Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1882-12-02
he had nothing whatever to gain by

About removals he was curiously
evasive and slipshod. sit is assert
ed." said he, "that removals are fire.
Quent. 1t 10 not 80. There are men
in the revenue service of the country
who nave been there for twenty
years. In 1869 and 1870 there We're a
large number OF persons in the treas
ury department who had been there
from . period before the war" Now,
this seems to be denial of something
somebody has asserted. In reality il
is nothing OF the kind. To the as-
sertion that "removals are frequent"
every boy in the common schools
above the age oftwelve ought to know
that the assertion that there are many
men in the service who have been
there tor long periods, is mot a mega
tive. MI, Boutwell, might nearly as
we'll reply that at is not SO; every
clerk has hslf All hour for lunch"
What the reformers say Is that re-
movals are so frequentlhat if u force
of competent officers were not re-
tanned permanent the service W ould
20 to pieces altogether; and this is
literally true, aud Mr.. Boutwell, do. 8
not deny it. ..ls-.4 s. a.s!.
To competitive examinations he 10
violently opposed. OF .eourse, but on
constitutional grounds he IL In favor
Of the system which has been on the
statute-buok siuce 1858. but which he
knows perfectly well h - been a COM
plete farce Ia practice--namely, of
holding n pass-ex aniIratIUli of those
who have been nominated, to ace if
they are fit for the place. Of course,
no ono who is nominated by the right
''induence" is ever found unfit; and
il 10 not becoming tor man OF MIR.
Boutwell, years to -allude to the sub.
jsct at all in public without being
perfectly frank about it. So far from
ttiis. he1taiked ss il there were no such
law in existence, but that it would be
. good thing to pass one. He is not
. great lawyer, and in fact we believe
has bad very little practice, aud came
to tho study. OF the law late in life ;
and yet he declared with the utrDost
posltiy yeness thatto make competitive
examinations imperative by statute,
a. to those officers whose appoint.
ments the constitution allows congress
to vest .tin the president alone, in the
courts Of law, or, heads of depart.
Ments." would be utterly unconstiLu.
tional. One does not need to argue 9
point of this sort with Mr.. Boutwell,
It 10 enough to say that vastly better
law yers than he is see nothing uncon
stisutiopal in. defining the class ol
persons from which such officers shal
be selected, aud making 1t copsist ol
those who have anawered most ques
tions in an open examination.
Mr.. Boutwell, aud men OF bis time
and training are kicking against the
pricks, aud fighting against the spiri
TOT the age. Ths system in which they
grew up aud which they loved il
doomed, aud If they are wise they
will resign themselves with dignity tt
its dsstr9ction. They have the conso
latipn OF knowing that it Is but ahar
ing the, fate of some of the best aut
nobiest things iu. the world. Every
thing has its day aud passes away
even, The cloud.cspped towers ant
gorgeous palaces, the laurel and tn,
rose. great states and great creeds
| Why should they expect spoiis ant
rotation, aud influence, aud assess
ments, bosses aud workers, TO escsp
the! fate which overlook Babylon
Ninevrh, the Roman Empire, aud ,h
god Pan?