The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1882-02-04
REFORMING THE WHOLE PUBLIC SER
VICE.

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REFoRMINa THE WHOLE PUBLIC SER
| VICE.
There. has lately been producedin Wash.
| ington weekly journal called the Anaers-
can Register, which processes to advocate
the ideas Of democracy; and in the last
number of this journal. we find the follow
ing suggestive remarks: - 4s
Judge Geddes of Ohio introduced into
Congress on Monday last a resolution to SO
amend the Constitution of the United
States rs to take away from the President
tie appointing posoe' and confer it upon
Commission consisting of two Commits
sioners to be appointed by nomination of
the President and confirmation by the Sen
ate, acting with the head of the department
in which the appointments are required to
be made, and making the term of Office of
all appointees six years.
"This ia the most important movement
which has been made in Congress for many
years. 1t would bring about civil service
reform thoroughly and efficiently, and
| break down the spoils system which has
corrupted and degraded all branches Of the
public service. 1t would do more. 1t
would relieve the President from the de-
graduation and pressure of the multitudes of
office seekers who necessarily crowd the
Executive Mansion, and require all the
time of the President to hear the innumer-
able applications and counter applications
for appointments to office, and which al
low him no time to attend to the great in
terests and matters of public policy involv-
ed in the affairs of this great nation, in
ternal and external And more than all
this, it would put an end to the wrangling
lcommotions of our Presidential elections,
which every four years convulse the whole
country and disturb business affairs"
Neither the american Register nor Judge
Geddes of Ohio goes far enough. A single
Commission charged with the appointing
power is not sufficient to realize their
great purpose. They should have pro-
posed a great many more. AS the First
Commission makes all appointments, the
Second should have charge of all foreign
affairs of the country. with the Secretary
\ of State for it's executive agent. This
| Commission would, of course, receive for
eign Ministers, issue exequatlrs to consuls,
and direct the composition and tenor of all
| diplomatic correspondence. AThird Com
mission should have control of the Treas
| ury, the payment of the interest on the
public debt and everything relating to
tho ma ms of the national finances
A fourth should direct the army, and have
exclusive power to call it into active ser
vice. whether at home or abroad. declare
war, and to recognize the restoration of
peace The Fifth Commissioner should
likewise superintend the navy, its organiza
ton, its shipbuilding its machinery con-
tracts, Its management, its discipline, and
the use to which it should be applied. A
Sixth Commission should control all those
concerns which are now under the over
sight of the Interior Department, such as
the Indians, the public lands, and the rela
tions of subsidized railroads. A Seventh
Commission should look after the Federal
courts and officers of justice, and should
exercise the power of pardoning criminals
and granting reprieves. An Eighth Com |
mission should have authority to issue proc |
lamations for Thanksgiving, days of fasting |
and prayer and other occasions of the sort, |
if any should arise. A Ninth Commission |
should be empowered to apply the veto to |
any bills which the Commissioners might |
think Objectionable. And the Tenth |
should be charged with the duty of send |
ing messages, annual and occasional, to
Congress, conveying information as to the
state of the country, and proposing such
legislation as the Commissioners might
find desirable.
BY such an arrangement as this all the
evils that can in any way originate in con-
nection with the Office and authority of the
President of the United States would be
removed from that functionary, and, so
far as can now be made plain to the unaided
mind, he would become wholly harmless
officer.
The Amer5can Register also recommends
the precious plan which Judge Geddes has
devised, on the ground that it would put
an end to the wrangling connections of
our Presidential elections. which every
four years convulse the whole country and
disturb business affairs" These are notions
which we have often heard of before, and
we respectfully invite the attention Of our
Washington contemporary to the fact that
the connections of elections, and all the
which belong to the exercise
of government by the people, might be
wholly obviated by the simple expedient
Of committing the entire power of the
country, legislative, administrative, and
judicial, into the hands of a single auto
crat-N r San.
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