National Republican., 1882-12-18

e 10 rats, NUl lot inc reason lnub II, pIHt-
60, ,ilv denied TO democrats the right TO COM
p d. iul any Of the higher offices. Mr. Noor-
hncs referred to the attempt at civil.scryicc
ltf.rm which was Wado under President
Grant and to the commission appointed at
that time. This bin had cmanatcd from the
same set of "rtfOtmcrs,' and they were, doubt
less expecting to be called into the service
ugnin, II II should become n law To show
how capable they were of devisiug practical
plan 10 test the capacity OF applicants to fill
the minor ClCrkships in the departments he
would call attention to the questions they
had framed for that purpose. He then read
and commented upon a number of questions,
which candidates had to answer, he said,
without the aid of memoranda, such as
"Nanc the four largest islands on the globe|
"Give, Approximately, the latitude of Wash
ington and LondonY "In what direction Is
Havana, Cuba, from Washington, d. g."
"What state OF the union extends from the
latitude of Boston to the latitude of Rich
mOndg" "Whcre are the principal tablc-lands
Of the globe2' "Give the course which
measure must take to be introduced to con-
grcss, and stpposing it to be vetoed TO become
a law of the United States p Estate the kinds
of congressional conclusions which are sub
iect to Il veto?' Bring up your young men,
said Mr.. Voorhees,, from Mississippi, and
Alabama, and all the states, and, if they can
answer these questions, they may get 800
clerkship. laughter Then the examiners
passed to mathematics and one of the ques-
tons was "rwo-thirds of seven-ninths of
what number is one-halfof eight and two-ffths
divided by fourteen and seven tenths, less than
fourteen and twO-seventhsN N lauChtcrl.
Another was: "A man weighing sevcnty-two
pounds runs with velocity of siS against
standing but not resisting, man, whose weight
Is ninety-siX pounds, what is the result ~
Renewed laughterl. If senators wanted this
humbug continued, they might vote for it,
bu he (Noorhees) would not. Nevertheless,
he was in favor of the reform of the civil
service and he had proposed II practical meas
ure for that purpose at the last session, namely,
an amendment to the constitution of the
United States providing that postmasters,
revenue collectors, judges, marshals, and
United States district attorneys should be
elected by the people of the states in which
their duties are to be performed. That re-
form would be substantial, for il would take
away more than $4,000 offices from the ap-
pointing power, and would relieve the exec
utive and the legislative branches of the gov
ernment of n pressure compared with which
the pressure for the lower Clerkships was
noshing But this bill, instead of curing,
would aggravate existing evils. He would
not be hypocritical about this subject. If the
democratic party should come into power it
ought TO purify the service by making
thorough and radical change of oliceholders
excepting only soldiers who had served their
country and been injured in its service.
Mr.. Brown offered an amendment to the
pending amendment by Mr.. Allison reducing
the term of office of the commissioners form
six to four years. Lost; yeas, %; nays, "a.
Mr.. Plumb thought he could say, as con-
scicntiously as any other senator that he
was in favor of reform, but he did not
think this bill would work any extensive
reformation. He might vote for it as an ex-
pertinent, but his idea of the reform re-
quired was different from that put forth by
the advocates of this measure. He thought
he saw in the bill, and the arguments ad-
vanced in its favor, tendency toward some
thing which he regarded as quite at variance
with the republican idea of government, to
wit a civil pension list-indeCd that would
seem to be logical and necessary addendum
~ the system of civil service proposed by the
advocates of this bill. In his Judgment, true
Civi-Scrvice reform would consist in intro
ducine, constantly, into the service of the
government, from among the great body of
the people in all parts of the country, the
young men just cOmingOn to the stage of life;
thus sending every department constant
stream of new blood, which would give the SER
vice increased vitality and del'icicncy. But the
frat effect of this bill, ii passed, would be to
deny to nincty-nne hundredths of the
people Of the United States ali opportunity to
enter the service of the government and
that, he believed, was the purpose, not per-
bat Of those outside who had given this civil
Gervice movement its present momentum.
instead of the system here proposed he would
have n fair aPpOrtionment OF the Offices among
the people throughout the whole country,
with IlXed term OF Office, and Il provision
that, except in certain eases, no man should
rcman in office longer than two terms, or
longer than one term, unless in the mean
time he had rurnc,l and received promotion.
Such reform would bring into the service
from Kansas and Colorado, as well as from the
eastern stales men who, at the threshold of
life, would realize that they could serve their
country III this way and could ut the same
time substantially educate themselves by wit
Messing the operation Of the government and
by all the educational adjuncts surrounding
the capitol.
Mr. Maxey said he would go as far as any
one in favor of genuine reformation of the
civil service, but he could not approve this
bill. There had been great abuses i'll the SER
vice, and the people were earnestly demand
ing reform, but this bill would not meet the
demand; it was not even q tub to the whale,
No small or frivolous effort of this kind could
divert the people from their determination to
reform the civil service of the government.
They would insist upon reform, a reform ex-
tending from cellar to garret.
Mr.. Jones, of Florida. So far as this bill
goes it meets my entire appreciation, l am
not one Of those reformcrs who are disposed
to complain about everything connected with
the practical administration of the govern
ment, and who, when an effort at reform Is
made, turn away from it because it is in
sufficient OF incomplete. This bill is a step
in the right direction, and although it may
not come up to the standard of the
radical reform that some would have us
inaugurate at single effort believe that
the principle of it, if made effective and car
ried out in good faith, will tend very greatly
to improve the civil service of the country.
The history of human progress in government,
morals and religion, shows that no great re-
form can be accomplished ut a single step.
This bill is criticised, because it deals only
with the lower offices. 1t is a good plan to
begin low and work up, and, although the
heads of departments are not affected directly
by the bill, it will have great and whole
some effect upon them indirectly. What gives
those high officials their present political
power? Is it not the patronage they control ?
and does not this bill take away that power
by taking away the patronage? The abuse OF
patronage is the great evil. Have | not seen
in my own state capable and worthy men re-
moved from Office SIMPLY to advance the in
tcrests Of political party?
Mr.. Cockrell. Removed by whom?
Mr.. Jones. by the powers here in Washington.
Mr.. Cockrell. by these men who are now SC
eager in favor of reform?
Mr Jones. Oh | do not say that. do not care
TO indulge in TeCriminatiOnS Individuals arc
nothing where a great principle is concerned,
once AeuTd great officer OF the government say
in my own state, that 1t was important because II
might have an influence upon little municipal
election there, and asked myself whittier urt
we driftng?" This bill is directed against tha
"a n n mr.