Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1884-07-23
officers were as rare as misconduct and coward
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1nu necessarily Snlarged the civil service until
nov ~ ihciuoes vast body Of officers. Rules
ana methods OF appointment which prevailed
when the number WAS smaller have heoc
round insufficient and impracticable. and earn
est efforts have been made to senarata tha
great mass OF ministerial officers from nartisan
influence and personal control, ImpartiaIitv In
Gne mooe or appointment to be based on ouali-
ncatlon, and security Of tenure to be based On
FAITHFUL discharge Of duty are the two ends
70 De accomplished, The public business will
be aided by separating the legislative branch of
the government from all control of appoint
ments and the Executive Department will be
renewed by subjecting appointments to fixed
ra3es and thus removing them from the caprice
Oh Iavorltlsm. But there should be rigid OBJ
servsnce OF the law which gives in all cases OF
equal competency the preference Of the SOL
Union, ~
entered Congress in 1863, and In a some
Wnat prolonged service I never found it expe-
uent 10 request or recommend the removal Of
civil officer except in four instances, and then
Tor non-political reasons which were instantly
conclusive with the appointing power The
ofhcers In the district, appointed by Mr.. Lincoln
IN 1861 upon the recommendation of my preds-
cessor, served, as rule, until death or resigna-
ton. l adopted ut the beginning of nv service
the test OF competitive examination for appoint
ment to West Point and maintained it 30 long
as had the right by law to nominate cadet.
In the case OF many officers found that the
present law which arbitrarily limits the term of
the commission offered O constant temptation
to changes for mere political reasons. have
publicly expressed the belief that the essential
modification of that law would be in many re-
spects advantageous
My observation in the department of state
confirmed the conclusions Of my legislative ex-
per1ence, and impressed nae with the conviction
that the rule Of impartial appointment might
4rrIn hav nd
provision Of the Gvilservice law. Tt should be
applied to appointments In the consular service.
COnsuls should be commercial southeastern
circling the globe with watchfulness for their
country's interests. Their intelligence and
competency become, therefore, matters Of
great public concern. No man should be ap-
pointed to an American consulate who Is not
well instructed in the history and resources Of
bis OWN country, and in the requirements and
language Of commerce in the country to which
he Is sent The same rule should be applied
even more rigidly to the secretaries Of legation
IN our diplomatic service. The people have the
right to the most efficient agents in the dis
charge OF public business, and the appointing
power should regard this as the prior and ul-
terror consideration.
THE MORMON QUESTION.
Religious liberty Is the right Of every citizen
Of the republic. Congress is forbidden by the
constitution to make any law respecting the
establishment Of religion, or prohibiting the
free exercise thereof" For q century, under
this guarantee, Protestant and Catholic, Jew
and Gentle, have worshiped God according
to the dictates OF conscience. But religious
liberty must not be perverted to the justiica-
ton Of ofenses against the law. A religious
sect, strongly intreRched in one of the terri
tories Of the Union, and spreading rapidly into
four other territories, claimg the right to de-
stroy the great safeguard and imminent of
social order, and to practice as religious priv
llege that which is crime punished with Sc
we're penalty in every state Of the Union. The
sacredness and unity Of the family must be
preserved as the foundation Of oil civil govern
ment, as the source Of orderly administration,
as the surest guarantee Of moral purity.
The claim Of the Mormons that they are di-
vlnely authorized to practice polygarny should
no more be admitted than the claim of certain
heather tribes, il they should come among us,
to continue the rite Of human sacrifice. The
law does not interfere with what man be-
Heves; it takes cogniZance only Of what it does.
AS citizens, the Mormons are entitled to the
same civil rights as others, and to these they
must be confined. Polyganay can never receive
national sanction or liberation by admitting
the community that upholds it as q state in the
Union. Like others the Mormons must learn
that the liberty of the individual ceases where
the rights of society begin.
OUR CURRENCY.
The people of the United States, though
often urged and tempted, have never seriously
contemplated the recognition of any other
money than gold and silver-and currency
directly convertible into them. They have not
done so, they will not dc 80 under any necessity
less pressing than that of desperate war The
only special requisite for the completion Of our
monetary system il the fixing of the relative
values Of silver and gold. The large use OF
silver as the money of account among Aslatic
nations, taken in connection with the increas-
ing commerce of the world, gives the weightiest
g. .~,Ao 49,,
premises. Our government should not cease
to urge this measure until common standard
of value shall be reached and established-a
standard that shall enable the United States to
use the silver from its mines as an auxiliary to
gold in settling the balances of commercial ex-
change.
THE PUBLIC LANDS.
The strength Of the republic ls increased by
the multiplication of landholders. Our laws
should look to the judlclCus encOura cement Of
actual settlers On the public domain, which
should henceforth be held as sacred trust for
the benefit Of those seeking homes. The ten
dencJ to consolidate large tracts of land in the
ownership of individuals or corporations
should, with proper regard to vested rights, be
discouraged. One hundred thousand acres of
land in the hands OF one man 10 far less profit
able to the nation in every way than when its
ownership is divided among 1000 men. The
evil of permitting large tracts Of the national
few against the many is enhanced when the
persons controlling it are aliens. It is but fair
that the public land should be disposed of only
to actual settlers and to those who are citizens
of the republic, or willing to become SO.
OUR SHIPPING INTERESTS.
Among our national interests one languishes
the foreign carrying trade. 1t was very seri-
ously crippled in our civil war, and another
blow was given to it In the general substitution
Of steam for sail in ocean traffic. With 'front.'
age on the two great oceans, with freightage
larger than that of any other nation, we have
every inducement to restore our navigation.
Yet the government has hitherto refused its
help. small share of the encouragement
given by the government to railways and to
manufactures, and small share of the capital
and the zeal given by our citizens to those en-
terprises would have carried our ships to every
sea and to every port. A law just enacted re-
moves some Of the burdens upon our naviga-
ton and inspires hope that this great interest
may at last receive its due share Of attention.
All efforts in this direction should receive en-
couragement.
sACREDNEss OF THE BALLOT.
This survey of cur condition as nation re-
minds us that material prosperity is but O
mockery if it does not tend to preserve the lib
erty Of the people. A free ballot is the safe
guard of Republican institutions, without which
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