The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1885-10-01
washington Letter.

WASHINGTON, Sept. 20, 'S5.-The
most interesting events of the week
have been the resignation of civil ser
vice commissioner Eaton, and the re-
ply of the president accepting the res
ignation. One of the most Interesting
coming events will be the appointment
OF new set of commissioners. Who
will they be, what will they do? 1t is
certain that the new democratic admin
istration has been much hindered and
embarrassed by the civil service law as
interpreted by republican civil service
commission. If clean sweep could
have preceded the enforcement of the
law, it would have been salutary. But
the attempt to graft the law upon an
unspeakably bad civil service, that rot
ten heritage OF the republican party,
has resulted in the negation of much
for which patriots have striVen through
all the dark aud corrupt era OF the as
tendency OF the party OF spoils. No
one with the least acquaintance with
the history of politics since the war can
deny that the republican party has
been the party ofspOils. And it has APP
propriated the spoils in such an open
and atrocious way, from the insignifi-
cant places OF scrub-women and towel
washers up to the highest judicial
places, that its professions of iriendli-
ness to proposed reforms in the distri-
button of Officeksmell so strong of hy-
pocracy as to make one sick.
When Mr.. Cleveland was placed in
the presidents chair it was supposed
that he would turn out many of the
corrupt men who never were appointed
on civil service rules, or any other SER
vice except such as they rendered in the
bad cause of fixing elections, buying
votes, stuffing ballOt-bOxes, and steal
ing the presidency as in 1876. But, the
president has been embarrassed by the
knowledge that packed republican iu-
nv in the senate will sit in Judgment
upon all his appointments. 1t is posi-
BILE but not probable that the senate
will be democratic before the lapse OF
the presidential term. Unless this shall
come about, there can be no hope OF
complete and thorough civil service re-
form during the present administration.
Reform is impossible while the offices
are filled with the corrupt and corrupt
ing men who have been placed in office
by long line of republican presidents,
cabinet officers, senators and members.
Change and publication is a crying
demand in all the departments. The
oft used metaphor of the Augean Sta
bles is not exaggerated when applied to
them. Democrats, we'll selected and
good men, have been given the promi-
nent offices. In other words ,inew COM
manders have been placed over an
alien army, host of servile mutineers,
whose study, day and night, is to assas-
sinate the cause under the banner of
which they are marching, The new
Il -, !
the land of political honesty and econ
omy once held by their fathers, and
they have given the command "about
march" in healthy tones. The colonies
repeat the command with less conf
dence, for they are nearer the army,
while the captains and lieutenants imi-
tate it with wink well understood by
the treacherous host.
There will never be serious reform
in the departments until at least one
half of the light fingered expert subor-
dinates are put out, and at least one
half OF the army of civil service en-
ploys is composed of men in hearty ac-
cord with the sentiment and principles
which placed democratic president in
the white house. There is to-day in
the interior department nearly every
one of the officials iwho are RESPONSE
BILE for the ring rule which has SO long
dominated this department. Some of
them are kept to-day in the face of the
fact that their presence has been the
cause of scandal in the past, and must
be the cause OF scandal in the future.
There seems to be timid spirit run
nIng all through the business of the in
terror department.; conservative dread
OF hurting the feelings of the old ring
officials. The same spirit which dicta-
ted the recent lodging around the cor
ner appointments in the patent office is
in many of the bureaus of this depart
ment. There is no doubt that the service
would be greatly improved if as clean a
sweep of the chiefs of bureas were made
in the treasury department.