The Portland daily press., 1885-05-16
The Postmaster Generals Circular

The Postmaster Generals Circular.
Postmaster General Vas's circular speci-
flying the acs which will constitute Re-
publican Office holder an Offensive parti-
san' within the meaning Of that phrase as
used in President Cleveland's civil service
reform letter, was marked confidential and
sent exclusively to Democratic congressman.
Moreover, by the terms OF the circular, the
affirmation by a Democratic congressman
that an officeholder had been guilty of one
of the acts specified Is to be accepted as con-
elusive proof by the Postmaster General
that he is az Offensive partisan and there
fore fit subject for the official axe.
The practical effect of this circular will be
to commA the work of purifying the public
service, as far as the post offices are con-
cernec, 10 Democratic congressman. Now,
the friends Of civil service reform have al
ways commended that the very worst dstrib-
utors Of patronage we're members of con-
gress. They have s,renuously urged that
senators and representatives would, az a
rnle, use the offices to reward the s'work-
ers,' and that in their selections fitness
would be a consideration secondary to zeal
at the caucuses or the polls. This confiden-
tial circular of Mr.. Vilas's can hardly fail,
therefore, TO produce upon those of the civil
service relormers who voted for Mr.. Cleve-
land under the impression that by so doing
they were advancing the cause of civil SER
vice reform, a very depressing effect. They
haa,
isolated appointments since the fourth of
March, which fell below the standard which
they bad set for the President, but they
have consoled themselves somewhat by at
tributing these bad appointments to the per-
niclous influence of designing congressman
vino had deceived the President. The Ad-
minlstration, they said, was striving to live
up to the spirit of civil service reform. It's
mistakes were of the head and not
of the heart. But the mistake of the
Postmaster General is evidently of the heart.
The attempt he made to keep his circular
secret by marking it confidential shows plain.
ly enough that he considered it little s'off
color" Had his purpose been simply to define
the meaning of Offensive partisan, "he would
not have marked it confidential and sought
to restrict it's circulation to Democratic con-
gressmen. But on the assumption, which
we have no doubt is the fact, that this cir
cular was issued to appease the wrath of
Democratic congressman who had grown
angry al the slowness of the administration
IL cleaning out the Offices, the pains taken
to keep it secret are easily explained. The
Postmaster General knew well enough that
the programme disclosed in the circular
would displease the Mugwumps who were
supporting the administration because they
believed that 1t was to be guided by the prin-
ciples OF civil service reform. If 1t could be
kept secret, the Democrats could be ap-
peased and the danger Of afffouting the
Mugwnmps avoided. Anxious as The Mug
vumps are 10 judge lenlen'ly all the acts of
the administration, we do not believe they
will be able TO swallow many more such
la osts from, The spirit Of civil service reform
as this circular. Sooner or later tile admir-.
istration must either Itself throw off ths
hypocrtical mask it is now wearing or suffer
1t to be torn off. 1t cannot serve the Demo-
Gratis and Mngwumps--the spoilsmen and
the civil service reformers-at the same time.