The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1882-12-28
VEST ON CIVIL SERVICE REBORN
The senator From Missouri Raises His
Voice in Defense of His Party.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 2O.-In the discus.
sion of the Pendieton civil service re-
form bill IN the senate friday Veet, of
Missouri, sand that there could be no
question that money had become a most
potent factor In American elections, and
the civil service was used by the Repub-
iican party as one means of raising
money for political purposes. The great
trouble now was that reform OF the
civil service was expected from the men
who are in their hearts opposed II it
Ii was idle {, give this infant into the
hands OF nurse vino desired its death,
and then expect it 10 grow up into a
| healthy manhood. The Republican
party, judged by its record, was opposed
To civil service reform. Gen. Grant, in
1871. had recommended certain regula
tons almost identical with the provis-
ions of the pending bill, and what had
become OF these regulations?
Allison said that, as lie understood it
Ii pending bill simply proposed to en-
act into a law the practice now followed
by most of the departments, notably in
the treasury department, in regulating
promotions.
Vest said that every senat IT knew the
I Regulations 10 which Allison referred to
amount TO nothing. When Schurz was
secretary of the interior he had made an
attempt to put them in force, ami they
we're ostensIbly IN force now IN the treas
ury department; yet no Democrat could
get an appointment, and the first assist
ant postmaster general had recently an
nounced publicly that offices in that
department were To be used for the ben
eft of the republican party, and sneered
at the idea of any other system. After
| President Grant had announced his re-
fnrnNofnrU n 1871 his
second administration, based 20 great
degree upon the spnils system. Then
came that which distinguished senator
from New York, 10 longer in the senate,
called the "sniSel service ref;:rm of
Father Fraud Hayes" and the admins
tratiGn whose first act was to reward
with offices yielding 1921 900 year men
who for it's benefit had stolen the suf-
frages of sovereign states.
1t has been charged that The demo
cratic party formerly practiced the sYs-
tenn Of political assessments, but he
delied the gentleman to produce from
the annals OF the democratic party such
| infamous documents as the highway
mems letter dsted in Philadelphia, sign
| ed by John Cessna, chairiEan," and ad-
dressed to office holders, demanding two
per cent of their salaries and threatening
That al the end of the campaign list of
those who had not paid would be placed
IN the hands of the heads of the depart
nents. The senators from Maine and
| Iowa (Hale and AiiiSon), now so ardent
for reform, were III that time members
of the republican committee, and had no
rebuke for the authors of The documents.
Vest, continuing. said the great evil
in the civil service now was that the
Republican party had come to believe
| that the Offices BIZ lnnged TO them as "A
| matter of right, and, ignoring the peo-
pie, proceeded to tear each other to
pieces about patronage, and this more
'hau anything else had contributed 10
heir recent defeat. Replying To Halc's
charge that the whisky interest was an
| ally uf the Democratic parry, and Sher-
! mans statement that the result of the
recent election in Ohio was largely due
| 10 that alliance, Vest said that for the
| last twenty years the whisky interest
had voted steadily with the Republicans,
and their complaint now that they were
/ defeated last fall by detection of that
( interest was an admission un their part
| that their triumphs had been won by its
/ aid To show on which side the liquor
| ;ntiuence really is. Vest made an eiahor-
lie comparison between the states that
voted for Garfield and those that voted
/ or Gen. Hancock, OF approximately the
. same population Ms to the number of
wholesale and retail liquor dealers
| in each, according 10 the internal
revenue returns, showing, he said, that
| in the Garfield states there were 10S,-
| 1913 retail liquor dealers against
| ,T42 in the Hancock states, inhabited
| by the whisky soaking, Democracy, Civ.
| ing to the gentlemen upon the Republi-
| can side, representing, of course, the in
| telligence and morality and religion and
| sObriety Of the entire country, a clear
| majority of 90, 466 saloons daughter
| Carrying the comparison int details, he
| stated that Maine, with prohibit3ry
| liquor Law for 81 years, had one retail
| liquor shop for every 791 inhabitants,
| while West Virginia. with about the
same population and no prOhibitory
| law had only one saloon for every $40
| inhabitants; Iowa had o to EVERY 376
inhabitants, while Texas had only one
to every 54S; New Hampshire, VITA
4 prohibItory law, had one TO every 376 IN
| habitauts, white Florida, with nearly the
| same population, had only one to every
/ 553; Kansas, with a pTohibItOry law,
| had one II every $40 inhabitants, while
| South Carolina, with almost the same
| population aud no prohitory law, had
one OF: and in Massachusetts,. under
the shadow of Plymouth Rock, Laugh
UT ttlfft WAS bue liquor retailer I'D EN-
cry PA inhabitants, while in North Car
DINA, with nearly the same population,
there was only one to each 7IS.
Vest denied that the Democratic party
was held together by the hope of public
plumber. IL the party had depended up
on that, il would have gone to pieces
long ago; and. in conclusion, he would
say TO the gentleman on the other side of
the chamber, You may defeat US again
that is in the hands Of God and of the
future; but so long as the love OF local
eelf-g0voFnnent exists in the hearts of
the American people, so long, under God,
will we meet you face TO face and hand
to hand to dispute your supremacy IN
these United States of ours. Offices may
be in your grasp; political assessments
may be at your command; administers
tions may be the supple tools of the par
" 10 trample out the free suffrsges ol
the people; but again and again will We
meet you to contest your right to ignore
. what We believe to be the great principle
of this government-local self govern.
l mebt. the right of communities and indi
viduals 70 govern themselves, so long n
they do not interfere Eith the rights o.
others.
! CHICAGO CULLINGs.