The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1882-12-28
Civil Service Reform.

Inc CIVIL Ulll Dclll&
consideration in the senate, last
Wednesday, Mr.. Pendleton offered an
amendment striking out the provision
that original entrance to service shall
be in the lowest grade, and providing
that appointments in the departments
shall be apportioned as nearly as pos
sible among the states and territories
and the District of Columbia, upon
the basis of population.
Vest said he had agreed that the bill
should be reported to the senate, not
because he believed its provisions
would remedy the evils existing IN
our civil service, but rather as a
means of emphasizing the conviction
of urgent necessity for reform. OF
that necessity there could be no ques-
ton. Money had become the
most potent power in American
elections, and the civil service
was used by the Republican party
as one means of raising money for po-
litical purposes. The great trouble
now in the way of a reform Of the
civil service was expected from men
who are in their hearts opposed it.
1t was idle to give this infant into the
hands of u nurse who desired its death,
and then expect it to grow into
healthy manhood. The Republican
party, judged by its record, was OPP
posed to civil service reform. Gen.
Grant, in 1871, had recommended GER
tain regulations, almost identical with
the provisions of the pending bill, and
what had become of these regula-
tiOns?
Allison said that, as he understood
it, the pending bill simply proposed
to enact into law the practice now fol-
lowed in most of the departments,
notably the treasury department, in
regulating promotions.
Vest said every senator knew
the regulations which Allison refer
red to amounted to nothing. When
Schurz was secretary of the interior
he had made an attempt to put them
in force, and they were oStensible in
force now in the treasury department.
Yet no Democrat could get an appoint
ment, and the first assistant pOStmas-
ter general had recently announced
publicly that the offices in that de
partment were to be used for the
benefit of the Republican party, and
sneered at the idea of any other sys-
TEN. After President Grant Had an
nounced his reformatOry purposes in
1871, came his second administration,
based to great degree upon the spoils
system. Then came that which the
distinguished senator from New
York, now no longer in the senate,
called the 'Snivel service" reform of
that father of fraud, Hayes, an
administration whose first act was to
reward with offices yielding 1921. 900 a
year men who for its benefit had stolen
the sutfrages of sovereign states.
Vest read letter from Casenave,
member of the Louisiana returning
board in 1876, to President Hayes ask
ing to be rewarded for his services in
that capacity, and remarked the eX-
tent of degradation of our politics
was shown by the fact that a man
holding public position could dare ad-
dress such "a letter to the president of
the United States. A man who had
aided in throttling and sitting the
voice of the free people of Louisiana
dared, in the capital of the nation, to
demand money from the presi-
dent for these services-and
the money was paid. Next came
President Gartield's administration.
Garfield, III all his public utterances,
had denounced these very abuses now
sought to be remedied by the reSOlu-
ton. Yet no sooner was he nomi-
mated for the presidency than he be-
gan correspondence with Dorsey,
chairman of the National Republican
committee, and now chief Of the star
route defendantS-a correspondence
breathing the spirit of the "spoilS- sys-
tenn the burden of it being money
money must be obtained-more money
for the Democratic state of Indiana;
and Dorsey was afterwards toasted by
the gentleman who is now president
of the United States, at a banquet
given at Delmonico's and presided
over by Gen. Grant, to do him honor,
for having successfully corrupted the
suffrage of that great state.