Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1885-06-26
MIR. HENDRICKS
rendered Reception and Dinner at BOs-
tOR.by the Bay state Club-PrOmi-
Rent Democrats Present.
The Vice-President's Speech In Support
of Civil Service RefOrm-His Early
Experience as
COmmlssiOner-Gener of the Land Office,
and What was Accomplished Under
His Administration.

Boston, June p. AT the Parker
House this afternoon President
Hendricks was rendered a reception and
dinner by the Bay State Club. Plates
were laid for 300, and about that number
gathered to do honor to the war horse
from Indiana Prominent among those
present were Ex-Gov. Castor, Col. lay
lor, Congressman Collins, Hon. Ed:7ard
Avery, Charles p. Thompson, Tx Mayor
Prince and others. At the conclusion OF
the reports, Col Taylor, president of the
club, presented Mr.. Hendricks, who was
received with three cheers. After
thanking the club for the honor conferred
upon him, referring to his reception at
Yale and Harvard, touching upon the
result in Indiana last fall and expressing
the opinion that since the troubles in
Massachusetts, had passed" she would
take her place beside Indiana as Demo
cratic State, he took up the subject of
CIVIL SERVICE REFORM.
He told how he received a letter from
President Pierce appointing him Com
missioner General OF the Land Office; of
his acceptance of the position; of the i'm
pOrtant work IN hand, including surveys
beyond the Missouri river and in Cali
fornia He then said: When l took
charge Of that office with $50 clerks, l
found the business four years behind.
The patents that ought to have gone to
the people living upon the lands were
four years behind date. l said at once:
This will not do. The man who
has purchased the land of the
government has right at an ear
" date to his patent, so that he
may sell it, so that he may obtain his
rights, whatever they may be. l
said at once, there must be reform
in the Office; my ambition was con-
nected with the reform. could not
we'll afford TO take that appointment and
20 out of that Office without having
brought the work up to date, so | did
commence the work Of reform seriously
and very earnestly, and very soon | be-
came acquainted with all the clerks in
the office, and very soon l knew the
clerks that would be able to help me
with the work that had to be carried
through, and very soon those that
limped, or were unwilling or Indifferent,
did step out. Applause.
THE HICKORY BROOM OF JACKSON,
that represented Democratic reform, was
he sentiment and emblem of the reform
that sought to bring about, and, in the
stead of the men who had to 90, there
came in young and earnest fellows that
were willing to do the work. so that by
one general order | required that the
work done at each desk should be twenty
Eve per cent. more than it had been be-
fore. These men came In and took their
share readily and cheerfully and cor
daily, and when | left that office,
nearly four years afterward, it
was only four months behind In the
delivery Of the patent TO the men that
hadFbought the land. Applause. From
four years 1t came down to four months,
and that was as close a. it was practi
cable to bring the work. That, thought,
was reform want to tell you another
thing, gentlemen. When you men that
your money to the taxgatherer want to
understand the particular point at
which
CIVIL SERVICE REFORM
can be brought about, l will tell you. 1t
is not with the President in detail, 1t is
not with the Secretaries in detail, it is
with the bureau officer that has to do dl-
reotly with the work, and with the clerks
who perform the work. Applause. ]
| am not personally very much
acquainted with the bureau officers
employed by the Secretaries at
Washington. l know some of them
I in the Interior Department, | know the
| Commissioner Of the Land Office, know
/ the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, L
know, by reputation, the excellent gen.
| tlemau who is In the Office of Patents.
1 believe they, by their own Judgment
/ and force, will bring about civil service
I tbo,- An
plause. / think | am safe in say
Ing shat 1 know they have already
1 taken steps in that direction,
that the people will not be sold out by
them. [Applause.l That is my own
history about civil service reform. 1t
may be of no account. but it is mine lap
! plause and that administration. when
| ever and wherever it shall be, that will
Gil all the bureaus in Washington City
| CAPABLE MN AT THE HEAD,
and tell them that the work devolyes
upon them and hold them responsible
will bring about certain and prompt re-
! form. I think we are going through all
right. 1t vas a good while that the
! Democrats we're kept out. A quarter o.
| a century. The sentiment OF the country
had been enforced with a cruel proscTlp-
tion-the Democrat shall not share in the
| honors of the public Offices of the country
| lApplsuse.l 1t was a cruel prescription
such as l never advocated toward the op
posite party, for know there are homes
men among them, and | would not to-day
! if could do it. take the charge of thii
entire government away from the opposite
side. They pay their taxes, they con
tribute to the support of the country
they help to fight the battles when hOrriC
war comes upon US, and 1t L
but fair thss they should shar'
in the honors. EUt it is no
fir, and never has been fsif thst the
should clutch them all and say to tn.
young men OF tha Democracy, You arr
not to be trusted; you shall not share IL
them'" Applause. He closed by say
ing that after the next national election
! in which he proposed to have no persona
interest tories Of Head of the tieke
next timel"], he wanted to come bacl
/ and meet the Bay State Club and brinl
good news from Indiana to Massaehu
sets.