Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-12-15
Senator Browns Plain Talk to DEM
OCratS.

DIS REMARKS ON CIVIL SERVICE REFORM AND
THE RECENT ELECTION.
In the Senate yesterday Senator Brown made
speech against the Pendleton civil service
bill. Touching upon the recent election he
said: 1t is true that it was In an off year. but
prudent republicans see that unless the demo-
Gratis are guilty of some great fault on some I'M
portant question there can be but little doubt
that the next President of this republic will be
democrat. My acknowledgements, how do you
go into that campaign? Suppose you put in
nomination the gentleman from Ohio mir.
Pendletonl, or the gentleman from Delaware
[Mr. Bayardl, or any of the other distinguished
gentlemen who have been named for the place.
and go before the democratic masses and tell
them that you are handicapped, in
asmuch as all the higher offices are
already disposed of. Disposed OF how" the
people will ask, and you will answer that
the republican party has had the offices for
twenty-five years. and seeing the probability of a
change of administration has hedged and passed
upon Us civil-service bill that democrats have
helped to enact so that democrats cannot be
put into the higher offices even if we do succeed
In carrying the election. If there is vacancy
in any ofthe clerkships Of the lower grade demo-
Gratis can compete, but for any of the higher va
cancies that may occur the republicans already
in office are to compete with each other and
there is no chance for democrat. What
effect do you think that announcement
will have on the spirits and energy with
which the democrats will go into the next
campaign! You must remember that i'm tree
republican government like this men fight for
office as well as for principle, and if you deal
with the democrats of the country In that way
you must not expect them to enter the cam
palgn with spirit or energy. But, it Is replied
that the democratic candidate will not be likely
to meet so strong an opposition from the repub-
lcans In office if we pass this bill have no
faith in their arguments. Those men are
mostly strong, Jealous republicans, and they be-
heye that their party has sort Of divine right
TO control the offices of this country. l see no
reason why democrat should vote for this bill
at this time, certainly not without an
amendment to destroy the aristocracy
of republican oficeholders that the bill PROPOSES
to establish. Why should any democrat vote for
bill which. while protesting to fill the offices
by competitive examination, prevents COMPETE
ton by democrats for any of the offices except
the lowest on the list? Our republican friends
seem 10 be quite unanimous now for the passage
OF civil service reform bill, but why has it
taken them so long to reach that point? They
nave been twenty-five wears in power and de-
Quoting six years for the war and the period of
early reconstruction, they have had sixteen
years OF peace. during which they have been
free to deal with this question. The humbug.
gerry OF this business is shown by the way they
have treated this question in the past Some wears
ago, when Gen. Grant was President very
GOOD civil service law was passed. providing
all necessary machinery for the work com
mission was appointed under that law which
did the best it could. but in short time the
thing became so much of mOckery that Con-
gress absolutely refused to appropriate the
salaries OF the commissioners You will have to
change the nature OF our government before Won
VIII be able to carry out In practice these fine
spun theories about civil service reform The
doctrine that Ito the victOrs belong the spois,"
may be coarse, as the gentleman from Massa-
chusetts says but it Is the one which has been
practised from the beginning Of the government.
and it will be practised until the funeral kne of
the government is heard. Some reforms NAV be
made, of course, but in the main. new ex-
ecutlve coming in backed by party which has
long been deprived of power will find way to
give his followers the benefit of the offices or a
large proportion Of them