The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1885-09-11
Honest vs.. Sham Reform.

The Eoening Post is satisfied with
the results of the first six months OF
President Clevelsnds Administration,
because in that space of time, which is
one-eighth of Mr.. Clevelands term,
''only about one-eighth of the Repub-
licans whom he found in place have
been succeeded by Democrats" Our
Mugwump Republican contemporary
shows that among "the chiefs of divis-
ion and heads of bureaus not em.
braced in the classified service" not
one change has beeen made in the
State, War, or Navy Department, and
only fifteen out of seventy in tie
Treasury Department; that Mr.. Bay
ard has made no more changes in con-
sulates than Mr.. Blaine made in the
same space Of time; that the President
has only given 524 appointments as
postmasters out of $500 in his gift,
and that the changes in fourth-class
offices filled by the Postmaster have
numbered $500 in the six months out
of 10000, while the changes under
Arthur averaged 5000 in each six
months of his term.
The Republicans may well be salts
fed with the Interpretation of Civil
Service Reform law which leaves their
partisans in possession of nearly ali
the offices. Mr.. Thomas V. Cooper,
Chairman of the Republican State
Committee of Pennsylvania, has al
ready commenced the customary party
practice of levying assessments on the
Republican ofiice-holders in the several
Federal departments and bureaus, de-
string from each "an early subscription
TO the State Committee and as liberal
as you can afford it" AS the 'stand.
and-deliver" circulars have been ad.
dressed to the Republican employees
and delivered to them in the public
buildings where they are employed, ii
is supposed that those who send them
are liable to prosecution under the
Civil-Service law.
What a spectacle of Civil-Service
Reform" is here presented Republic
cans on the one hand eulogizing the
Democratic President because he keeps
more than seyen-eighths of the Fed
eral offices filled with Republicans and
Republicans on the other hand de-
manding under a Democratic Reform
Administration political assessments
from these retained Republican Office
holders.
We favor honest Civil Service Re
form, one of the features of which il
to protect Federal office-holders from
political sharks of the Thomas V
Cooper breed. We insist that fair
partisan Civil Service means ser
vice in which both political parties
shall be represented, and not one which
keeps nearly 100000 Republican
spoils-grabbing partisans in office, t
the exclusion of Democrats, who are {
majority of the people. We insis1
also that President Cleveland is bound
by his pledges and was elected to turr
out Republicans not embraced in thu
classified service, and to put Democrats
in their place until the offices shall b'
more equally and justly divided be
tween the great parties, to get at thu
bottom of the books and accounts, t.
unearth and uproot dishonest methods
and to cleanse and purify the publ''
service.
When the just and proper share o
the offices is filled by capable, homes
and faithful Democrats, it will be il
accordance with honest civil-Servic
Reform to make no removals excep
for cause. 1t is not in accordanc
with honest Civil Service to keep sev
en- eighths of the offices in the hand
of Republican partisans and to affor
political highwaymen an opportunit
to rob them under the mask of polit
cal assessments World.