The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1883-05-18
osrRAcIsrsa POLITICIANS.

When the Pendleton Civil Service Bill was
passed and approved, and the President des-
Ignated Commission under IL 70 DRAFT rules
and establish examinations Of applicants for
positions In the Civil Service that received
the approval Of almost the entire country,
It was thought the Civil Service millennium
had dawned and that hereafter politics were
TO be as pure rs SKINNED milk. Under the
circumst ances 1t Is rather amusing that the
first recommendation Of the Commission,
that Of Mr.. De B. r. Keim of Pennsylvania
TO be chief examiner Of the Civil Service
Commission, should have raised such .
storm Of indignation and ridicule that the
President was obliged TO forego the pleasure
Of commissioning him after appointment had
been made. The trouble with Mr.. Keim
seems principally to have been that he was
qualified fer the position, {. e., that he had
been practical politician. This, Of course,
did not suit the dilletante crowd who propose
to run politics on the Sunday school plan,
and the Commissioners absolutely had to
back down from their very first recemmen-
dation. 1t Is perhaps just Is we'll that this
was the case first as last. The Pendletsn
law Is not going to be 9 very long existing
factor in American politics. Every business
has 1t own methods and part Of the method
of successful party 10 90 machine" and On
boss" IS organization and leadership are now
popularity denominated. Men In this coun-
try 60 into politics and get Offices to make
money. In the furtherance Of that object
they will do work and spend money, and
they will assist to effce others who enable
them to obtain and retain their positions.
In Europe, where Office is largely sought for
the honor and status Of official position, and
where tenure is not dependent on frequently
changing administrations, there may be less
strife for the iucre Of the Office, but here the
party that does not avail itself Of the services
Of the man who wants an office to make
money of 1t, honestly, 1t may be, 10 going to
the wall. We do not know but that Pendle-
ton has earned more gratitude from the Dem
ocratic party in devising q method to over
throw the Republican party than Tilden did
In opening that "bar'l." Not that there is
anything In the law or the rules adopted by
the Commission that Is particularly bad, be-
cause there Is not in fact these rules only
90 so far as to require that department clerks
and other officers shall have fair education
and In protecting the stingy ones who are
not willing to contribute to campaign ex-
penses. This 10 not nearly so serious as the
elephantine blunder of President Hayes In
barring Republican officials out of political
conventions. But the adroit mischief of the
Pendleton bill was its being rsllying point
where, under the guise Of Reform, the gospel
was taught that the practical politician, es-
pecially If he was Republican, must be
crushed out; and this heresy, which we all
imbibed more or less of, has grown so strong
now that . gentleman endorsed by Senator
Logan and Pendleton and whom the immac.
ulate Commission was perfectly satisfied to
recommend, cannot be commissioned, just be.
cause he has been "a practical politician
and worked on the machine In past years
This Is political, or rather factional, ostra
cism. We believe the theory aud practice o.
reform under the Pendleton bill is not great.
ly In advance of the the brilliant idea of civ.
ilizing and Outstanding the Indians by
farming cut the Agencies TO the several re-
ligious denominations some years ago
system that never saved . soul or kept
scalp on, but which did demoralize tn,
churches and make very poor lot Of sinner
out Of some previously average Christians
Our Government is political. Politics can
not be successfully conducted without tn,
aid Of politicians. General Grant tried to c,
IL In the first year Of his first administration
and run into more trouble than be had II
the Wilderness. President Hayes tried 1
and, despite the cleanest handed administra
ton we have had, he nearly swamPed th
party. "He serves his party best who serve
his country best" is q pretty abstract apbo
rism, but in the complexities of popula
government that saying, like many passage
of scripture, requires to be expounded unde
stronger lights than the average mind throw
on 1t to be q practical truism. When th
party In power throws out Its practical lead
er merely because they are leaders--strons
earnest, virile men--its days are numbered
It is just as great piece Of folly Is 1t woul
be to dismiss from an army every Geners
who had demonstrated ability In actual Sci
vice and give control TO inexperienced nurs
lings of the schools. We believe In homes
administration and In running out th
rogues, but 1t does not follow that because
man has shown himself TO have character
force, earnestness, and executive ability tbs
he Is dishonest, nor because man was neve
heard Of before that be possesses all the vir
tues. The more nearly the two great partie
are numerically divided, and the stronger
ADLER, honcster, and more courageous ar
their leaders, the better government we vii
have. II Mr.. Keim is only Objectionable Il
his having been practical politician and b
has been slaughtered for that sole offens,
the withdrawal of his name Is the worst mis-
take President Arthur has made. Tn
watchword "Reform" Is as susceptible q
beinp misused N any other