Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1882-01-10
ton of Ramsey Grookes, availed him

bIOI Vi leGuSoy CIOOkcS, dfd1tu HUI
self of young Lampson's services,
first among the Indians, then in
New York, and finally as his agent
in London. That Vermont farmer
boy is now Sir Curtis Lampson,
among the wealthiest and best es-
teemed London bankers. For his
active cooperation with our indomin-
able fellow citizen, Cyrus W. Field,
in linking England to America by
means of a submarine cable, Queen
Victoria conferred the honor OF
knighthood upon Mr.. Lampson.
Thus munifciently, in the earlier
and better days of our history, were
industry, perseverance, capacity and
integrity rewarded. Kindred re-
wards await those who initiate these
examples. And when our young
men, stimulated as their predecessors
were, resolve to rely under Prov
idence upon their strong arms, clear
heads and honest hearts for the sup
port of themselves and their families,
we shall all experience a grateful
sense of relief from the importani>
ties of Office seekers, money-borrow-
ers and street~beggars.
The only practical theory of civil
service reform is embraced in this
extract. The bulk of the great army
of Office seekers who congregate
about Washington whenever there is
a change in the administration or in
the organization of either house of
Congress, is made up largely of per
sons who for one reason or another
have proven failures in life. The
briefess lawyers, the doctors with
out patients, the merchant whose
losses have been greater than his
! profits, the farmer who has failed to
make a living on his farm, and the
aimless young man without a fixed
purpose for the future, are all largely
represented in this large army which
swoops down on Washington at
stated periods. Not one in ten of
/ them would be there if they were
able to earn a good living at home.
What do these men care for CONS
petitive examinations And how
much more competent are they as
officers in the civil service after they
have passed through such examina-
tions? As Gen. Raum in his recent
annual report, has truthfully said,
there are certain essential qualitica-
tons in a public official, which can
never be ascertained through COM
petitive examination. There are
plenty of well educated gentlemen
who are destitute of what we call
common sense, which is essential in
a public servant, and which is brought
into play every day in the contact
between a public Office and the PEG
pie.
Aud the idea that to be efficient
the public service must be non-parti
IAN, is all bosh. We agree that the
first thing to be looked to in the APP
pointment of public official, is hi:
capacity and integrity. And WI
I further agree that if the appointing
power can find no one Of it's Owl
politics to appoint, who has these
qualifications, that it would be duty
to look elsewhere. But we believe
there are enough men in sany
political party, who are homes
and capable, to fill all the
offices in the country. When thu
people elect a President, it is expect
ed that he will choose his subordin
ates from among those who are il
sympathy with his policy. But if i
were understood that selections fol
! public officials were to be made from
those who have demonstrated thei
capacity to earn a living, to take car,
of themselves, it would relieve the
army of office-seekers of a large ar.
my of dead beats, who are always Oh
hands in force when anything is t.
be dispensed in the shape of public
patronage.
, We take it that the adjournment
of the senatorial investigating com
, mittee to February It'll, means tina
} it has gone through with all the evi
dence obtainable, bearing upon tn
: charges of bribery made agains
f Senators Morgan, Barrett ant
Smith. This matter originate,
with the reputation wing of tn,
: Democratic party acting as tools ant
figure-heads for the low tax, bono
ring, which has its headquarters q
Nashville. It was commenced be
fore the grand jury for Davidson
County, the primary object being t.
, depress the price of Tennessee bonds
| But the result has been yer,
: different from what was intended. I
has revealed the deep-seated ras
cality of the reputation managers
and proven that their only object i
{ to make money by specializing il