The Portland daily press., 1885-07-11
SHAM CIVIL SERVICE REFORM.

The Argus alleges that the PRESS openly
SCOTS at civil service reform. That depends
on what the Argus means by civil service re-
form If it refers to the genuine article it is
mistaken; but if it means, as we have no
doubt lit does, the counterfeit which the
Cleveland administration is trying to palm
off as civil service reform, the Argus is en-
tirely correct. The PRESS does scott at that
kind of civil service reform.
To call it civil service reform is a misno-
mer. One of the cardinal principles of civil
service reform is the retention in office of
men who have honestly and efficiently per-
formed their official duties another is the
appointment of men to office on account of
their fitness. and not as a reward for party
services. In his removals and appointments
to office in this city, President Cleveland has
violated both these principles. Collector
Rollins was an honest and efficient officer.
The Argus will not deny this. Had the civil
service reform principle which Mr.. Cleve-
land professed in his letter to the mug
wumps to respect been lived up to, Mr. Rol-
Inns would be collector today. His removal
was a fragrant violation of the spirit of
civil service reform. Does the Argus pretend
to deny this? The appointment of Capt.
Chase was violation equally fragrant He
was not selected because it was believed that
he would collect the revenue more efficiently
and faithfully than Mr. Rollins had done.
The chances were that man who had had
long experience in the work, as Mr. Rollins
had, would do it better than AN inexperienc-
ed man of equal capacity even, could posi-
bly, do it. The probability was strong there
fore, that the duties of the office would be
discharged less efficiently for time at least,
by Capt. Chase than they had been by Mr.. Rol-
Inns Genuine civil service reform looks to
the improvement of the public service, but
the inevitable tendency of the Cleveland va
riety as manifested in the case of the reve-
nue. collectorship is in the opposite direction.
And what is true of the revenue col
lectorship is true also of the postmas-
terShip. Grant, for the sake of argu-
ment that in time Mr.. Palmer will make as
efficient a postmaster as Mr.. Barker 1t will
require certain period for Mr.. Palmer to ia
miliarize himself with his duties, and during
this time he cannot possibly be as efficient a
postmaster as Mr.. Barker.
But it is said that the Presidents purpose
in removing Mr.. Barker and appointing Mr.,
Palmer is to rid the Office of offensive parti-
sanship. Let it be admitted for the sake of
argument, that Mr.. Barker has been as Of
fensive partisan as the Democrats allege.
and has used the post office to further politi-
cal ends. Has the President made the kind
Of selection that man sincerely anxious
to correct this evil would have made? Mr..
Palmer has beena political manager all his
life. In every political campaign for the
last twenty-five years he has borne con-
spicuous part, and during a large part of that
time he has been member of a Demo-
cratic campaign committee. To put him
into the post Office to rid it of par
tisanship is to the common mind good
deal like putting Roman Catholic bishop in
charge of the public schools to i'd them of
sectarianism. Had the President after re-
moving the alleged offensive partisans''--
Postmaster Barker and Collector Rollins