The Cecil Whig., 1883-01-06
THOSE REFORMERS.

There is never SO much danger to any
reform as when the politicians are all
making mock obeisance to it and pretend
ing to yield to the peoples demands.
This is emphatically true of Civil Service
Reform, at this moment, although Mr..
Pendleton's bill, somewhat damaged by
amendments, has passed the Senate by
the overwhelming majority of ~ ayes to
nays. Why, then, any apprehension
as to this particular retormH is it not on
the eve of victory and are not all the
trimming politicians of both parties, IN
Congress- afraid to oppose the coming
reforma
Precisely, and that is just why we feel
sure that somebody is going to be cheat
ed. We know that there are not dozen
Senators who do not privately rldlcuie
such Civil Service Reformers as Mr.. Cur
tbs and Mr.. Eaton, aud who do not regard
the entire agitation which the latter have
led as more or less of a i" fraud : and
nuisance
On the other hand, there are at least
five Democratic Senators who openly and
detiantly oppose the notion of keeping
Republicans in office. after the expected
Democratic "deluge of 1884. under any
pretence whatever. One of these Sena-
tors, Mr.. Williams of Kentucky. made a
long aud frank speech. of n" little force
and ability. on the 2lst ult., in which h"
boldly fought all the undrrll ing princi-
pies of Civil Service Reform. Said he:
Rotation in office. change. is an ab>-
lutte necessity. Our whole system abh"rs
Del 1petuitv. Rotation and change. the
frequent examination of the servants ac
counts. and the frequent removal of the
servant himself is AN essential element
to secure perpctnitv of free institutions.
Is it not so. are the people for making
offices permanent. for establishing a caste
OF ufficehnldsrs in this country and shut
ting ever, body else "u,9 Have they no.
a right to change the officers?
suppose YOU put it t, your constitu
ents." continued the frank Kentucky
Senator. "Mr. President. should like To
see the Democratic member Of Congress,
if we had the power, who would vote for
bill The effect of which would be. when
the Democrats co ne in in 1885, to pre-
vent the turning out of any man now in
office of these old fellows that have been
there these long years
He did not think that the Pendleton
l. i. 4 &c 10
s" only one little step in the wrong direc-
ton; yet it may bother us little when
we come in, and I do not tchnt dng ob-
struetioa IN our tcny phen ace get a chance. y
Two of the journals that most thor
oughly represent the Democracy of the
West and South, talk in the same vein.
observes
The very essence o: genuine civil SER
vice is to place honest .Ieffiersonian Dem
ocrats in Office and retain them there.
There is a crying demand for this species
Of reform.
And the Cincinnati Enquirer sugges-
lively asks question. that is very sig
nitcant:
| If the Democratic candidates sh ould
be elected they will succeed through the
| efforts of the working Democrats in the
| counties, wards and townships ali over
the United States. What are they to get
| for their work.
"What are we here for, asked the
| impetuous Flanagan, at the Chicago Con-
vention, unless it is for the otfcesa''
And although Mr.. Pendleton new broom
may sweep away few odorous dirt heaps
in the Washington departments, the
devils that have possessed them and de-
moralized our politics and politicians of
both parties, may return more numerous
and dangerous than before. The contest
between our Flanagans and Tweeds, who
give their whole time to politics, and our
''best people, who are our worst, be-
cause most negligent, citizens, is one
which only bad men can watch with sat.
| isfaction.