The Republican journal., 1882-08-03
FOR GOVERNOR,
FREDERICK Robe.
OF GORHAM


Our Civil Service
Since the Democrats are endeavolng
to make an issue of civil service reform
and are preaching what they have never
practiced, it may be of interest to pre-
sent some facts concerning The vast army
Of government employees which were de-
rived from personal observation. Those
who are advocating the adoption Of the
English system, which involves life tenure
and larger compensation in the higher
positions than is the rule in this country,
should be aware that that system is bv no
means perfect Dickens has revealed to
US some of its phases in his descriptions
of the CrcumlocutiOn Office; and we
know that red tape and purely ornamen-
tai officials abound to degree that would
not be tolerated here 1t certainly would
not be in accord either with the spirit Of
our institutions or the temper OF the peo-
pie TO create a class OF high Salaricd ot1i-
=.
snap their fingers in our faces II we can
have the work Of the Cox teinUent carried
why should we increase them Granted
that those holding responsible positions
are poorly paid, if We take their respon-
sbility into consideration. but there is no
lack of those competent and willing to
take their places. 1t is hardly worth
while to furnish greater Inducements to
office seeking than now exist
The tenure OF office of the Department
clerk is much more secure than is generally
supposed, and it is doubtful if the legisla-
ton called for in this direction by the civil
service retormers would make it anv more
secure II he is competent and attentive
to his duties he is reasonably sure of re-
rention and promotion Sometimes Con
gress 50 reduces the appropriation for a
Department or bureau as 10 neceSsitate
the removal or suspension of a certain
number OF employees. In Inaiority Of
cases it is the inefficient ones that have
to go, although it sometimes happens
that political influence secures the reten-
ton of poor clerk, while a good one,
from want of such influence, is stricken
from the rolls. But these are exception
al cases and are becoming more and
more rare. Generally speaking the com
petent men not only held their own, but
if they possess superior abilities are sure
of promotion. Many do not look for, or
desire promotion. They have no ambi-
ton. They slip into groove which they fill
satisfactorily, and there they are content
to remain. They become mere machines.
They are We'll paid for certain work
which carries with it little or 10 respon-
slbility and ale certainly as well off as
they could be in any other walk in life.
As class, the employees Of the Gov
ernment have not only been greatly un-
der-rated, but outrageously slandered,
especially the women clerks. These
ISLANDERS have usually originated as
follows: A Nahoo who has served an
apprenticeship as police reporter upon
a Western paper, prevails upon the
managing editor to send him to Wash
lngtOn as a 81 ecial correspondent On
arrival there he does not stop to unpack
his carpet bag, or to replace his travel
stained paper collar with a clean one, but
seats himself to describe, condemn and
crlticise Washington society, and to de
pet the trightiul immortality he has al
ready discovered among the women in
the Departments His letter is ..sensa-
tlonaI and so is sure to be copied and
the changes are rung upon its slanders
until they come to be considered us facts
by m my people who have no means of
learning the truth. The author of these
infamous falsehoods, if he remains for
any length OF time in Washneton-he
usually leaves unpaid board and bar bills
behind him when he does po-cannot
help knowing how grossly he has malgn
ed many innocent and unotfending per
sons, whose only crime is that they labor
IN public offices for their daily bread, and
IN most cases for the bread of others de-
pendant on them. But he never seeks
to repair the injury be has done by his
SANDERS
Those who are in some degree ac
quainted with the material and work
lngs of our civil service will no doubt he
ready to admit that the government
clerks are neither better nor worse than
any other class That is better than ac-
cepting as truth all the falsehoods told of
them; but We believe it to be susceptible
of proof that in point Of morality, integ
rity and ability they rank above those
holding like position in unofficial life
We read every day of defaulting cashiers
treasurers and clerks; of breaches of trust
innumerable in financial and commercial
circles; but rarely do we hear of a dis
honest clerk among the thousands in the
Departments. There are, no doubt.
some black sheep among them but not
many, as when they are discovered
speedy dismissal follows The women
clerks have been the special marks for
slander, while too little has been said in
their defence and praise The truth is,
that many of those employed in the de-
partments are ladies in the best signif-