Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1883-10-13
Lancaster fntclligfnrfr.
SATURDAY EVENING, OCT. 10. 1889
The lI,II ser,Ice Ueform.


The Civil service Reform.
Harpcr's Weekly, edited by George
William Curtis, one Of a coterie Of pro.
fessional civil service reformers in this
country, continues carping at what 1t
calls the Democratic disposition to
ignore everything like civil service re-
form and IT declares that in view of
the declarations Of the Democracy of
PENNSYLVANIA, re-echoed by the Demo
Gratis of New Jersey in their state con.
vention, no man in his senses doubts
that Democratic reform means general
loot and plunder of the civil service
Now let us see what the Democratic
declarations are that this pretentious
critic 80 persistently denounces. They
run thus They believe in that gen.
uine and deep reaching civil service re-
form which consists in the election TO
Office Of honest, intelligent, capable ana
courageous public servants, who VIII
faithfully administer their trusts, ana
who will be held to strict accountability
for such discharge of 1t, and who Will
redeem and purge the departments of
the general government from that cor
ruption and fraud with which they have
been permeated under Republican rule,
and which that party has shown itself
unwilling and unable to eradicate"
We would like to know what more
any honest man wants. What sugges-
tion is there in it of general loot and
plumber of the civil service" Mr..
Curtis simply prevaricates, he pros
titutes his Judgment to his par
tisanship in the suggestion. The
sting of this expression OF u
sound civil service reform theory Is
in the tail of it wherein the lncapacity
of the Republican party to reform itself
or rescue the country from the cOrrup-
tion which testers in its government IL
set forth. But this is uudeniably true
and nobody knows it better than the
editor of Hdrpo'S Weekly. The count
less scandals of Grants administration
and its unpunished shames and crimes
proved it; the Star Route frauds
reafiirmed it. Hdrp,rS WCckiy itself,
not long since said :
The Republican party is smlrched with
the Whisky Ring swiudles. aud the Star
Route swindles, and the Belknap swindles,
aud the salary grab, and the third term
plot. AMI myrd other similar jobs and
thefts aud crimes. The argument will be
that no reform is possible until such
party is turned out, That such plan IL
ah, trJ al tS tahl
The New York 7imes, the leading
paper of its party, said
Every honest Republican will confess
with shame aud modification that the
failure of the party to purge itsnlf OF aud
punish its proven rasclls affords a fair
ground for an attack of this kind aud adds
a hundred fold to its effectiveness before
the people. II the party IN power has bo
come 50 corrupt or morally debilItated
that IL cannot cast of aud punish the
thieves who have fittened On its prosper
ity, then the people will take up the cry |
of turn the rascals out, and the honest |
and the vicious will alike bc turned out |
neck and heels
Against all the abuses aud miSgoyern-
ernment for which its party is response
bic, and as a cure for deep seated ills,
Mr.. Curtis aud his associate refOTmers
offer scheme accOrdiug to which low
grade clerkships aud the office of letter
carrier in cities with over HSty thousand,
shall b3 subjected to an examination in
grammar, history, geography, mental
arithmetic, &c, and from the best four
who pass this the llattons aud Robesons
and Tyners and BelkuapI, who get into
the higher places shall pick one for the
vacancy, and in case he does not do
their political bidding, they eau turn
him out neck aud h ,el5 next day, with
out appeal or remedy on his party. This
IS to be the preventive and cure of that
corruption aud fraui' with which all
the government departments have been
permeated. No man in his senses be
lleves for moment that it will answer
any such purpose any more than au cX
ternal application Of soothing syrup
would cure cancer. Cut it out.
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