McCook weekly tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 188?-1886, 1884-05-29
CIVIL SERVICE REFORM.

CIVIL SERVICE REFORM.
The Workings and Results Of the System
An Extract From DIR. GregOry's
Address.
Lincoln journal.
On account of the heavy rain last
night the most of the large number of
our citizens who would have liked to
listen to Hon. John M. Gregory's lee
ture on the civil service were unable to
attend. Notwithstanding the small au-
dience DR.. Gregory delivered very
instructive lecture.
The speaker opened his remarks by
giving some statistics. The entire civil
service list embraces 10000 positions.
Of these 48,440 are postmasters, and
4, 1000 more are in the railway mail SER
vice. The whole number engaged in
the postal service is $1,000 to $4,000.
The remaining positions are in the de-
partments and in the various custom
districts.
Ever since Marcy invented the odious
phrase, "To the victors belong the
spoils," the civil service has been
shamelessly prostituted to political
ends. 1t has been used in two ways:
First, the positions have been used as
patronage; and second, contributions
have been levied upon those in such
positions for political campaign funds.
When civil service reformers speak
of the political rottenness that existed
in the civil service before this reform
movement, they do not wish to be un-
derstood as claiming that all the men
in the service were put there because
of the dirty work they have done. 1t
is impossible that this should be the
case. Any man of sense who goes
through the departments and sees the
vast amount of work done will know
that there is somebody who works hard
earnestly and conscientiously.
There are many men who do such eff
cient work that they render themselves
necessary to the department. Thus
many have been in the service twenty,
thirty and forty years, and there is one
man who has been in fifty years.
But while there are very many good
men, there are many who have been
put in at the bidding of political chiefs,
and who do scarcely any work. Gar
field said in one OF his speeches that 80
per cent. of the clerks did the whole of
the work, and one of the chief clerks
affirms that one-third of the force does
two-thirds of the work.
The places in the civil service have
been as counters in the political game.
A man who wanted a position went
through his district and promised to
one man one position and to another
another position for their influence in
securing a delegation for him. Many
men who would not use their influence
corruptly delight in using their power
in having so many appointments at
their command.
DR.. Gregory said he had been in
Washington taking observations and
doing some literary work for four years
before he became member of the COM
mission. He gave several illustrations
of the manner in which civil service ap-
pointments depended upon political in
tiuence, incidents which had come un-
der his own observation.
The great evil from the old system,
apart from the appointment of incom-
petent persons was the absorption of
the time of members of congress, of
heads of departments and of all
officers who had any appointments
at their disposal, in listening to ap-
plicants and using their influence
in their behalf. The appointments,
too, were by this system of Civ
ing the members of congress the right
to select them, thrown into the hands
of the legislative branch of the gov
eminent, instead of the executive
branch-the appointments were made
by the same body that must impeach
them in case of any official misde-
meanor.
Civil service reform was change
from system of patronage to one OF
competitive examination. Since the
10th day of July last no one has been
appointed to a position in the civil SER
vice who has not passed an examina'
ton. The working of this system
brings $4,000 positions out of patron.
age, and since the 10th of July not one
of these positions has been filled at the
request of a member of congress.
The speaker then gave a brief history
of the civil service reform earthquake,
showing that no member Of congress
would dare to violate it in the face Of
the strong public sentiment in it's ia
vor, and proceeded to outline the work
ings of the system.