New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-09-14
ILLOGTC1L REFORNERS.

Ideal politics is very pretty but sometimes
very absurd. There may be time COM
lng when men whose daily bread IS depen-
dent on their salaries as Government oillclals
will close their pockets and fold their arms, and
calmly look on while the party ont of power
is moving heaven and earth to turn them out
and get possession of their places-simply
because they think il is improper 70 do any
thing 10 keep themselves IN Office. We do not
expect to live to see It, The law Of self-pres-
CREATION has a pretty strong hold upon the
generality Of mankind. In the present in
stance the law of individual seif-preseIvation
is one of the strongest buwarkS Of good gov
ernmcnt. The theorists who declare against
il are bewitched with foolish notion the effect
of which they are too short-sighted 10 see.
They are s0absorbed in contemplating the beau
ties of high toned Civil Service the members
of which are sublimely indifferent to their own
retention in Office, that they do not for mo-
ment consider what the logical result Of their
fine Indifference must be. They would enjoy
the spectacle for just about one short ana
decisive campaign. At the end of it the high
toned civil servants who considered it improper
TO do ANYTHING to keep themselves in Office
would be bundled ont head and heels, and the
rif-ran, who had 40 scruples on that score,
would come tumbling in. The martyrs would
look very pretty, but what kind OF a public
service should we have when the other fellows
came in
1t enc of the folles of the theoretical re-
formers, that they get hold of some incidental
feature of political administration that cir
cumStances have brought into temporary prom
iuence, like the practice Of raising money for
political purposes from Government officials,
and harp upon il az though it was an institu-
ton OF itself, instead of part OF ii system that
needs reforming. They talk as though it were
possible and practicable to cut Out this abuse
at the Icot and effect a great reform thereby,
when a moments reflection would show them
that the only result wOuld be general dis
charge from official employment OF faithful
and experienced servants whose supcrhnc
notions of official propricty forbade their doing
anything to keep their places, and the iIrup-
ton of Il great horde of aggressive placc-seek-
ers most OF whom are without qualifications and
all without experience THE TRIBCHE does
not need 10 repeat that it opposes
as heartily as any professional Ielormer
the practice OF leyylns assessments
upon VO'clHHcHO cHploScN' IL MS lI"hi
the first condemned the methods pursued
bv Mr. IIubbclIs committee, some OF which it
deems little less than scandalous. But our
zeal is not 50 short-sighted a. to plunge into
indiscriminate denunciation of all political
contributions by oaiceholders, or to expect to
remedy this particular evil by torbdding Gov
eminent servants to make subscriptions for
party purposes. Any reform tuat is to he eifec-
tive and permanent must strike deeper. 1t
must have regard in the first place to original
qualifications, and in the second TO stability OF
tenure. These being fixed the minor evils OF
the system will in Il large degree disappear Of
themselves
1t surprises us to see so intelligent and dis
Greet an authority upon such subjects as Hdr-
per'S Weeklu discussing the subject OF contri-