New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-12-16


debate in the House on the Post once
hin was closed yesterday. The D'mo-
Gratis in the House yesterday made no effort 10
nrevcnt DIR. Mclean from taking his seat as
The successor of Thomas Allen, from the llu
Missouri District.
CIVIL SERVICE REFORM IN THE SENATE.
A STRONG SPEECH BY SENATOR MILLER IN s'rFoNi
OF THE BILL
Try TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIHUNa.l
WASHINGTON. Dec. Ex-senator MIier
his speech upon the civil 9eiNi'0 coed
min today. He saii the system propose"
bv tbe hill was in its chief char"ct1'
i.t;os like that which has MADE '"1
NevYorlx Post Office one of the most complete anu
thorough Offices under the Government an oiOo
,,bore q Democrat hpd even chance WIN
= R,oublican of getting an appointment
IL he was equally merto'lous. Inc cn",so
that the system Chimercal was
arov.d bv the resut Of its application III
u, yo.l Pcrerripe TO Senator Browns state
pent Yesterday, that the practical effect oil IN oi'
1 he 10 erect ife-tenures in civil Offices ne az
cnod tlat il could 10 nothing OF the knu. II
,f the Civil Service into the condition IN when II
~ nIaced by the fathers, and in WIN h 1t had cA-
is,ed during the FIRST fifty years of the Repubnc.
.rbo elective Offices were untouched by the bill.
Te longest ter for elective officer was thaV Oh
= Senator. AMI he, like other elective oiheers'
WIS directly responsible 10 the people ana ohy 10
$50 n,ople who elect him. But the appo'ntlNe OIL
cod uooo a different footing 81 heir incum-
hats had nothing whatever to do with the poncy
oeGovernment or with its methods. Their posl'lohs
VIC, held without any fixed term their retention
d,,aodiar solely upon their conduct III Office Ihal
,-nciue was acted uDOn by all the early FresiueH'S
o. fine United States from Washington 10
Jackson. Then came enactments when pre-
scnb.d four years for many Oh 'iie
onn,infiv, Offices He believed that those laws had
done more TO debauch the Offices IMAM any o'her
law ever passed. This bill. instead Oh cIca'lhs
life tenurt made it possible for secretaries ana
Is,dsof dcpartueuts oremo ye incompetent persons
at will How often, he asked, had 1t occurred
within the knowledge of every Senator that when
the ,esponsibe head OF a department wished to re-
move an incompetent euDordinate, whole stite
delegation was dragged to the department to INSIST
that the man he re ainel in Office
Referring to Senator Browns prediction that the
bill! would creote an aTistOcracy OF oihce-hoiiers
he p,etured the absurdity of any attempt on the
i,srt of departmental clerks receiving salaries OF
81 200 year. or OF ladies of the Government
Printing Office stitching books and pamphlets ana
couuting papers for few cents an hour' 10 ter
rorIze the millions of American people receiving
annual incomes ranging from $500 to Sl,OOOOoO'
lie said the bill under considera ion would Orln9
the Governmental.systemo Of employment nearer to
that IN practice In large business establishments
and with the managers of large corporations than
ANYTHING ever before devised. He asked how 1t
would work if with every change in the manage
r,eut OF great railroad the subordlnAtes, ihe eh-
pineers conductors, brakemen and Diners were 10
he dismissed and new men employed ID tholr places
7, ,niqbt be true that great corporations COM
Inereial houses and manufacturing estaollshm 'nt5
md not submit their clerks to competitive
examinations for positions, bnt II was
true particularly with great commercial houses
that a majority OF theclerks came i'll as mere oiice
bows and gradually worked their way up by merit
The EMPLOYERS of men in the great manufacturing
establishments DO submit their applicants to sort
of an examination. They asked where they
have worked where they learned their trades. They
look at a man and satisfy themselves whether he Is
likely TO suit them. and then in nnety-nlne cases
out Of hundred they take him at first only Oh tnal
which is in effect a more thorough form OF exam
inatiOn.
Senator Miller described the uncertainties OF OF
fetal positions which obtained through the eX-
erci. of political influence and the contention of
which depended upon the result of n State election
or upon the favor of public man. Clerks and Of
Gcials did not know when they went to bed whether
they would arise in the morning safe III their post
tions OF only to find that they had been sup
planted by fortunate rivals. HOW
could men be efficient under such a sys-
temi This bill would destroy the prevalent
idea that public positions were gwen out for Doti-
cal service and it would 60 much further The evil
of patronage was not confined to the General Gov
ornment. From Washington as centre the lnilu-
ence reached 10 all the country and even petty VII
lage offices were given out not for the public ben
eft but as rewards for political service. 1t resulted
in o1.s hoh irtip az q
in county affairs and bad administration IN village
affairs If a system was begun her3 at the centre
which would purify the Government no one could
tell how beneficial its effects would be upon the
whole people of the United States
He referred TO the evils everywhere prevalent in
municipal governments aud Of the attempts OF ctl-
sens to effect reforms in local affairs. Sometimes
committees were formed which might almost be
called vigilance committees. by means OF which
changes were sometimes effected, but they were
generally only temporary in their eject
He referred to the effort this direction made by
the citizens of Philadelphia and Brooklyn, and in
respect to the latter said TO be feared that
within year Two things would relapse INTO their
old condition lie described the unavailing efforts
meut of that great city. Referring to the complaint
b. the Democrats that the time was mOppor-
tuns for The passage Of this measure a;Gl9 be- be-
Repnblicans, he said that no reform
conld be effected If the movement was to be placed
upon the basis of partisan politics. If whenever a
Republican was appointed 10 office the law was to
require that a Democrat must te appointed to a
like office-or the regerse-thc movement would be
ineffective as a measure of REFORM
lie admitted, IN reply to inquiry from Democralc
Senator's that much OF the pressure upon heads OF
te3artments for appointment 10 clerk
ships came from Republican Senator's and
members OF the House OF RepIesentatycs,
but he said he knew. it to be fact
that some Democratic Senators were persistent ap-
plicants for Executive favOrs and that their efforts
We're 20; tratlcss.