The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1882-03-10

senator SduuueIb ueslIto W dIleuu
the constitution by allowing the people
to elect postmasters, internal revenue
officers, United States marshals and
district attorneys. To this end he has
introduced a resolution proposing an
amendment to this effect. In justiica-
ton, he says that he has studied civil
service reform, and lis convinced that
this is a wise and essential reform"
This is not the first time that this
proposition has been made. II we wot
Alright, 1t up in nearly every con-
gress. And it fails just as often, be-
cause it lacks the very elements Of
necessity and good. 1t is. wrong in
principle. The fact must not be lost
sight of that the officers named are not
local officers. While their district or
field of operations is prescribed, and,
circumscribed, they are really officers
of the nation. They administer the
laws, and protect the interests, and
carry out the necessities Of the national
government. A postmaster is merely a
part of a vast machinery set in motion
by the government for the rapid and
safe transmission of correspondence, etc.
That machinery must, of necessity, have
an engineer, and he is in Washington.
The machinery, to be efficient, must
work smoothly and well. Hence the
need of uniformity, and the guidance
of one mind. To drop the metaphor,
the postal service can only be kept efi-
cient by the present laws. Every post
master, while primarily a servant OF
the people of his city, town or settle
ment, is also u servIbt Of the whole
people, whose mails pass through his
hands for proper transmission.
Fancy the confusion and ineficiency
and dissatisfaction that would result
from an elective system. There would
be precious few removals for Cause,
while postofice funds would soo be
corrupted to political uses. Instead OF
the postmaster ~endeavoring to 80 dis
charge the duties OF his trust as to OBJ
tain the best possibi tiles for the service,
he would simply cater to the wishes ui
his constituents, at the expense of the
general service. And then all would
suffer, because if the postmasters at
New York and Chicago were simply
working for their local interests we on
the plains would suffer. The same rule
would work harm the other way; the
last would be Inconvenience by our
postmasters.
The same arguments apply in prin
clple to internal revenue officers, mar
shals and district attorneys. They, be-
ing officers of the national government
should be appointed by and dependent
upon the national government. No
other system would give the required
esults.
If Senator Saunders really desired to
do a big thing in che way of civil ser,
vice reform he should turn his atten-
ton to the territories. Here he woulu
find II rich field awaiting the good of his
Ouhalbb oiihos nO haNC BOob-
masters, internal revenue officers, "a
U. S. marshal and a U. $. district at
torney, appointed by the president, we
are willing that they should continue
so to be selected for the reasons set forth
as above. But there arc the Offices of
governor, secretary of territory, chief
justice and two associate justices who
could and should be elected by the peo-
pie of the territories in which they serve.
If the spirit of our national laws is to
give us autonomy, we should have it
completely. There isn't a valid or for.
chile objection to electing the purely ter
ritorial officers designated. It means
the good of the territories, and will the
sooner qualify them to enter the sister.
hood of states, prepared by experience
to discharge tho duties thereof.
This would be genuine reform, with
a very big Il.