The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1882-11-06
TIE CIVIL SERVICE =
AN APPEAL FoR REFORMATION.
Tho Address ofths National Civil Service Reform
LtaEus 10 the Voters Of tbs Country-A
Thasoskh Pariara,iaa OF the Ststtm
VERY Urgently Demanded.


is the address Of the National Civil
Service Reform League to III,
voters Of this country: Tie danger,
to free institutions that luik in the powel
OF patronage are familiar and they are M
insidious as they arc fatal. The corrup
use OF patronage was the strongest weapol
of the English crown In ,lle long coutes
with the English people. by such corrup
ton King George Ill cndcayored 10 undo
the work Of the revolution OF lGSs, and il
was by the same corruption that he Spto
longed the effort to subdue the American
colonies. The danger is Inherent; and the
nature OF the evil was not changed nor III
consequences removed by the substitution
OF republican for monarchical government
Tho legitimate and healthy contest oil
parties in u arepublic Is 10 be deprecated
They arc the agencies by which in free
government legislation Is controlled and
national policies arc enforced. The subju.
CATION OF this Legitimate party action by
patronage il the overthrow Of liberty under
the forms OF law. This il the peril whicl,
now threatens the country. Tho yest mul.
titude OF subordinate places In the civil
service are public trusts to be filled solely
for the general benefit. But Il practice il
now firmly cntrcnched in party tradition,
which assumes that such places constitute
u v9st scheme Of prizes to be.iistyibutvd by
successful politicians to their followers.
The enormous power OF the patronage
which directly controls hundreds of thou.
sands OF placts and many millions OF dol.
lars in annual cmolufnents, is thus prosti.
tutcd to purity and personal service with
only m incidental regard 10 the public
welwarc. T. H2'"
This is not n new abuse excep. in its
rapidly increasing extent, its powerful or.
ganization, and its immediate menace. a,
the beginning Of the century it iad master.
ed the State governments Of New York
and Pennsylvania, aud sought control Of
the National administration. As the Ma.
tional patronage enlarged the entlcayor to
divert it to mere partisan and personal
ends became more and more aggressive,
until about fifty years ago the National
slvil service was abandoned runreseryedly
to the evil practice, and with the vast eX.
tension of patronage since the civil war
the abuse hus developed into serious pc.
ril. Tne greatest American statesmen OF
NIL parties, Adams, Clay, Calhoun, Webster,
have solennly warned the country, Of the
inevitable consequences. The executive
has sometimes vainly cndeavorsd to stay
the current OF dangerous tendency. Bu:
the public mind has been languil and in.
different, until at lust, the accumulated
and hagrant evidence of the pcrvcrson to
personal ends Of the fundamental powero
the Government, namely. the votes Of the
people-a, perversion accomplished by the
corruption Of patronage-hns thoroughly
aroused the attention OF al patriotic cili-
ZenS, ~ -! s--lA.tI tE-.
Unable personally 10 know those whom
lie must nominate to the o!liees OF which
the incumbents appoint tine vast body Of
minor employees, the President is compelled
to depend for information upon Senntors
and Representatives, upon whom also the
success OF his administration. depends. The
executive and legislative authority, nj.
though carefully separated by the Consti.
tuition. become hopelessly and dangerously
confused. Representatives de,nand~the
patronage Of their districts, and Senators
politically usurp the power OF nomination.
From the system of mutual executive and
legislative traffic in places arises huge
oAice.liolding hierarchy ascending in regu.
lar gradation from the lowest employees to
the highest officers, each dependent upon
! N ptI,nr md n II t,n,t...t ,,u
pose to control general and local politics
for their personal advantage. A political
class Independent Of the great body OF the
people thus practically ahsorbs the author
ity Of the peopls. By assessing the wages
OF their subollinates the leaders OF this
class levy q tax upon The public treasury for
the benefit Of II party. I'y mcrccnary
control OF caucuses and conventions they
hold the gate to political preierment and
public employment, and the condition OF
such preiermcnt and employment is i'm
plicit obedience to their will. The voters
OF the party submit because the only alter
native seemst to be the success OF the oppo.
sition. Under the fatal spell OF the system
party ceases TO be m association to shane
public policy and becomes, an agency 10
promote private gain. Politics become
mere place-hunting. Self.respecting mel.
withdraw more and more from participa.
ton in public affairs. Honorable ambition
disappears. Rings take the place OF real
parties, and "bosses" OF Statesmen. The
Young American is tausht that the qualiii.
cations for public employment are moi in
tegrity, intelligence and industry, bnt
sycophancy andseryility, cheatingaud brib-
ing to swell the party:vote, and every kind OF
unlnanly political trickery. When personal
favor has thrown him place re learns
that he can retain it not by official merit,
but by personal service, that lie must pay
part OF his wages in order to keep the rest
in word, that he must b. parasite in
stead Of q tnau. Thctevil system thus tends
to make loss Of respect tho condition
OF public employment. 1t multiplies ell.
ormously and unnecessarily places and sal
aries; it stimulates reckless extravaganza in
public expenditure it controls the vas: con.
tracts OF the government; il transforms the
highest administrative officers ,futo brokers
Of petty places; it subsidies the press, ,detiles
the American name and dcbauchcs tic na-
tional character until, under its degrading
mastery, the power OF the government
passes into the hands Of a venal oligarchy,
and general election is no longer y con.
test Of differing policies determined by the
free argument before tic people, but Il
fierce and desperate struggle for tho vast
emoluments Of minor place. -, .,r, ~
This is a plain statement OF fimiiar
facts. They are not denied by intelligent
and patriotic citizens, and they show that
the question OF reform is question Of :tlie
continued existence OF free institutions in
the country But the spoils system, from
which the evils spring, is defended as es-
sential to party government, On the con-
lrary, it destroys the essential significance
OF purity. & A political party is voluntary
association Of citizens who hold si.ailar
views of the nature Of government and
who desire certain policy OF administra.
tion. That policy is secured by the cleo
ton Of legislative and executive, officers
who make and execute the laws, and in
these two great branches Of the govern.
men., the legislative and the executive, The
convictions and purposes Of the people