Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1884-11-27
Democratic civil Service Reform.

DenOcratic OINlI service Reform.
When the Democratic party was seek
ing to secure control of the government,
it was the party of civil service reform.
The conditions are now changed, and no
one who knows anything about practical
politics will imagine for an slant that
they will not act on the old-tme Demo
cratic principle that ito the victors be-
long the spoils." But the anxious,
hopeful and greedy Democrats who
anticipate wholesale cleaning out of
Republicans in all of the government
departments, will be sadly disappointed.
As fast Us vacancies occur they will be
filled by waiting Democrats; but whole
sale removals which many are expecting
will not take place, for the simple rea-
son that it is utterly impracticable. Such
course Of proceedings would in fact
block the wheels of government, work
an irreparable injury to the public. and
1t would be madness on the part of any
party to attempt it. Those who will,
after the 18th of next March, become the
iigure-heads of the various government
departments, will know but little more
about their duties or the duties of their
tens of thousands of subordinates and
their clerks, than would lot of school
boys know about legislation. Nor will
the four years during which the admin
istration will last, be long enough for the
training of new and inexperienced men
to perform the work properly. There
are clerks in those departments, APP
pointed under Democratic admnistra-
tions over half q century ago, and no one
! enquiries or cares what party they be-
long to. The business of the various
government departments is necessarily
very complicated, and it requires men
trained in thorough knowledge of its
workings and all its details. to conduct
it. Should the Democratic party remain
in power eight ycais--a very unlikely
contingency-it will still have TO de-
pend to a great extent upon the present
force in the departments, who by long
experience have acquired knowledge
which new hands cannot acquire with
out years of special training; and to ac-
quire this knowledge, they will have to
commence at the bottom and work up.
1t will hardly be claimed that Demo
Gratis are higher up in the scale of intel
ligence than Republicans, even though
it be conceded that they are all strictly
honest, and that the latter are universal
ly thieves Past experience has shown
that of Republicans selected, presuma-
bly,, on account of their peculiar fitness
for the positions, not one i'll ten has
been able to come up To the require
ments, and after brief trial, have had
to step aside TO make room for those
who could perform their juties proper
~. Four years would no. suffice to re-
place the present force in the Railway
mail service with competent and prop
erly trained force of new men. To sum
may reasonably hope and expect that
rs fast as vacancies occur in govern
ment positions, they will be filled by
Democrats. except in cases of small
country post-oflices which Democrats of
lofty ambitions would Scorn to accept.
The fact that the new Democratic adj
minstration will be compelled TO retain
thousands of Republicans ia their pres
ent positions will give that party an
opportunity, four years from now. TO
Ct pose before the country as party Of
civil service reform. But there will be
many, many aching voids in poor Dem
oerats hearts, who are longing and
yearning for these places, and who four
years from now, like Rachel weeping for
her children, will not be comforted.