Morning journal and courier., 1882-06-28


 subject was ''The Public Relations and Duties of the Legal Profession" The address cited various necessities for reform. Venality, corruption and low planes of action were too prevalent in high places The need of re- form was instancsd in various cases of na- tional importance. The address was extem- poraneous and delivered in an off hand, easy, manly style, deliberate and forcible, and many passages evidently struck home to the hearts and sympathies of the audience. The speakers sentiments commanded the sympa- thetic approval and endorsement of the men of note present, as evidenced by their atten- tive manifestations of satisfaction.
 The programme of the afternoon was as follows:
 2-Townsend prize oratious:
 Q) Civil Service Reform,
 William Ransom Barbour, B. A., New Haven
 (2) The Influence of Corporations on American
 John Alden stoughton, Hartford
 [3) Civil Service Reform
 Thomas Robert Morrow, B. A., Hartford 3-oratlon, The tublic Relations and Duties of the
 Legal Profession,
 By Hon. Dorman B. Eaton, ILL D. 4-Award of prizes. 5-Benediction
 At the close of the exercises Cyrus Bentley, Esq, of Chicago, the chairman of the con- mittee of award, announced that after some discussion the Townsend prize of S1OO had been awarded to W. R. Barbour, of New Haven. Mir. Barbour's oration was as fol lows
 CIVIL SERVICE REFORM.
 The problem of civil service reform is not new one It is as old the servi itself Ever since one man coult influence another by the gift sale ofhce, offices have been given and sold for influence Ever s.n'e avaric ous man discerned the possibility or enrchlng himself at the public expense the public tr-as'r! has been plundered These two reat evils favoritism and corruption. have the foes that efficiency of administration which all governments should aim to establish and preserv1
 It melancholy fact that the civil service of the onlted states presents all example of almost every kind of abuse which de4rade and enfeeble it he civil servants of ional government b tve been compel ed to fear a removal with every chanof of administration They have been subiected to the payment of enormous political assessmen1s They have been forced to use their influence and to cast ther votes In accordance with the will of party agers Even appointments to offices of the greatest responsibility have commonly been based on nothing but favorttism or par isanshp. These evils are od such frequent occurrence that do not their real magnitude and cannot justly estma their per- n1c1ous eneots But the evils and their effects are none the less real. Other nations them if we dc not; and the fact that the infamous sspols system is now contemptuousy called the q" merican system should be enough to attract the serious attention every American citizen. The time has come when it is longer possible to deny the need an immediate and sweeping reform.
 The question naturally arises at this point sIs the eradication uf the socalled American system prac ticabe ?" In reply it only neces ary to point to the example of mother country from whose insti tutions and experience hav4 al eady learned so much. The English people had for centuries been laboring under the heavy burden which a corrupt civil service inevitably imposes upon a nation They had suffered from the same evils to which the neff c1ency Of our own service s due. But the me came in the history England as 1t must come in the hts tory of cry nation not dead to morality and justice when the issue between favortiSm and impar ality, between corruption and purity became real and vital Then the spells system gave way before the earnest demands of the people, wrong must always sooner or later give way to right and hen it destroyed the patriot statesmen of England substituted for it system based natural principles of right and jus t1ce,- "a system which is a model for the world
 It should be far easier to the evil this country than it was in England There the monar- chical spells system had held almost undsputed sway for centuries Here it is of comparatively recent growth. There the old system found hearty support in the hereditary executive and nobility and n such ruling class defends the prerogatves of tocracy In view of these is evident that the disgraced our government is entirely pra ticabe. But some plan must be adopted in its stead, and here again we find epared for us in the merit tenn" which Great Britain has adopted, scheme wei fitted to supply needs. Its chief features are competition open to all eligible persons appoint ment in accordance with the results of su rh compet ion without regard to personal political prefer ences and removal from office only upon sufficient cause.
 
 serv1ca has been followed by improvement in th health and uorals of the British nation, by in and by an al 1ost incredible advance in the purity economy and efficiency of the service. It t' us with the commendation of people who identit. with our own in language, tradition and religion ma, es it's adaptatiity to our requirements almos certain
 It nas been declared by the Supreme Court of thu United states that 'SThe theory of government that all public offices trusts, and that those cloth ed with them are to be animated in the discharge their duties solely by considerations of right justice and the public good.' This statement is true O England of this country Public offices are ther as well here in theory regarded as trusts. Bu what difference is there between the two countrie in The tactical application of the theory to the actu al workings of government.
 The evils of our system are most evident whe1 the nation is about to choose chief executive-wher more than one hundred thousand ofice-hoders pre- pare to defend their official lives the neglect of th public business-when, though thu est is nom1 nally one of principle, it is real only struggle fol place. Such conflict, attended by the fear and an iety of the officers, and supported by their nvolunta vice impaired and the nation dshonored. Then fol lows the clamor of the successful orkers for theil reward and the fact that the nivil service is is completely forgotten. Whatever it may be in the ry, pibllc office in this country is far from being administered in practice as 8 trust. Look now at the results of the British system There find such greedy struggle between great parties for the .iviI off anyone may offer himself candidate for office without regard to his political views Tle competitive examinations, while fur shing test of past diligence and faithfulness give assurance that the successful cand da pos
 
 There when one has been successful he knows that should he be removed for anything short of actual mtsdemeanor the nation would avenge the injustice. The temptation to fraud a. peculation which our system undoubtedly inspires is tn refore replaced in splay that nesty and ability which will result in promotion. This is shown by the fact that after a thorough investigation into the civil service in 1873 1t found that the expenses had decreased, that each department took pride iu its ability to present economical estmat and also [and this is the most extra rdinary result of aD that not suspic ,n of dishonesty rested a member of the service
 There can be no comparison between the two sys- tems. All is contrast and that, too contrast which far from ha,tering to the intelligence aud common sense of the most civilized nation the face of the earth.
 But it is said that although this system may work well in England it will never succeed in the United States. In other words, system which is democrat c in it's theory which regards the public possessing right to dem md the best qualified men to fill it's offices which forbids dismissal except cause, ai d thus secures at all time' thoroughly trained body of eff ials system which encourages honesty and economy, which promotes fidelity aud efficiency and improves the mental and moral condi i n of nation, is declared to be system which not find foothold upon American soil. The propo- sition carries its refutaton upon it's The very nature Of such system fits it for republican form of government it's principles commend themselves as just and right to the mind of every honest and it's workings abroad sufficient guaranty that if not perfect it is ia above system the heavens are above the earth.
 live that our service is in sore need of immediate reform that the abolition of the spells been 80 iccessful in England entirely practi- cable. It may strange that the change not at effected. But it is useless to expect those who hold the keys of office take the initiative in any reform. They admit the necessity and the practicabilty of change; they may concede the ad vantages of the proposed system and it's adaptabty to our needs. But so long they the patron age of the nation for their own aggrandzement they will never yield valuable privilege
 The hope of & civil service reform is not ia Con- qress nor in the heads of departments, but in the best and purest clements of the people. Every great reform is of slow and upward growth, and the abo- lon of the vicious spells system will only be accom- plished when sound public pinion sharl have been formed the energy of the people aroused, and the form demanded with that earnestness which cannot be mistaken.
 When we put the admission to service on grounds which will bring to it the greatest ability office except for good and sufficient cause, then and then only may nope to thoroughly efficient and ptibe civil service established in the first republic of the earth.
 Honors were conferred on the five men in each class receiving the highest marks at the annual examination in this order:
 SENIOR GLASS. sw. R. Barbour, New Haven, {JeweL prize of S50.) F. W. Kea or, Mo inc, Ill.
 T. R. Morrow Hartford.
 A. M Taft, Worcester, Mass.
 E. ". Walker, Richmond, Ky.
 JUNIOR GLASS.
 D. W. Lawler, Prairie du Chien, Wis, (Betts prize of S5O).
 N. T. Guernsey, New Haven
 s. Welty, La Rose, Ill.,
 C. Kleiner N,w Haven.
 A. E. .Waldrat, Chester, Mass
 Tho foIlouino 1pere ,,resented for degrees