St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-04-16
of maturing opinion and contending in
forests has itself descended into the aroma


and contractors, have sufficed to determine in
every case but one. In that it collected
military forces around the capital, and by this
and other menaces intimidated the congressional
representatives of a majority of the people to
relinquish the fruits of their victory and to sur
render the government to the control of mi
nority.
No reform of administration is possible so long
as the government is directed by party which is
under the dominion of false doctrines and anima
ted by immense pecuniary interests in the per
petuation of existing abuses. The first cffectual
step in the reform of our government must be
fundamental change in the policy of its admins
traton. The work of reform will be difficult
wrought with the whole power Of the govern
ment exerted in accomplishing it. have such
faith in the benignant Providence which has pre-
sided over the destiny of this country in every
great trial that do not despair of our ultimate
deverance
Though 1 can no longer aspire to be one Of the
leaders in this great work bid those upon whom
this august mission may fall, God speed.
Signed S. j. TILDEN.
To S. Corning Judd, Chairman of the Political
committee, Iroquois club.
This was the most direct and pointed public
utterance Mr.. Tilden has ever given relative to
the great fraud of 1876, and when that passage
of his letter was read the audience again arose
to their feet and woke the echoes with their
/
to Tildens being the first choice for president in
1884, the greeting given his utterances tonight
by this body of representative Democrats would
settle it.
Senator Pendleton, of Ohio, was the next
speaker, responding to the toast: ''Reform OF
the Civil Service He too was greeted with
storm of applause.
SENATOR PEEDLETOE's SPEECH.
ment to which the kindness of your president
has invited me to respond, opens up wide teld
for reflection. Indeed, in its largest scope Ii
embodies the whole civil administration of the
government; it touches every question of ad-
ministrative reform. l have known that TINS
growing and influential organization is. composed
in a great part of the business men OF Cnlca9o
l am honored by an invitation to speak 10 bust
ness men on business questions. Surely the
executive administration Of this great govern
ment is business matter.
We have Il territory of more than four mil
lions square miles. We have more than htty
millions of people. We have nearly fifty thous-
and postofices One hundred and thirtytivc
custom houses collect GO,000,000 of revenue.
Forty ministers of high grade represent US Ill
foreign courts. Seven hundred and fifty consuls
| attend to our commercial interests. We nave
courts and judges and marshals III
every state We have military and
naval establishments. More than 100000
officers are needed III the subordinate civil ad-
niinistration alone These officers of the govern
ment, having neither political power nor choice
of politics, but routine administration only,
touch at some point and in some degree the
material interests of every one of our fifty
millions people, Is not Il true and faithful ad-
ministration of this great trust Il business mat
ter demanding the earnest judgment, most con
scentous devotion to duty and most approved
methods.
l will not argue to this assemblage OF enlight-
encd men. 1 feel as if were scarcely justified
in stating the admitted theory OF our popular
government. The officers of the government are
rustees for the people. The performance of the
duties of these officers is for the interest of the
people. There is no excuse for the being Of one
Office or the payment of one salary, except that
it is necessary for the welfare of the people.
Every superfuous Office should be cut off.
Every incompetent office holder should be
dismissed The employment of two where one
will suffice is robbery. Salaries so large !
that they can submit to the eXtortion of one or
two per cent. assessments are excessive and
ought to be diminished. Appointments should
be made of those best fitted to perform the du-
ties Capacity, fidelity, honesty. were Mr.. Jef-
ferson's crucial tests. Are not these all
PLAIN sound pro- aositiCns applicable alike to the
conduct of government and private affairs? DO
they not commend themselves to your conscience
and Judgment? If it were possible TO imagine
ernment as private enterprise, for private ad
vantage, would you not adopt and put III force
every one as maxim from which there should be
no departure? What less you do than to
clothe the officers whom you select TO manage
this great public business which TO each of you
and your fellow citizens at some time become
private, with power and by inexorabe public
opinion require them to exercise it to attain the
same fidelity efficiency and economy! Is Ii not
true, gentlemen, that i'll this greatest concern of
all to the government, its administration exhibits
less economy, less fidelity, less efficiency than
any great private enterprise, unless your great
city is single exception.
Conduct of public and private business presents
marked and painful contrast 1t is very true
that no single human being, of however great in
telligence, discrimination, industry, DEVOTION en-
durance-even if relieved of every other duty
could possibly unaided, select and return III
official station, those best fitted 10 discharge the
many and varied and delicate functions of the
government. All the greater is the necessity of
aid in making fit selections and testing the en-
pacity of incumbents, and of placing guards
against the undue exercise of arbitrary patronage.
The power of removal is essential to secure
efficiency. The absolute necessity of filing
the vacant place with the tttest applicant limits
it sufficiently and wisely.
Under this system which we have attacked,
and hope eventually to eradicate, the president
and his cabinet unable personally to chose from
the many applicants have remitted the question
of fitness to their friends, and they In turn have
remitted it to their partisan friends, The ad-
ministration has need OF the support of members
of congress. 1t therefore RENTS to members of
congress the use of its patronage in its various
interests. These members find themselve
under strain and pressure to Sc
cure nomination or election, and they use
places to win or TO reward those whose friends
and families and connections and aids and depu-
ties serve their purposes. Thus fitness, capacity,
honesty, cannot be essential qualifications for
attaining or retaining office. Personal fidelity
and partisan activity alone control. The idea
that 100000 offices, purely administrative, at
most absolutely clerical, paying 500, 100000
year, are to be distributed by the president and
his appointees after every election, and as often
during his term the rapacity of place hunters
tha that they pgisD" shall be reward @ of
merit for partisan service, to be earned by per-
sonal activity or contributions of money, is
crime against civilization 1t is the prolific par
ent of fraud and corruption and brutality: 1t
acts upon the elements of office as the prize
of party struggleand the stmulant of partizan eff
fort 1t induces furious activity in aid of party
and the pursuit of party success, which is
condition of getting office and parcel
ing out salary. Necessarily, by the
logic of the system, which is stronger than the
determination of good men, however good they
may be. 1t awards in its furthest ralnifcations
the highest comparative prizes to those who have
done the most dirty work of the lowest politics,
and are, therefore, the least fitted for trusts in
public services 1t makes our presidents and
secretaries peddlers of office. and directs their
time and attention from the high duties with
which they are charged 1t creates necessity and
stimulates the exaction of forced assessments on
salaries which go to enrich bosses of high and
low degree, to compel voters, to prevent free
elections and to secure dishonest counts, and
and worse still, sadder still, it
coerces incumbents for the sake of
their offices, at the price of their manhood, to
stifle their honest sentiments and submit to be
voted at will by their madstrs.
1.-The spoils system it is a brutal name for a
more brutal thing, and yet it is entirely fitting.
It suggests the war and carnage of those bar