Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1881-07-16

in the growth OF the number and i'm
p~ortance of the public servants appoint
ed and controlled by the president.
Not mindful OF the fact that the abus'
of the power OF federal place holders ha'
only been made manifest during tn
past two decades, we are frequently
treated to dissertations upon Jackson'i
alleged phrase, ITO the victors belong
the spolls." Indeed. no republican
paper considers its repertory of regula
ton editorial thunder complete, until i,
has Illuminated . bolt the iron Of whose
constituent parts IS the allegation thai
Jackson created the spoils system, anc
that 1t istherefore a democratic bantling
which democrats have no right either to
disown or abandon.
The iron refuses to enter our demo-
cratic soul. We disclaim With all the
vehemence in our nature the allegation
that any party, wing or democratic,
ever. before the war, built up such an
oligarchy of federal Office holders al
now exists in this country. We deny
that the grand old hero, Jackson. ever
permitted the federal treasury, the
federal post Office, the federal bank, the
federal army or the federal navy to be.
come machines by which q political
party should be kept in power. 1t is
not history; and no we'll informed per-
son can be made to believe it.
Mr.. Geo. VIM. Curtis in Harper's
Weekly, for July 16. has an editorial
entitled ga good plank for Republican
Platforms, }" in which. speaking of civil
service reform, he says, ''the reform, SO
to speak, is naturally republican" In
the same article he points out the fact
that there have been but two state cor.
ventions held thus far this year, and
that the Ohio republicans are not .'lucid
upon civil service REFORM" while the
''Iowa democrats, however, speak out
for reform. and 1t would not be
if the Ohio and New York
should do the same" After
offering this astonishing character OF
proof to sustain his proposition. Mr..
Curtis proceeds at some length to show
that t'the republican objection to serious
is that it would be a foolish sur
of party advantage, and an aid
the democrats In recovering power"
He further states that, sit Is urged that
to introduce the merit system is to give
a chance for appointment.
and that, it is argued, would disgust
and ALLEVIATE republican workers." So
Mr.. Curtis makes out his case and so
only can any honest republican make it
out.
The number of Office holders In the
country has grown from al Insignificant
figure IN 1860 to an army in 1881.
Then they were appointed with q view
to their fitness for their places; now
they are appointed because of their
to control primaries and conduct
caucuses. Then they handled small
sums of money honestly and faithfully,
with no recorded instance of ~perverting
public funds to party or other
political purposes. Now we have
learned of whisky rings, navy rings.
treasury rings. BANKERS syndicates.
straw bids, star route steals, and whole.
sale confiscatlons of immense contin-
gent funds.
Public opinion forced an appearance
of reform under Grants regime. Mr..
Curtis, placed at the head OF the move
ment, was 10 humiliated at the farce
into which it wal made to degenerate
that he resigned in disgust, and Gen.
Grant chucklingly permitted the whole
business to be pigeon-holed. Again
Mr.. Schurz and others during Mr..
Hayes. administration endeavored to do
something. Their successors have de.
l~iberately undone what they did. The
present administration following anoth-
er republican administration there was
no excuse of conforming the appeintees
to the policy of the government elected
by the people (the jackson idea). but
simply to reward CO -factionists within
the same party a general BUSTING
Of important Office holders has taken
place, without either good rhyme or
reason.
Still, Mr.. Curtis, who has been spit
upon by his party, who has been styled
So dilettant." ga man milliner;" who
was Inundated into supporting for the
vice-presldency a person whom he now
causes his man Mast to depict as a boot
black for Messrs. Conkling and Platt,
has the temerity to say that ''the reform,
SO to speak. is naturally republican, u
II this IS true, why is it that in twenty
years OF power the republican party hat
Instituted no recognized and known sys.
tenn OF civil service reform? Are the
haif-breeds at Albany counting any less
upon the custom house patronage than
did the stalwarts when they had it
Are not both factions fighting to capture
not break the machineP Was not tn,
civil service reform plank at Chicago al
sfterthought, adopted in spite of tn
sentiment of the convention as a sop tc
Cerberus; and was not Flanagan's tn,
sentiment that was received with shout
of approval and with the hearty sthat'
so 7" Flanagan asked, what are ",
here for II not for the of6cesP" What
indeedP
All this must be changed or the pre-
dictions OF Carlyle and Macau!ay will b
fulfilled and the republic will die
stabbed to death with corruption, an
that from within. 1t can be change,
it republicans are in earnest in desirin,
a reform. An eminent democrat ha
inaugurated the movement. Senate
Psndleton has given serious and careful
tudy to the bill which he now ha