Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-09-23
TIE FIXED PERIOD THEORY OF CIVIL
SERVICE,

| system, but they express holy horror of
| the establishment of can aristocratic
"class, and they therefore propose that
the tenure of Office shall be fixed at some
definite period. Some of them think
four years long enough. Mr.. Blaine has
recently expressed the opinion that the
tenure should be seven years. 1t is true
that so far none of those politicians who
have made concessions of this kind have
shown the least disposition to put theory
into practice. In fact they seem to think
that nothing more can be expected of them
than this acknowledgment of the necessity
for reform. On the other hand some of
the civil service reformers profess them
selves willing to put up with four or more
years, or any fixed term whatever, for a
beginning. Thus we find the Nation say.
ing tine reformers, we believe, will be
"glad of any step towards reform four
years tenure if they cannot have seven !;
a seven years tenure if they cannot have
"tenure during good behavior" We are
compelled to dissent from this, however
We do not believe that the reformers are
justified in accepting anything that looks
in the direction of reform, and we hold, in
particular, that belief in the fixed period
is incompatible with any intelligent CON-
prehension OF civil service reform.
The ideas npon which the fxed-period
system rests are fallacious. 1t is assumed
that there is some danger in having per.
manent class of office-holders. Now this
assumption is absurd and unreasonable.
The very essence of civil service reform
consists in employing men because of their
merit and ability. 1t follows necessarily
from this that being thus employed they
must be retained during good behavior.
What is needed and sought is to give the
public as good service as individuals in bust
ness obtain. In order to effect that the
public must offer the same inducements to
meritorious applicants. Hitherto no in.
ducements to meritorious applicants have
been offered. On the contrary, all the in
ducements that have been offered have
been such as appeal only to Objectionable
and worthless applicants. The first step in
reform must be to give as good opportuni-
ties as can be had in private business. But
to fix the term of office is to destroy the
system in its infancy. By setting a
! limit tho nf ofE
Government will exclude at once all the
most desirable applicants, will render the
places not worth having save to politicians,
and will in effect continue and reinforce all
the various abuses and evils of the existing
arrangements. There is no reason or ex.
cuse for this limit to the tenure of office.
What would be thought if banker or
merchant should advertise for clerks, an.
nouncing that they were only to hold Office
for four years at the utmost What chance
of obtaining the best men would he have?
Is it not notorious that fixity of tenure is
with the great majority of men the most
| important of all considerations in taking
| ~ NV LiisSu COnStduIIN cOn-
sent to accept lower rate of remuneration
in consideration of steady employment!
How then can limited tenure have any
other than mischievors effect.
As to the arguments of the politicians
about privileged class" and " rotation
" in office, and SO forth, they are mere
1 bfpn No L
been talked than that about establishing
an " aristocracy by having fixed tenure in
public office. Does any sane man suppose
that the civil service of Great Britain is
an aristecracy? Whoever imagines that
knows knows very little about it. There is
nomore danger of establishment aristocracy
in that way than there is of doing the same
thing through the operations of the system
which has always prevailed in private bust.
| ness. As to the doctrine that every man
has the same right to hold Office, and
that therefore no set of men ought to
be allowed to hold office long, it is puerile
The fact is that every maa has not the
| S"N'iS W hSAu OilSC' Lie OON6Tu-
ment is entitled to the best service it can
procure. 1t is the interest of the whole
nation to obtain the best service that can
be had. And it follows from this that no
man has any right to hold office save az he
can demonstrate his entire fitness, and even
then only when he can do SO without dis.
placing an equally competent person.
The most vicious and imbecile principle
ever admitted into a Government of sane
! people Is that of rotation in office. Linked
inextricably with it are Incompetence and
| Corruption, and these three abuses have sat.
urated the civil service under the application
| OF the old system which our politicians are
SO reluctant to part with.
And because this has been SO notorious
failure We are opposed TO any compro-
mise with it. The only effect OF limited
tenure of office can be to prolong the exist.
ence of the spoils system. 1t would take
at least the period named in the first law
| fixing the limit. to ascertain the failure of
the scheme. Under Mr.. Blaine's plan we
| should therefore have seven years more
| Of bad government, or at least of unsatis
factory government and all this pro.
traction Of abuses for no ether purpose
than to effect compromise on subject
which never can be settled in such way.
1t seems to US very necessary to recognize
Al L
be applied in spots or by installments.
There are certain principles which cannot
be omitted from any experiment in that
direction. and the most important of them
is .tenure during good behavior. To say
that men shall not be removed but for