New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-08-28
lN0TBER SHAM EXPOSED.


sume the sham professions of the Democratic
party concerning Civil Service Reform will be
swent ont into the limbo with all the rect of the
G. n ,rfeits and humbugs they have tried and
discarded during the past twenty years. Tue
Ohio campaign is bein conducted on She
Democratic side upon the ground, very fairly
and openly stated, of opposition to Civil Service
Reform, and the advocacy of plump retrogres-
zion to the old Democratic doctrine, "spoils to
the victorsr In his recent speech at Ga lion,
Ohio, General Durbin Ward, tie leading com
petitor of Judge Hoadly for the Gubernator'al
NO mination, though asserting his con-
tempt for tho maxim @To the victors belong
the spoils," in reality, proclaimed that as the
principle governing the party. The first and
essential step in Civil Service Reform" he Is
reported as saying, . ia to muster out OF service
az these disciplined cohorts of Republican power
sand put in their places Democratic, honest
Gand competent SUCCESSORS" "The party In
apower is the Government, and should be held
to full responsibility for every detail. 1t ought
q therefore, to select its own agents and
mot be allowed to escape accountability on
Sthe ground that some of its agents are not
"chosen by itself" And again, after urging
that the oest reform of the civil service
would be to relieve the President of most OF the
appointing power and distribute ii among the
he ads of departments, chiefs OF bureaus, ETC.,
who should be held responsible, he. says:
sWhen the chiefs 60 out let their dependents
q 20 out too Of course trained men In tue sew
q eral departments must be retained to Instruct
their successors, but let the body OF the civil
service give place TO new men gradually ana
circumspectly selected from the Democratic
sranks." In these utterances General Ward
undoubtedly represents the real sentiments OF
his party.
They have the merit at least Of truthfulness
and candor They will of course open the eyes
of those innocent and confiding voters If any
sucb there are in Ohio--who have trusted the
platform professions OF the Democracy these
past dozen years, or who have believed them III
earnest 10 advocating a nom partisan service,
the entrance to which should be through com
oetitiye examination. But on the other hand
they will unQuestionably quicken the zeal and
arouse the enthusiasm OF the DemocIatlc
workers." who would have No motive for
effort if the primo pie of the Pendleton Civil
Service bill were to obtain permanence and
control the policy of the party. For dozen
wears the party has been bowling for Civil Ser
vice Reform without affecting to any great ex-
tent the zeal and diligence of the workers."
for the re sson tina. they believed it vas only
an empty party cry that it meant nothing ok
cept reforming Republicans out and Democrats
in The passage of the Pendleton bill by
Republican Congress and its enforcement by
Republican Administration have made them
thoughtful. II this sort of thing continues,
they reason-if there is to be no general sweep
hn.1l no ady 0f
Democr attic Administration, and IL all appoint
ments ale to be made subject to competitive
examination what earthly inducement have
we TO labor for the cause ThOughtfulness
on this subject was naturally succeeded by
apathy and indifference, and the party leaders
began to see that they were losing their best
workers in the vain attempt to humbug the
honest voters who are seriously and sincerely
in ia yor Of Civil Service Reform. Hence the
silence of the Ohio State Convention on this
tonic, and hence General Durbin Wards prOcla-
nation to the boysn that Civil Service Re-
form means, according to the Democratic
definition. SIMPLY 4The Republican party
must CO."
The country has a Democratic Senator from
Ohio to thank for this great service OF stripping
the mask from his party and compelling it to sail
under its true colOrs. Under any view Ut the
public service which does not make IL the
quarry of par tisanship and the reward for polit-
ical auorkersn the Democratic party has
neither reason for being nor motive for con-
tinuance. To get at the Offices it has tried
during the last twenty years all sorts of dis
guises, has perpetrated all sorts of trickery,
has undertaken all sorts OF deceits. The road
bebind Ia strewn with cast-Off masks.
The last is that of Civil Service Reform
thrown aside by General Durbn Ward and the
Ohio Democrats. The only thing that remains
for it is the senseless parrot cry, HTbe Re-
publicans must Co." And Republicans are en-
tirely willing to go to the country Mt any time
on that issue,