Daily Los Angeles herald., 1883-01-09
DAILY HERALD.
The Cant ana Hypocrisy or 1t.

The Cant ana Hypocrisy or 1t.
There is a great deal of dishonest
cant current about Civil Service Reform
that ought to be punctured. With a
great deal Of flourish Of trumpets II Ia
that, under the operation OF
Mr.. Pendleton's bill, which provides for
examinations, partizanship
in making appointments will hereafter
be ignored. The idea Of the measure
sought to be popularized is that all who
are in Office are to stay in. while those
who acquire Office in the future will do
so as the result Of a on.partizan COM
petitive examination. The truth is,
that the measure is vilely partizan, to-
begin with, because II is proposed to
assure tenure Of Office, independent Of
the Executive, to persons who belong to
single party, and who have been at
best the machinery in the perpetration
of the most colossal and systematical
robberies ever known in the administra.
tion Of any government. To those Of
them who have acted the part Of scoun-
drels--and their number is not small
this act comes as plenary absolution Of
nil guilt and premium on past malver.
sation. They not only 60 scot free,
but, by being continued in Office, they
will be enabled forever to prevent the
discovery Of their short comings. With
the prodigious transactions of the gov
ornment recorded in innumerable tones,
with n connection between the myriad
volumes difficult for an outsider to dis
cover, Mr.. Pendleton's bill Is simply Of
the character OF an amnesty and q
guarantee against exposure OF all conceiv-
able delnquoncies. All the practiced
villnin has to do Is to stand pat If
he has dealt In dishonest entries, and
has struck false balances, there will be
nobody but himself to blame II the fact
Is ever found out. He is master Of the
situation, and wages his battle on inter-
ior lines. Like Robinson Crusoe, on his
island, he Is monarch Of all he surveys,
and no inquisitive and investigating
brute Of Congressman can dispute his
facts or disturb his serenity.
As to the new officials who shall be
appointed under the competitive exami-
nation rule much may be said. To begin
with, we will suppose, as Is the case
now, that the Examining Board is com.
posed Of Republicans. Under this sys.
tenn there is no earthly need Of allowing
anybody but good Republican to slip
through. Let us assume that the bust
ness Of the applicant is either to copy
into big volumes in the Fourth Audi.
tors Office certain figures, in certain
ruled spaces, having clear direction OF
the tops Of the several columns, or to
copy patents in tho Office of the Com
missioner Of that name. As to ninety
nine hundredths Of such applicants the
only requisites are good character, the
ability to write good hand and to add
up a column OF figures. 1t is only the
head Of Department, here and there,
who has to combine these results, and
even he only requires the most ordinary
knowledge Of bookkeeping to enable
him to do so perfectly. Bearing il
mind these facts, foolishly sanguint
Democrat presents himself before thi'
Examining Board. He shows that hi
can write an excellent hand, is ail--ex
pert at figures and well grounded in tn
rules of book keeping. His character i
unimpeached. Pretty soon the Exami
ners open up on him with n series o
blood-curdling problems only to b.
solved by the aid of the differentia
calculus, or perhaps they gently Leaf
him back to the history of the Ptole
mics, or call upon him to explain thu
difference between the esoteric and exc
teric schools of the old Egyptian priest
craft. As matter of fact, they can in
dulge in any pedantic vagaries the.
please, and they can make report OIL
his fitness for pitifal little clerical po
sition founded on his inability TO ap
prove himself walking encyclopedia
although, We're his interlocutors obligo'
to so through similar ordeal, the,
would doubtless come off just as wretch
odiy as their bcdeviled victim.
That Democrat would have to q,
through just such an ordeal as this, a
the hand of Republican Board, let N,
man doubt. If the circumstances wer
reversed, aud Democrats composed tn
Examining Board, exactly the sam
thing would in oil likelihood happen
The whole thing is hypocritieal farce
and it gives us pleasure to know tina
there were at least fifty-fivo Democrats
members of the House of Representa-
tlves who had the good sense and con
sistency to vote against the measure.
Out on all plans to abridge the right
ful privileges of the President of tn
United States! What is needed, is Il
elect an honest man, free from cant, t.
that Office, and then give him tn,
amplest power to appoint honest subor
dinates, and to hold them strictly &c
countable for their good behavior. Tn
honestDemocrati doctrine Of rotation il
Office is bound to assert itself as tn
ruling impulse Of this country. thcugl
it should be betrayed by thousand fin
icky, so.called Democratic leaders. Th
people of the United States are not ye
prepared to welcome an offensive an,
un-Republican bureaucracy, and the,
will sweep it away before it shall hav
had time to crystalire.
The Royal Party-More Hotel Ac
commodations.
We have explained the unfortunate