National Republican., 1882-12-16

NJ inc government printing uHlce
who counts paper for the muniliCent
sum of $40 month Joining their fortunes and
setting up as aristocuts to domineor over the
great body of American plcbans, whose in
comes range from $500 to S1,OOO,0O0 year
Laughter This talk would not do to
frghtcn children with; much less would it
Bcrvc to frightcn brave senators on the demo-
cratic side from supporting this bill. The
senator from Georgia assumed that the CON
tinuance of the present system was inevitable
under our republican system of government
If so, we might as well abandon all hope of
the republic, for if the evils of the system
should continue to increase in the same pro-
portion as in the past, the government could
not outlive another century. Some gentle
men opposed any attempt to reform the civil
service by law, saying that all the reform re-
quired, was to administer the service upon
"Sound business principles" Protesting
to understand those principles he (Mr.
Miller firmly believed that the passage
of this bill would do much to put the civil
service upon that basis, and reform of the
methods of national administration would
soon extend to state and municipal govern
ment. He preferred to take the bill as it
stood, without amendments The senator from
Georgia proposed to strike out the principle of
filling vacancies by promotion from within
the service in order that his democratic
friends might have an opportunity to get
some of the higher offices, but the principle
was necessary to the efficiency of the service,
and even if it were abandoned, democratic
president would hardly venture to turn out
the present incumbents most of whom are
veteran soldiers, and he (Mr. Miller) appealed
to the patriotism of the senator (Mr. Brown
TO let his democratic friends wait for vacan-
cies which death was making rapidly enough
in the ranks of the veterans of the war.
Mr.. Mcpherson referred to Mr.. Pendleton's
statement the other day that in the Treasury
department alone 100 persons were paid
who had no work to do, and he asked Mr.
Miller if he thought it would be wrong for a
democratic executive to dismiss these persons
even if they were soldiers.
Mr.. Miller replied, certainly not but what
ever surplus force might be in any of the de-
partments had been forced upon it by the
pressure Of the legislative branch of the gov
ernment; and one of the objects of this bill
was to put an end to that pressure.
Mr.. Cockrell. Who brings that pressure to bear?
Isit not republican senators and representatives,
the gentlemen who are now so earnestly consider
ing this question of civil service reform.
Mr. Miller. Undoubtedly much of the pressure
does come from republican members and senators;
but happen to know that there are many demo-
cratic Representatives and senators who are quite
as industrious in seeking patronage and quite as
successful in securing 1t as any on this side of the
chamber
Mr. Frye. good deal more successful.
Mr.. Miller continuing, said he knew moth
ing about the surplus force alleged to have
been employed in the Treasury department; I;
but he would not be advocating the reform of
the civil service if he did not believe that
abuses had crept into it,
Mr.. Mcpherson asked whether there was
any provision in this bill to reduce the force
In the departments to the number actually
required to do the work.
Mr.. Miller replied that there might be no
Hirect provision for a reduction, but the bill
would at once stop the pressure by which the,
force had improperly increased.
Mr.. George thought the passage of thisb
would inaugurate most important and neoes-
sary reform, for the evils which It sought to
remedy were of tho most momentous charac-
ter, affecting deeply the purity of our govern
mental administration and even threatening
the stability Of our institutions. 1t proposed
10 overthrow the dangerous and corrupt sys-
ten which had for its motto ITO the victor be-
long the spoils," which held, as Mr. Webster
said, "by right Of conquest" the public offices
created by the people for the common good,
and treated the defeated party, often one-half
Of the American people, as unworthy to par
ticipate in the government Of their country.
Mr.. George read extracts from the report
made by Mr.. Calhoun to the senate in 1885,
setting forth the evils and dangers resulting
from tho abuse of political patronage, and
from Mr.. Webster's speech at the Worcester
convention in 1882 to the same effect. These
evils had continued to grow, and at last the
people had tired of them and had demanded a
radical reform. This demand was made in no
doubtful tone, and the man or the party
who could not understand the meaning
of the recent popular upheaval must
he blind indeed. The democratic party
at least ought not and could not resist the
peoples will. If fanybody imagined that the
people, tired of republican corruption and
prohigacy, overthrow the republican party
merely to give the democrats an opportunity
to practice the same methods he was most
seriously in error. Republican senators
seemed to understand the peoples meaning,
and he (Mr. George) was glad to see the
change that had come over the spirit of
their dreams on this subject, for, whatever
might be the cause of it, the change was salu-
tary. Still, the change was remarkable ;
last session civil-service reform was sneered
at, and the senator from Ohio (Nfr. Pendleton)
was regarded as insincere or visionary in
pressing it upon public attention while politi-
cal assessments were defended as a justifable
means of gaining and retaining power, but
now the general opinion seemed to be that
political assessments were crime, or even
worse in the politicians creed, serious blunder,
and that the monopoly of office "By right of
conquest was not the surest means of retain
ing power. The republicans were now so
thoroughly conscious of the guilt of political
assessments that they came to congress on the
first day ofthe session and by their President
hohCu luo Spceuy UdSsdSc VI u law W pTGNtuU
them from relapsing into sin.
1t was like the case of criminal in the
daily practice of crime asking that law
should be passed to arrest him on his guilty
career. Laughter.l He (Mr. George) was in
favor of giving them that, and by the passage
of law which would deter not only them
but others hereafter who might be tempted to
offend in the same way.
The senator from Georgia (Mr. Brown)
seemed to think there would be no chance for
the democratic party unless it could promise
its members the spoils of office. He Mr.
George) repudiated this idea. He denied
that the democratic party was dependent upon
the cohesive power of public plunder," and
said that it would go into the campaign of
motto: Reform; fidelity to public trust /;
economy in administration; and not with
the miserable battle-cry, Booty to the vic
tors; woe to the vanguished"
On motion of Mr.. Pendleton the first sec
tion of the bill was amended so as to require
the civil-service commissioners TO be con-
frmed by the senate
The question was on Mr.. Allison's amend
ment providing that there shall be three
commissioners instead Of FIVE, and that they
shall not be connected with any of the de-
partments. In the course of debate upon il
DIr. Mcpherson said that the reform de-
manded by the people was the immediate dis
missal Of all unnecessary public officers, while
the reform provided by this bill consisted
wholly in providing method of determining
which of the applicants are best fitted to fill
offices that ought not to exist at all.
Mr.. Bayard spoke of the Importance of re-
forming the civil service, and the demOraliy-