Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-12-13

The Pendleton civil service bill, now before
the Senate, provides for a board OF cCm-
missiOneTs OF five, who shall have supervision
over all matters pertaining TO the civil service.
These commissioners are required to be selected
from the different political parties, and competi-
tive examinations are made the cornerstone OF
the Pendleton structure. In the House numerous
bills OF this character have been intro
duced. bat the Kasson bill has the right
OF way. 1t has received the approval
of the civil serFlce reform committee, and,
while It does not lay down a system of CON-
petitiye examinations, requires that applicants
cor office shall Be examined to fitness. It also
provides for Gxty of tenure AMI prohibits men,
oers OF Congress and L. s judges from interfering
N the making of appointments or from soliciting
appointments. ul.esS asked for advice or for the
accommodation OF persons by the appOintiVe
power. 1t IS hardly necessary to say that there is
variety OF opinion on this subject in Congress.
Indeed it IS question prolific of opinion and all
the various shades and lights in which 1t IS viewed
Dy the Congressional mind viii be pictured to the
country in the forthcoming debate. In this state
OF affairs there is no projecting what may be the
result In the shape o. legislative enactment, but
the chances are that q great deal or
talk and no Iegislition at ell will be
she outcome. The desire of the people
Of the country 10 substantial In
provement In the method of Milling the public pO-
lions which depend upon the votes of the people
cares to set himself up in opposition to it. Hence
the question of rcforn.swh an it comes before Con-
gre5S, Will find plenty o. advocates; but the very
fact that most CT the members VIII want to put
their favorable opinions On record viii operate as
a hnd@ring cause to any legislation. The ses-
Sion IS too short to admit of any great waste of
time in discussing a suhjsct that is TO be finally
acted upon, and IL is NOT improbable that the de-
butte upon the question OF reforming the civil ser
vice will take such a wide range that finally the
whole subject will have to give way to other
pressing matters.
This, however, Is not the only cause that VIII
tend to defeat reform legislation. One powerful
oauSa has already been voiced by some democratic
Conyre5snen who are bOl;ler than others of their
party in stating their views. The democrats are
naturally very much elated at the result OF the
November elections, and the prevailing view taken
Of the future OF the party is that il only has to be
upon good behavior for the next two years to
sweep the country in 1884 In short, the democrats
consider that they have the vantage ground for
Tue next presidential contest. and they much pre-
fer to defer civil service reform until after the
Offices shall have been filed with democrats
There are those among them who regard the pres
ent willingness of the republicans to vote for a
reform law as an evidence of the deS-
Pair of electing another republican President,
and that, 50 desparing, the republicans
now wish to effect legislation that
VIII retain their parttSans in Office. One of the
most prominent OF the western democratic sena-
tors calls the reform agitation republican scheme
70 entrap the democrats into voting for legislation
that will save the offices to the republicans after
democratic president shall have been elected This
senator Is by NO means alone in his opinions.
There are democrats who had much rather speak
In favor OF civil service reform now than to vote
for It.