Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1882-10-02
CIVIL SERVICE.

For the want of q more important
thing to talk about, political papers
and politicians are agitating "civil
service" reform. This is one Of
those things about which a great
many pretty things can be said and
written, but which doesn't reform
worth a cent. The trouble is that it
is difficult to provide any plan which
will make men honest, or which will
prevent scheming men from striving
to get places in government service,
where they obtain great pay for a
small amount of work. A very large
class of men are looking after gov
eminent proVinder, and so long as
government furnishes an abundance
of this, there will be longing eyes
turned toward the public crib.
One thing about which little is
said-and it is thing that ought to
be changed at once-is the fact that
government pays very high wages
for all the labor it hires done. For
instance, an ordinary male clerk in
Washington or elsewhere receives
$1,000 per annum, for a years work,
short days, and not very arduous
labor at that. A Boston merchant
would expect to hire an equally good
man for a much smaller sum, and
the same service in the country would
cost only about half as much. The
high price paid for government help
and the lazy service rendered causes
all the great scramble for office,
which is a nuisance and scandal in
Washington. Take the matter in
Vermout's legislature. Members are
paid three dollars a day, with a good,
generous mileage, which, cost Of
pO6tlu COHoluclcu3 10 uOG very ulSu,
but there are a dozen OF more mes
senger boys worth about a shilling a
day at home, that receive, by vote
q OF their respective houses, the same
three dollars day so of other en-
ployees about the capitol. Hence
there is great scramble among those
who have been hitched at the State
crib to give their boys a chance to
'learn the ways Of the legislature, "
at three dollars a day-proftable ed
\ ucation.
But we began to say that the best
civil service reform might be brought
about by reducing the pay of govern
ment employees to only a fair COM
pensation for the labor done. In re-
gard to changes in this line of SER
vice, it is considered by all that a
& good, faithful, efficient hand should
be kept in his place as long as he
is useful and profitable. Those who
have ''learned the trade" and are
familiar with particular kind of
work or service, ought to be kept in
that line of service; promotions
should be made in the same line of
service, if possible, and for efficiency
and faithfulness. The policy of
changing government officers and
employees for political reasons is ex-
tremely pernicious, and President
jackson, or any other president, who
established the notion that ''to the
victor belongs the spoiIs,'' instituted
practice that no president or party
should follow.
When congress shall establish by
law a schedule of prices for labor
done, which shall be as low as the
general public pays for the same
kind of labor, and shall prepare q
set of rules relative to the admission
of an employee into branch of pub
lie service, with rules for his promo.
8 ton, his dismissal, hours of labor
etc., then this perplexing problem
will be practically solved, and this
annoying office-seeking done away
with. Until then a swarm of office
q beggars as numerous and clamorous
4 as the buzzards and vultures which
s hung around the Virginia army, viii
hang about Washington.