Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1883-05-08

that while the best thinking men should
be the best workers." as our correspondent
puts it, they are not. They are not the
men who get down into the cutters. where,
according to the political methods OF the
day, effective work is done. We hardly
think "Pausanias will consent to go to
this extent, but it is where his logic inevi.
tsbly leads. 1t will compel him to confess
that the party worker has the inalienabie
right to "make even" upon the Govern
ment when once he is tethered at the
public crib. 1t will justify the "mana-
gers" in levying upon the salaries OF
incumbents, and thus making "place a
mere matter of purchase. "Pausanias" will
admit that this very practice is at the root
of the vice and corruption which have
brought official holdings into disrepute.
His logic will carry him further still, and
make every subordinate in governmental
employ the miserable tool and slave of
the party manager, and his tenure of Office
dependent upon the mercy of the unscru.
pulous and dishonest ward wire. puller, a
practice that our correspondent will con-
fess hardly conduces to official independ-
ence, or calls to the civil service the high
est ability, or inclines officials to serve the
nation rather than the party. There is no
objection TO partisans contributing volun.
tarily to legitimate party expenses, but the
man should be sole judge of the measure
of his ability 1t is the duty of the par.
tisan TO labor for the ascendency of his
party, but it should be because he is at
taehed to it's principles and not for hope OF
reward. In the case in point, the in
cumbent in line of promotion in the Sacra-
mento Postoffice is opposed by men whose
sole claim to the place is that Of reward
for party work, and this we please to term
an exemplification of the infamous plumber
practice, the vicious and unholy spoils
system. Those who support this system
deny the virtue of the civil service reform
principle, but confess their pitiful weak
ness by responding to curious inquirers
that the gentleman who ought to be the
preferred candidate "should be retained,
of course" But, to waive higher consid-
erations, it may be added that this civil
service reform candidate, unless we are
grievously misinformed, has not been lib.
eral in independent aid to a party that is a
thing with him of lifelong attachment.
Nor has he been conspicuous by absence
when public policy was debated before the
people. But a." Pausanias" forgets that Off
cial regulations very wisely prohibit, at least
the conscientious, from active participation
in political affairs, even if from the early
and late hours of arduous duty the official
can so hemean himself as to snatch time to
put up caucus jobs, lay wires, manipulate
primaries and bully or buy veters, and
generally do dirty work for bands of office
seekers, whose chief springs of action are
found in pay and plumber and little brief
authority.
The converse OF the propositions thus
called to the attention of our correspond
ent as lying at the basis of civil service re-
form, was made shamefully manifest in the
case of the late Pest Inspector Boggs, who
was rewarded by party at the expense of
the best interests of the people. That
lamentahle scandal would never have dis
graced the State but for the Infamous doc
trine Of party plunderism.