National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1885-06-03

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Democratic Reform Pledges.
The friends Of civil service reform have
boon warned by recent events that their
good cause is in imminent peril. All
hope that the theory on which the reform
rests would bo applied to the civil
service generally was destroyed some
weeks ago. Since that time more than
one direct assault has been made on the
citadel of the reformers-the civil service
law-and the prospect now is that these
aggressive acts will be continued until
nothing is left Of that statute but con-
temned dead letter.
The REPUBLICAN has noted with re.
greet that tho civil service commissioners
have not stood up as manfully as they
should have done in defense of thoir great
trust. They must have known, as all Of
their follow.citizens knew, that tho
accession of a Democratic administration
after twenty-four years of continuous
Republican ascendanoy, would bring on,
at once, a tremendous conflict between the
spoils system and the reform embodied in
the civil service law. Instead Of mount
ing :he parapets to repel assailauts, they
havo manifested an unwillingness to
offend any Of tho powers that bo. They
have shown hestating timidity calcu.
lated to encourage further advances on
the part OF the hungry spoils hunters.
Unless they will take a firm stand, de-
ternlined to defend their trust at all
hazards, they might as we'll close their
Office and go on q pleasure trip to Europe.
In the presidential canvass of 1881 the
Democratic party evaded, so far as 1t pos.
siby could, all other issues, and made
the campaign on the issue of reform.
In the national platform, IN tho letters
of acceptance of Messrs. Cleveland and
Hendricks, in the speeches OF these gem
tlemen, in the thousands OF speeches of
statesmen and politicians, in all tho papers
that supported the Democratic ticket, in
the vast number of documents sent broad
cast over the country. and in every other
possible way, the party solemnly pledged
itself to be faithful to tho good cause Of
civil service reform.
BY this sign it conquered. Without
this shibboleth 1t would most certainly
and signally have failed. But for the de-
fection of few civil service reform Re-
publicans in the state of New York the
narrow plurality that stood between the
Democratic party and disaster could not
have existed.
The victory on which tho party has
gone wild was but the narrowost escape
from its seventh regular quadrenninl dc.
feaS, aud for that escape 1t is indebted to
that abnormal credulity on the part of q
few Republicans which made it possible
for them to put faith in the Demooratjs
pledge to reform the civil servicey.,,, ho
faithful to the civil service lpLw ,s I,
then stood, and to carry iorys,, ID ,ho nood
work of which that law Z,s hut tbs he.
ginning.
rurated %nyi he .%o took RVw President was insu.
,.., SN.caSion to renew for his
parry ',,,,a "nu a,' administration the reform
his bis"SU inO", a" Ynieh he had been elected. Iu
H'o sural address he solemnly
Tro~'i ~, 'sd fidelity to civil service reform
H.ere were to be no removals except for
cause; the government was to be run on
business principles, spoilsmsn were
warned that they need not apply; the
Independent Republicans were made
happy by assurances that they had moi
misplaced their reform votes.
1t was expected that the heads Of de-
partments would 20 out, as q matter o.
course, for the President, even on the
broadost civil service reform theory, wa,
entitled to have his political friends a,
his constitutional advisers. There was
no reform" necessity TO make a SWEEP
of foreign missions, but no special objec
tiOn was made thereto. 1t was a viola
tion of tho business principles" talk
but it caused no unfriendly comment
Then the heads Of bureaus began to fal
men Of long experience, great capacity
and approved fidelity went out aud mex
pcrienced, untried men took their places
This was in further violation Of tn,
business principles" theory and pledge,
SO the work went on, hero and all owe
the United States, helped along but mad
more odious by the hypocritical 'ofien
sive partisan" dodge. No official, how
ever great his deserts, felt that he wa
safe for q day, unless we except the fey
thousands of clerks protected by tn
civil service law. Until the last week o
two those officials felt comparatively SC
cure, relying on the law and the pledge
we have cited.
But their confidence is now shaken
They see that the law has been violated
they know that what has been may be.
VIII the President call halt? viii
he see that the law is oboyed in goo
faith; or will he shut his eyes while tn
spoilsmen aud his Cabinet go on with tn
work on which they seem to have resolved
The future of tho President aud his part
will be most seriously affected by his dc
cision in this crisis.
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