Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1884-08-08
Democratic CiviI.scrvicc Reform.


Within the last few years the Republican
party has wrought great andimportant changes
in the civil service of the country. One Dem
ocIat-ex-Senator Pendleton of Ohio. who is
one of the ablest men Of that party-ably
seconded the efforts of our Republican Con
gressmen in that direction. Last winter the
Democrats had a majority in the Ohio legis-
lature. Mr.. Pendleton was d candidate for
reelection, and the Democrats repudiated him
and civil-service reform, and elected in his
place STANDARD Oil" Payne, an old-school
Democrat who believes in the doctrine that
ITO the vic.ors belong the spoils."
The Democratic convention at Chicago re.
solved in favor of a reform Of the civil ser.
vice, and yet the whole course of their party
leaders from Jacksons time to the present
has been in direct opposition to their present
written declaration. Mr.. Hendricks, on his
return to Indianapolis from tho convention,
spoke at Democratic ratification meeting. in
which he declared that if the Democrats get
into power they will find it necessary to TO-
move from twenty-five thousand TO fifty thous.
and Of the ofice-holders and put Democrats
in their places, in order that they may get at
the books and see whether the Republican Of
fcials have been honest or not
In the last Congress the Democrats under
took to pass law making it penal offence
for any government office.holder to contribute
his means towards securing the success of the
party of his choice. "Ye shall know them by
their fruits Mr.. Thomas A. Hendricks was
commissioner of the general land office under
the administrations of Presidents Pierce and
Buchanan, and acted as the agent of the Dem
ocratic party in assessing ofice-holders for
campaign funds. An able periodical com.
ments on Mr.. Hendrickss methods as follows
''The assessment of clerks was not confined to cam
paign purposes only. Upon the occasion of establish
ing an organ the clerks under Mr. HeDdrcks were
required to subscribe for the paper Nor was one
assessment deemed sufficient. The cost of CARRYING
Pennsylvania against Fremont was so heavy that tho
department clerks were required TO hand over certain
percentages of their salaries to reimburse tho Demo
cratic committee OF that state. On occasion the
percentage demanded ranged from ~ to per cent
When the assessment came in the middle OF the month
and the clerks had no funds the amounts were stop
ped out of their pay on payday There no escape
save through resignation One clerk testified that he
refused to respond and was discharged The subscrp-
on to the new organ 60 Clerks were assessed 10
carry elections in Baltimore"
Having buried Pendleton and resurreoted
Hendricks, the old assessor and squeezer of
clerks in the departments at Washington, who
promises to turn out at least fifty regiments
of men now in Office in order to make room
for hungry Democrats, the people can see just
what the Democratic party means by civil.
service reform.
Mr.. Curtis, in one of his speeches at the
Chicago convention said "we are con
frontod with the Democratic party, very hun
cry, and, as you may well believe very thirs-
ty party without single definite princi-
pie, party without sny distinct national
policy which it Cares to present to the coun-
try party which fell from power as con-
spiracy against human rights, and now at
tempts to sneak back to power as q conspiracy
for pluudcr and spoils." With the Demo
cratic party in power it would be civi-service
reform O with a vengeance.