Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-03-18
The p,esident Complimented.

The President is being cOmplimented IN |
some quarters Tor his frmness in refusing |
10 listen TO the demands of the office |
seekers. The impression is getting abroad |
that when he announced his purpose to
obey in good faith the letter and spirit Of
the civil service law he meant exactly
what he said. During the two weeks
that he has been President he certainly
has not given any one reason to hope that
there would be any general removal Of
Republicans. 1t may be that he doesn't
want to bring on a debate in the Sem
ate with respect to his policy relative to
the Offices, and hence has determined
not TO make many nominations as long as
that body is in session. If the work of
replacing Republicans with Democrats
in the South were begun at once there
would be developed, doubtless, very
strong opposition in the Senate. The Re-
publicans would talk for the benefit Of
their party about the tenure-Of-Ofice act,
and while they might not be instrumental
in preventing the confirmation Of any
nomination, they would do their utmost,
probably, to make itappear that the Pres
ident had violated his pledges with re-
spect to the civil service.
There will not be any removals worth
mentioning in the departments at Wash
ingtOn except for incOmpetency or to re-
duce the force. That point appears to be
pretty well settled. The Secretary Of
state has informed the employees of the
state Department that they would not be
DISCHARGED as long as they attended to
their duties faithfully and intelligently.
The policy of the Secretary of State is
the policy that will be pursued, doubtless,
by the heads of all the other departments.
The Civil Service Commission is going
forward with it's work just as if there
had been no change IN the administra-
ton. The Commissioners say that they
have every reason to think that no per-
sons will be appointed to the minor places
who have not been recommended by the
commission.
If the idea is once clearly understood
that civil service reform has come to stay
the pressure for clerkships and other mi
nor places in the departments will soon
| cease. and the government employees will
be as loyal to one administration as to an
other. Men Of talent, character and edu-
cation will seek employment uhder the
government because they will feel that as
long as they are deserving they will not
ne in danger Of losing their places. The
public business will be attended to by
trained officials, and hence, will be done
better and at much less expense than
where the force is changed with every
administration.
There are no particular reasons, how
ever, why those who hold Presidential
Ofliccs-that is, offices that are Of so much
importance that they are filed by the
President-should be retained when there
is a change in the administration, even
though they may be thoroughly well
fitted for their places. The most of them,
at best, are mere figure heads, and their
removal at any time would not seriously
interfere with the public business.
Notwithstanding the effort that is being
made to secure the reappOintment of
Postmaster Pearson, of New York, there
isn't much reason to doubt that a Demo-
crat viii succeed him, and that Demo-
Ocrats viii succeed Republicans in all
the important Offices as rapidly as the
terms of Republican officials expire.
TIE matter that is of the greatest in
teress Just now, however, is whether Re-
publicans will be removed before their
terms expire. 1t is pretty safe to assume
that they will. and that the work Of max
ing the changes will be begun pretty
soon after the Senate adiourns.