Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1885-06-26
THE CIVIL SERVICE.

When the Administration went into Of
fee it was pledged to civil-service-reform,
and thus far has kept its pledge. There
has been some criticism of appointees by
the Republicans, and some complaint on
the part of Democrats at the slowness
with which removals are made, but on
the whole the people generally, as the
people and not as parties, have been very
we'll satisfied. 1t is hard for defeated man
to acknowledge any merit in an enemy,
especially political enemy, and for this
reason the Republicans have been with
holding their assent to the fact that Pres
ident Cleveland is in earnest in his pro
testations of reform in the civil service.
1t was the one thing more than all others
that the country demanded last year, and
President Cleveland was elevated to his
present position because of the country's
belief in the sincerity of his protestations.
Politics had degenerated into game OF
chance, and the idea was quite preva-
lent that in politics all things were
fair, as in love and war. 1t was
this idea which made people doubt the
sincerity of the civil-service-reform. That
cry had too often been a wolf cry that no
one needed. But a change has come,
and now people heed it and believe it and
seek to aid those who shout it. There
was fine example of reform the other
day when General Krazyzanowski was
reappointed Inspector of Customs for New
York, and some one informed Secretary
Manning that he was Republican and
an active partisan, to which the Secretary
replied that he did not know what
his politics were, neither did he
care to know. He was a good
and efficient officer, and that was
sufficient Another example that has
not been cited to the extent it should be
is the case of a son of Minister Lothrop
who was nominated for position in the
Patent Office, and his father desired that
his name be withdrawn, as his son was
lawyer and had some cases before that
Office and he did not deem him fit per-
son, under the circumstances, to hold any
position therein. The Administration
did very proper thing when it cut down
the vast number OF supernumeraries in
the Departments in Washington
and reduced the expenses. The
country took President Cleveland
to be sincere and such they
are finding him. Vice-President
Hendricks, in his speech at the
dinner given him by the Bay State Club,
told where much of the work of reform
lies, and that is with the heads of the
different bureaus. They are the imme-
diate overseers rather than the Secre-
taries, and upon them devolves the task
of seeing that the work OF their bureaus
is properly and honestly done. In the
work of reforming the civil service there
is much to be done in seeing that the
duties of the various officers are promptly
and properly done. Too much official
time has been devoted to political
work while the affairs of the Govern
ment have been neglected. No
doubt much of the Government
work is as much behind now as when
Vice President Hendricks was made
Commissioner-Genera of the Land Of
fee under President Pierce. There should
be reform in method as much as in the
retention of men. There are plenty of
competent and honest men in office now,
but there are also plenty of incompetent
and dishonest ones in Office as well. The
Administration is amply justified in GO
ing slowly after its experience with Col
orado and Kentucky delegations and
their recommendations. 1t is better to
be slow in making good appointments
than speedy in making bad ones and
speedily Withdrawing them.