St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-11-22
The Civil Service Law Discussed.

Ine S1ViI serV1ce Law discussed.
Especial Telegram to the Globe.l
WASHINGTON, Nov. 21.-The existence OF
the civil service law is expected to embarrass
the administration Of President Cleveland
beyond calculation. Already an army Of Re-
publican office-holders shield themselves
under its cloak and make the open boast that
their tenure of Office is secure. All Of the
agents of the Republican party who
labored with Senator Pendletou
to inhict the unjust and unequal
statute upon the country, proclaim, from
their retreats, thai President Cleveland
will be bound to accept its terms and con
form his administration not only to the
spirit but the very letter Of the law. If
these sir oracles speak as those having au-
thority and the president-elect governs him
self to please them, his administration from
the very beginning will be a stormy one.
For twenty-five years the Republican party
has had possession of all the Offices in the
land. great and small. The aggregate
thereof in round numbers reaches in excess
of 100000. The long terms of the trusts
held by one party, subject to hardly any
scrutiny, have
HoNEY-CoMBED THE PUBLIC SERVICE
with not only incompetent and imbecile
public servants, but it is filed with dishonest
ones as well. Without balancing of ac-
counts, no one can anticipate the extent of
the peculations and embezzlements which
have covered it may be quarter of a CEN
tury. The shortcomings of the official class
already discovered have been more by acci-
dent than any intent of official heads to un-
cover the infamy of their own political
allies IF, then, the change of political power
is not to be compensated by a change
in Office or the trust holding class, how can
the national Democracy expect stewardship
worthy of the partyl 1t is not to be expected
that the Republicans retained in Office will
be eager or anxious to accomplish reforms
at the expense of the exposure of the wrong
doings of those of their own faith. On tie
contrary it would be their aim to handicap
honest or fearless investigations,
TO SCREEN AND HIDE.
rather than to open to Gods daylight the
record of party which has been intrenched
for twenty-five years in every citadel of place
and power. In all of the statements made
on behalf of the president elect by effeminate
sticklers for civil service reform, the assur-
ance is given that, while there may be
changes in the heads of the respective Wash.
ington bureaus, the clerks will be allowed tC
remain. If these apologists for reform anG
the president elect 10 not know il, they ough
TO know that the source of the evil is witt
the subordinates rather than with the heads
of bureaus. The great treasury department
of the United States is to-day, and has fo
years been, run by Gordon of clerks knowI
as the
"TREAsURY RING"
This ring has had the control of every sec
retary Of the treasury since Salmon P. Chas
left the department. They have controet
the patronage, and with the single exception
of Secretary Sherman have likewise dictate,
its financial policy. 1t is this charmed cir
Gle which now seeks to envelo,
itself in Senator Pendletou's outrageous laI
and breathe defiance to scores of worthy an
honest Democrats ready to displace them
The home department, or that better know
as the interior department, is managed ais
by "ring'' which, while not having in il
circle as large a contingent as that of th
small but forceful gang has the India
agents, through whose collusion fabulou
contracts for Indian supplies hav
been awarded, manipulate the value {
the public lands, the proceeds of their sal,
the timber upon them, and one can onl
partially realize the blubber the whale wi
yield, and yet the members OF this ring fol
their hands complacently and say:
''GoD BLESS PENDLEToN
and his civil service law. 1t will keep unit
us until death the enjoyment of these goo
things" Again, take the navy department
This is to be found also in control of a rim
of heads of bureaus and clerks. Til
state department is in the hand
of less than five clerks, and so O
through the list. If, then, the civil servic
reformers, headed by Geo. H. Pendleton an
seconded by Dorman B. Eaton, Geo. Wn
Curtis and Carl Schurz. demand of the pres
ident strict compliance with the terms
the arstocratic law, the result will be
build up in this country an arrogant, insolel
and in some cases dishonest class of publ
servants. for whose public acts ther
win be no accountability, becsuse,
retained in place, the men comprisin
these respective rings can and will dictat
the policy of the department wherein the
are intreuched. When Gov. Clevelau
reaches Washington to be inaugurated he wi
find awaiting him thousands OF loyal and
PATRIOTIC DEMOCRATS
who win seek recognition at his hand. The
men will not only be com petent, but W
likewise be anxious to unite with the ne