Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1883-01-04
The Civil Service Sampled.


The popular impression that the civil
service in the departments in Wash.
ington says the Washington Post, is in
greater reform than the civil service OF
the Federal Governments in the several
States of the Union, is a delusion.
Whatever may be the effects OF the ser.
vice here, they are no more numerous
nor serious than the evils by which it IS
afflicted all over the Union. The pub.
lie eye is constantly fixed on the de.
partments, for they are the headquar.
ters of the various branches of Govern.
ment business. All that trsnspires here
is known, at once, to all Of our tifty.odd
millions who read, or take any interest
in public affairs. The officials in this
city have the light OF maximum public.
iiy always turned on their work. But
the Federal officers in the States enjoy
comparative seclusion and far greater
facilities for avoiding unpleasant crit.
cism. II they satisfy the magnate or
boss to whom they owe their official
existence, they are seldom complained
of.
1t will be admitted, we suppose, that
in the we'll ordered State OF Michigan
there is as little cause as in any State to
complain OF corruption or irregularities
on the part Of Federal otticeholders.
The service in Michigan may therefore
be regarded as fairly representative OF
the service in all the States. Until
recent dste-since Congress met-there
was no complaint of Michigan officials.
The Democratic press set up no howl,
nor did the civil service reform league
make any inculpstory allegations. It
WAS reserved for such distinguished Re
publlcans as the Hon. J. \. Hubbell
and the Hon. j. e. Burrows TO let the
country know the true character Of the
Federal civil service in their State.
Mr. Hubbell shows how the men who
are paid to attend to public work in
Michigan perform their duties. lie
states, in a carefully revised interview,
that every special agent of the different
departments Of the Government, loca.
ted in Michigan, was at the command
OF Tom Ferry, travelling all through the
State, putting up conventions, and
when impossible to control them, sc.
curing proxies by questionable meth.
ods." Mr.. Hubbell charges that the
collectors OF customs at Detroit, who
gets ten or twelve thousand dollars a
year from the Federal Treasury, is paid
by two or three Canadian railroads, the
corporations that bring in the foreign
goods on which the collector is suppos
cd to collect duties And Mr.. Hubbell
further charges that There wac always
money enough to keep Special Agent
Gavitt, Of the Treasury depsrtment,wh
is located at Detroit; Special Agent
Van Alstine. Special Agent Spaulding
and every official in the Government
service in the State, down to postal
agents, on the run whenever It was
necessary for them to go and fix up a
convention or determine whether or
not g nominee for the legislature ought
TO be assisted"
Mr. Burrows says his defeat was osus
ed by an official who. while drawing pay
on the department roll in Washington,
was employed in running a campaign
paper in his district.
These are the statements Of conspicu
Gus Republican leaders 1t is not ne.
cessary TO comment on the utter rotten.
ness Of the public service that is thus
condemned by such members of the par
~ responsible for that service.