National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1882-02-03
WASHINGTON, D. c, FEBRUARY 3, 1882.
Population Of The National Capital. 100000.
Amuscn,cnts Tonight.

Amuscncuts To-NIght.
NATIONAL TnEArRE-John Mccullough" King
Lear"
FoRD's rERA-HoUsE-JanauscheK- Mother and
Son."
MAsoSIc TEMPLE Washington Light Guard Fair.
English and American Civil Service.
Petitions relating to civil-servicc re-
form continue to be presented in both
Houses, Among the more recent was
one from the president, faculty, and stu
dents of Yale College. OF course these
especial petitioners knew exactly what
they were petitioning for, and thoroughly
understood the subicct-matter of their
petition. If they did not, who in the
name of uncommon sense and all that is
problematcal and theoretical does?
The experienced business man will at
once conclude that he knows less-in
his own affairs than the
average college professor does, and as for
college students-well, they know quite
as much about such things as their elders.
Nevertheless the experienced business
man has an obdurate, pig-headed, prac-
Iical way of disregarding the advice ofall
such theorists, and he gets along very
well, despite their prophecies to the con-
trary. The moral of all this, as applca-
ible to these civil.scrvice petitions,
is plain. In brief, it is that
the theorists should be permitted
to petition, to advise, and TO scold
and to criticise to their hearts con-
tent, but that the practical managers of
the Government should continue to be
guided by the flights of experience. These
Rights show, as W. have often said, that
no general nor, for that matter, any
specific test can be applied to prove the
,adaptability of any man for Office. No
test, in short, will serve the purpose eX-
cept actual trial in the performance of
official duties. For this reason we have
honestly and earnestly opposed the So
called system of competitive eXamina-
tions, and will continue to do so, especially
when that system is used, as it often has
been, as disguise for gross favoritism.
And in this immediate connection it
is perhaps full time the general public
of this country should be disabused of
the prevalent idea that the civil service
of Great Britain is in any respect the
equal or superior Of that of the United
States.
The men milliners and lah-de-dah poll
ticians, who are half monarchists at
heart and wholly toadies in soul, have
long harped upon this assumption, and
have been accustomed topoint with pride,
~ something of that sort, to the possibili-
ties of civil-service reform as developed
by our English cousins. But what are
the facts? There is not custom-house,
an excise Office, or a statistical bureau in
the United Kingdom wherein there is
any pretense Of keeping the records up
ITO date or of striking balance-sheets at
the close of each days business. We
are advised of this state of affairs through
official reports soon to be made public by
our own Government which show that
even the most urgent application at prom
inent custom-houses in Great Britain for
returns of navigation and statistics OF
commerce have failed to obtain responses
up to q later date than six months
before such applications have been
consul-general in London has had occa-
sion TO complain Of this unreasonable
and unreasonable delay in obtaining
figures from the British authorities for
the purpose of making his reports to the
Department of State. Think of it! The
boastcd civil service Of Great Britain
would to-day be unable to supply statis-
tics regarding English commercial affairs
up TO later date than August last. Com.
pare this with the fact that the Bureau of
Statistics in the Treasury Department
gives out full returns not month old
from every seaport in this country, con-
veyng to the public all required iniorma,
tion relating to the eyer-occurrinl
changes of international traffic, and at
once presenting compendium of the
business Of the country. Such prompt
and reliable, as well as convenient expo
sition Of q nations trade is not known il
any other country in the world. AnC
not only is this difference in favor of the
United States true as regards the statisti
cal and commercial branches of the civi
service, but il is also true as regards al
other branches, including the diplomatic
the judiciary, and the public service Il
large in England.
Take the New York custom-housc, 70
example, about which so much has beer
said one way and another, and you will
find, us the result of exact business meth
ods inaugurated years ago, that prope
application will be responded to with
succinct and intelligent statement c
Yesterdays business the number of vet
sells entered and cleared, with their ton
mage and the amount, character, an
value Of their respective cargoes, togetho
with returns of passengers and imm
grants, age and sex, DC. And this dali
statement of business being constant
kept up, there is never any difficulty
obtaining requisite figures for compar
son of the current business Of the po
with that of a corresponding date Ia
month or last year. But such conv