Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1885-02-13
REAL AND VISIONARY REFORM.

Friday Morning.'".February IL, 1850.
REAL AND VISIONARY REFORM.
As the time is almost at hand for Presi-
denteect Cleveland to assume control Of
the government it becomes an interesting
question as to how the vast number of offices
in his gift will be disposed Of among the
many applicants for each place. That there
will be clean sweep made Of the present
incumbents, at once, we have no idea, but
we do believe that the change will be made
gradually, but sure. A very large proper
ton of those now in office have been there
for many years, have been violent partsans,
have spent their salaries and neglected their
duties for the sole benefit of the party that
placed them there, and the sooner their
places are filled by good, honest, efficient
Democrats the better, both for the good Of
the service and the Democratic party.
In this connection we lay before our read
ers an able article on this subject from the
New York World, the leading metropolitan
Democratic journal, and while we wholly
differ with it in regard to some points taken
we think the article worthy of careful Pc
rusal The argument made that a law
should be enacted giving to each Secretary
the sole power of appointments and remov-
ais in his Department is certainly good
one, and will appeal to the common sense Of
every intelligent man. That the present
Yankee school-master plan of providing
suitable clerks is a farce, no one will deny
who has watched its workings. The fol-
lowing are the remarks of the World:
"Civil Service Reform is great and grow.
ing issue. We thoroughly believe in its
irrepressible future. We do not believe thai
the government offices, established for the
performance of public duties, and the ex.
penses of which come out of the public
purse, are the perqusites of any political
party, TO be filled, not on the ground OF
character and capacity, but as reward fol
partisan services only. We believe an hon
est administration ought to manage the pub
lie business as private business is managed
by an intelligent proprietor. But we do nol
believe in absurd competitive examinations
which have no reference to a candidate.
real fitness and practical aptitude for the
position he seeks, and which no sensible
business man has yet applied to his clerks
and employees
Capable and faithful public officers should
be assured of fixity of tenure and promotion
for merit. A banker or merchant would MOI
remove thoroughly competent and trust
worthy employee. The government ough
10 exercise the same justice and common
sense.
But above all it Is also necessary to oman
cipate the President from the EVIL, the ser
viludc and the danger Of patronage. While
he practically holds more than hundred
thousand offices in his gift the Executive
must be the autocratic master of politicians
and office-seekers. Such one man power is
undemocratic. II is un-American. II Is Il
danger 10 its possessor. II worried Harri
son aud Taylor to death and is responsible
for the shedding Of Gariield's blood 1t was
never contemplated by the founders of the
government.
Little as the trainers of the Constitution
fJresaw the vast growth the FEEDER i patron,
age would attain, they provided In the fun
damental law against the evil of undue con
~erntrrtiono Oh patronage They gave the ap
pointing power to the President "by anc
with the advice and consent OF the Senate. ;
But they added: "The Congress may by
law vest the appointment of such inferior
officers rs they think proper in the Presi-
dent alone, in the courts of law or in III.
hsads Of departments"
Here, then, is road out OF the difficulty
straight path through the Constitution tc
real Civil Service Reform. Let Congress by
law cut off from the President all the in
ferior appointments, vestng them in the diff
ferent heads of departments. Liberate the
President Let ii be done while We have
at the head of the government an honest
Democrat who will rejoice at the decentrali
cation of the Federal patronage as step in
the direction of true Democracy.
With the distribution IF patronage con.
templated by the trainers Of the Constitution
and with fxity of tenure during good be
havior, there will bc no need OF competitive
examination, and Civil Service Reform will
be real instead of visionary, u popular fact
instead of an unpopular and undcmocratic
theory.