Daily Kennebec journal., 1882-12-05


accession Of another will not involve the
retirement OF honest and faithful subortiinafes
whose duties are purely administrative. and
have no legitimate connection With the
triumph Of any political principles or the
success Of party or faction. II is TO this
latter class of officers that the Senate bill to
which l have already referred exclusively
applies. while neither that bill nor any
other prominent scheme for improving
the civil service concerns the higher
grade of officials who are appoint
ed by the President and confirmed bv
the Senate. / feel bound to correct preva-
lent misrepresentation as to the frequency with
which the present executive has displaced the
incumbent of an Office and appointed another
in his stead Ii has been repeatedly alleged
that he has in this particular signally depart
ed from the course which has been pursued
under recent administrations of the govern
ment. The facts are as follows The whole
number Of executive appointments during the
four years Immediately preceding Mr. Gar
fields accession TO the Pres idency was 1886 !;
of this number. 244. or . per cent in
v0lved the removal of previous incumbents.
The ratio of removals to the whole number
of appointments Was much the same during
each of those four wears. In the first year
with 19o appointments there were "A remov-
ais. or 8 3 per cent. In the second year with
9l1 appointments thre were s5 removals. or
S.5 percent. In the third year with 460 zp-
pointments there were IS removals, or 10
per cent. In the fourth with 429 appoint
ments there were 81 removals or SO per
cent. In the four months of Preident CIR
fields administration there were 800 appoint
ments and 50 removals, or % per cent pre-
cisely the same amount of removals (S9D has
taken place in the fourteen months which
have since elapsed: but they constitute only
- per cent. of the whole number of appoint
ments (llS) within that period and less than
2.6 of the entire list OF Officials, ,459-ex-
elusive of the army and navy, which is filed
by Presidential appointments.
/ declare my approval of such legislation
may be found necessary for supplementing
the existing provisions of law in relation to
political assessments.
In July last | authorized public an
nouncement that employees of the govern
ment should regard themselves as at liberty to
exercise their pleasure in making or refusing
to make political contributions and that
their action in that regard would in no
manner affect their official status. In this an
nonncement acted upon the views which
had always maintained and still maintain that
public officer should be as absolutely free as
any other citizen to give or withhold a
contribution for the aid of the political party
of his choice. Ii has however been urged,
and doubtless not without foundation in fact,
that by solicitation of superiors and by other
modes such contributions have at times been
obtained from persons whose only motive
for giving has been the fear of what
might befall them if they re-
fused. 1t goes without saying that
such contributions are not voluntary, and
in NV judgment their collection should be
prohibited by law. bill which will effect
uslly suppress them will receive my cordial
approval.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.
| hope that however numerous and
urgent may be the demands upon your atten-
ton, the interests of this district will not be
forgotten. The denial to its residents of the
great right of suffrage in all its relations to
national. State, and municipal action imposes
on Congress the duty of affording them the
best administration which its wisdom
devise
The report of the district commissioners
indicates certain measures whose adoption
would seem to be very de.irable. | instance,
in particular those which will relate to
arrears in taxes. to steam railroads, and to
dsstssiUtutS vi piOptItN. 4hui'Hg tHc
questions which have been the topic of recent
debate in the halls of Congress none are of
greater gravity than those relating to the
ascertainment of the vote for Presidential
electors and the extendment of the constitu-
ton in its provisions for jevsting executive
functions upon the Vice Precedent when the
President suffers from inability to discharge
the powers and duties of his office. trust
that no emharass may result from fail
ure TO determine these questions before
another national election. The closing year
has been replete with blessings for which we
owe to the Gver of all good our reverent
acknowledgment for the uninterrupted har-
mony of our foreign relations, for the decay
of sectional animosiiies, for the exuberances
of our harvests and the triumphs of our
mining and manufacturing industries,
for the prevalence of health the spread
Of intelligence and the conservation of the
public credit, for the growth of the country
in all elements of national greatness-fOr
these and countless other blessings we should
rejoice and be glad.
| trust that under the inspiration of this
great prosperity our counsels may be har-
monous and that the dictates of prudence,
patriotism Justice and economy may lead to
the adoption of measures in which the Con
gress and the Executive may heartily invite.
(Signed) CHESTER A. ARTHUR.
Washington Dec. 4th, 1882.