- on patronage and therefore the question, how the great business partnership of the Ameri can people shall select Its clerks. is the prelim- mary question in any discussion of the subject. Now little book, opportunely published in Washington, and just now in great demand, whose proper title is ''The Office Seekers Manual" answers this question. ''The pub- lie business of the United States, says this manual and 1 quote it's words, ''is largely transacted by officers, agents and employees, selected and patronized by the influential members of the political party in charge of the government for the time being, and tieir tenure of office is practically dependent upon the continued ascendency of that party, and a | continuance of the influence of patronage that led to their selection" This is perfectly plain, perfectly ludicrous
 1 AND PERFECTLY TRUE.
 
 of any qualification, or of any test of fitness, or of any tenure but politicians favor. He is the St. Peter who holds the keys of the place. and his pleasure alone admits and ex. pels There is story which l have often told of Abraham Lincoln and story which may we'll be told and well remembered by those who hear When he was President there was Senator of the United States, dis l tinguished as more expert office broker | of
 | whom we may call, for this occasion, Hon. Jeremiah Jones. Early and late, in season and out of season, when news from the front was most encouraging, and when anxiety was heaviest, the honorable Jermiah was busily pushing one follower into post office, and another into custom house, mak- ing this man messenger, that woman floor scrubber, building up everywhere the power of the honorable Jeremiah, hunting the l departments, hunting the President and sec retaries, bawling for ''place, place, place" as ''beef. beef, beef ;" and one day Mir. Lincoln, being asked by friend to give him the rou- tine of his daily employment, complied, and, describing what he did during the day, ad. ded: "Atter all this comes night and must think of rest. 1 leave orders to be called if any news comes from the army. Then 20 to my room. 1 think of the brave boys in the field and on the sea, of the aching hearts and the praying lips at home. I kneel down and pray, too. Then jump up, look under the bed te see if Jerry is there, and, if not. thank God, aud bounce in.' Loud laughter and applause. This is the way in which we pro- vide for the effective and economnal trans action of our public business. There is not man in this audience, however fitted he may be for the public service, however much he may wish to enter 1t and devote himself hon. orably to it's duties, who has any chance whatever of obtaining the opportunity, simply because he IS lit for it. His only hope is to secure the favor of some Jeremiah Jones. Do you know" said shrewd old farmer; s'do you know why this crowd of fellows fetch and carry, and do all the dirty work for such man as our member of Congress?" s.No." ''Well, will tell you. It is because they 1 think he can take everyone of them by the shoulders
 AND SLING HIM INTO AN OFFICE.
 and, when he has slung him in, he must dil- 1 igently do the will of his patron. CT he will I sling him out again quite as fast" At this moment there is not minor officer in the public service of this country whe is not ap- prehensively- thinking, not of the way in which he had done his duty, but of his pat 1 ron, of his backing. and wondering whether the politician who put him in will be able. or 1 care, to keep him in. however we'll he may have discharged his duty. If he has not been diligent in packing caucuses, if he has refused to pay an extravagant proportion of his wages as kind of blood money, he shiv- CTS; and. even if he has done all these things, if, indeed, he has left no such work undone he still trembles lest some Jeremiah Jones should say to him: stWell, my friend, you have had your hand in the great bag long enough. You have had your share. You get your place very easily. You have held it for long time There is a long train of men here who never have had chance. You ought not to grumble at being turned out. ," There is not public service in the world on so contemptible basis as the public service of the United States, except. possibly, that of Turkey or Siam. For fifty years every Pres ident has been peStered and eyoenaratad hv