National Republican., 1882-12-06
HRefornl.o

FROM He lHinolS StdutS- Zettung (Rep.),
Since the Democrictic party, by virtue of
the victory of the 7th of November, has be-
come the presumptive heir apparent to the
Republican party, the Democratic party lead
ers do not seem to be in great hurry to force
the so-called "reform of the civil service"
Senator Voorhees,, of Indiana, declared few
days ago that this step must be considered
twice before allowing the present (Republi-
CAM officials to continue in office. In other
words, if Democratic President should be
elected in 1884 he intends to remove the Re-
publican officials with the exception of those
perhaps whose services cannot be spared with
out detriment to the public service, and this
exception has been made SO far by every partly,
and replace them by good Democrats. After
that, the Democratic party will preach "civil-
service reform" after their own fashion, viz:
to keep their own men in Office as long as pos
sible.
This is perfectly in order, and in accord
ance with the views of civl-service reform of
such shining lights as Hayes, Carl Schurz &.
| w. Curtis, and other saints of civil-service
reform fame Their ideas were to get offices
for their friends first, and then enforce rule
that the "good" officials should be kept in
their respective official positions. We despise
swindling and hypocrisy, no matter in what
shape or form or party, and, therefore, we
detest also that virtuous swindle which, since
II.
chair was practiced by him and his hypocrit.
ical associates and it is all moonshine if one
party attempts to make the other believe that
they would not use an eventual victory to
reward their party friends with public Offices
And it is but natural that as long as this
country is governed by parties, every one
of them endeavors to exercise the pub
lie power through their own friends,
and to continue in power as long as
possible. This has been in vogue Mt all times
and everywhere, and If even kings and princes
have not deviated from this rule why should
il be otherwise in other countries where dis
tinct parties of different political views and
principles fight the same battleSY Whether
the Lancasters or the YOrks whether Valos
or Bourbon, Welt or Wuiblingcn, or las it was
during the last century in Swedaul hats or caps
fight among themselves to get into aud keep
in power Every one of them when in power
endeavored to keep the other down, and TO
prevent the "Outs" from getting in il was
The fight for power, with no sentimentality
either. And it is exactly the same fight in II
republican State or in union of republican
States, and whoever receives and accepts un
Office from any party and believes he will be
or hopes to be kept in office under another
| party Is a fool
The number of such fools, however, is COM
| paratively small, much smaller than our civil
service reformcrs imagine. How could it be
| large when the perpetual elections demon
strate the fact that the 'peOpe' themselves
chose their officers regardless of their fitness
and capability, solely on account of their pO-
litical belief and sentimentsY All our politi-
car struggles in regard to electing administra-
tive and judicial officers are mere mOckcry ut
the idea of the so-called civil-service reform,
If the people reward to-day this one and to-
morrow another one with an office which gives
employment to fifty or a hundred clerks, jan
itors, messengers, &C., what else can be expect
cd than that such an officer surrounds himself
with subordinates of his own political creed es-
pecially when they helped him to get the office?
| 1t is nonsense to feel sorry about this state of
affairs or to point at the good old times
under John Quincy Adams" The public SER
vice of those days was of no great account, for
the reason that the administration of the
whole country sixty years ago was not half as
! important as that Of the State Of New York.