Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1882-12-21
BROWNS BUGLE.
1t Echoes Wildly Through the senate Halls Against
the New Hatehed Scheme 20 Beat the
Democratic Party.


Democratic Party.
The amount of sincerity there is in the
Democratic cry for reform is nicely m
bodied in a speech Of Senator Brown
from Georgia given against the Pendle-
ton bin now pending in tie Senate.
Mr.. Brown said: What is the use of
this bill? If it does not touch the power
of removal it is the Sheerest humbup. If
the people demand civil service reform
what deception we practice upon them
when we offer this measure, providing
no protection for incumbents against
removal without causei
Again, in its p%retense of filing offices
by competitive examination the bill was
a cheat, because it provided for filing
the offices of only the lowest grade in
this way. In the higher offices in the
departments there were, he believed, a
large number of officials who were unfit
mentally and morally for their places.
They were not to be disturbed, but
wherever the lowest clerkships became
vacant then competition might come in.
1t would not do TO open the higher
grades of office to competitive examina-
ton lest too many democrats should
come in, and therefore this bill provided
these higher vacancies should be COM
peted for only by persons now in office
and the departments respectively-that
is by republicans. Now | propose to
do a little plain talking to the demo-
Gratis. The republicans have had the
offices for the last twenty-five years
consecutively. Lately an avalanche
has swept over the country, carving
with it the strongest condemnation of
the practices of that party. 1t is true
it was in an off year. but prudent repub-
llcans see that unless the democrats
are guilty of some great fault on some
important question there can be but
little doubt that the next president of
this republic will be a democrat.
My fellow democrats, now how do
you go into that campaign? Suppose
you put in nomination the gentleman
from Ohio (Pendleton), or the gentle
mar from Delaware (Bayard) or any
other distinguished gentlemen who
have been named for the place, | 20 be-
fore the Democratic masses and tell
them you are handicapped. inasmuch
as the higher offices are disposed of.
I"Disposed Of, how" the people ask.
and you will answer that the republi-
can party has had the offices twenty
two years, and seeing the probability of
a change of administration has hedged
and passed on us the civil service bill
that the democrats have helped to enact
so that the democrats cannot be put in
to higher offices even if we do succeed
in carrying the election. If there is a
vacancy in any of the clerkships of the
lower grade the democrats can compete
but for any of the higher vacancies that
may occur the republicans already in
office are to compete with each other
and there is no chance for the demo-
C ats.
What effect do you think that this
announcement will have on the spirit
and energy with which the democrats
will go into the campaign? You must re-
in a free republican govern
ment like this men fight for office as
well as for principle, and if you deal
with the democrats of the country in
that way, you must not expect them to
enter the campaign with energy. But,
is replied that the democratic candi-
date will not be likely to meet so strong
opposition from the republicans in
office if we pass this bill. | have no
faith in those arguments. Those men
are mostly strong, Jealous republicans,
and they believe that their party has a
sort of divine right to control Office in
country. | see no reason why the
democrats should vote for this bill at
this time. Certainly not without an
amendment to destroy the a~ristocracy
of republican ofliceholders that the bill
proposes to establish.
Why should any democrat vote for
the bill, which, while protesting to fill
Offices by competitive examination, pre-
vents competition by democrats for any
of the offices except the lowest on the
Our republican friends seem to be
quite unanimous now for the passage
of a civil service reform bill but why has
it taken so long to reach that point?
They have been twenty-five years in
power, and deducting six years for war
and the period Of early reconstruction
they have had sixteen years of peace,
during which time they have been free
to deal with the question. The hum
buggery of this business is shown by the
way they have treated this question in
the past. Some years ago, when Gen
eral Grant was President, a very good
civil service law was passed providing
all necessary machinery for the work.
A commission was appointed under that
law, which did the best it could, but in
a short time things became so much of
a mockery that congress absolutely re-
fused to appropriate the salaries of the
commissioners.
You viii have to change the nature
of our government before you will be
able to carry out in practice these fine
spun theories about civil service reform
The doctrine that to the yictors belong
the spoils may be coarse, as Senator
Hoar says but it is one which has been
practiced from the beginning of the
government, and it will be practiced
until its funeral knell is heard. Some
reforms may be made, of course, but
in the main a new executive coming in,
backed by the party which has long
been deprived of power, will find a way
to give his followers the benefit of the
or a large proportion of them.