The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1886-02-28
NOT AN IMPROVEMENT.

NOT AN I'M khOf EmEN1s
The highly moral newspapers are
strongly commencing the bill intro
duced into theSenate by Chace OF Rhode
Island to prevent Congressman from So
Letting appointments to office in the
executive departments of government.
The bill provides for imposing fine of
81 ,OSO, and disqualifying from ever there
after holding any Office of honor, trust
or profit under the United States, any
Senator, Representative or Territorial
Delegate, or any officer or employee OF
either House of Congress, who "shall
directly or indirectly, solicit or recon-
mend, or be concerned in soliciting or
recommending. any one for Office or
place. the appointment to which is
vested in the President of the United
States or in the head of any executive
department, branch or bureau, or will
sign or indorse or present an applica-
ton for the appointment of any person
to such Office or place" The President
may apply in writing to member of
Congress ''for information as to the
business capacity. character, or resi-
dence of any applicant or nominee for
Office" when the Congressman may
give the desired information over his
own signature without making himself
liable to punishment as above.
This is called a good bill, and
was preseted as being in the
interest of civil service reform. 1t is
good enough bill in theory, but in prac-
tice it would be found to work vastly
more evil than benefit. There a-e some
thousands of offices that must be filled
by appointment by the President and
the heads of executive departments;
these Offices are in every village, town
and city in the Union, and they should
be filed, so far as convenient and pos
sible, by local citizens. 1t is out of the
question that the President. the mem
bers of the Cabinet or the heads of
bureaus should know the people of any
other than their own immediate COM
munities, or understand the wishes of
the people in regard to who should oc-
cupy the offices. What does Mr. Cleve-
land know of men outside New York
State2 What does Mr.. Lamar under
stand of the men of California who are
best fitted for performing the duties of
the offices in that State belonging TO
the Interior Department? The officials
who make the appointments must OBJ
tain their information of men and the
needs of the public to be served from
some source, and who is more likely to
know the men and understand the
sentiments of the people, than
the member of Congress The man is
selected for Congress usually because of
his ability to best represent the district,
he is known to the people, and knows
them; he is familiar with the senti-
ments and wishes of his constituents,
and understands who will best serve the
community as public servants. To close
his mouth and compel him to be silent
as to so important matter would be to
deprive him of much of his power Tor
good. If the Congressman did not make
the recommendation the politicians and
party manip1lators would, when the
fitness of the applicant would be the
last thing taken into consideration. His
power as party worker would be the
thing considered in his recommendation
As illustrating what would be the result
of putting this prohibition on Con-
gressmen, it is only necessary to look
over the appointments of President
Cleveland. The men recommended BY
members of Congress are as rule fairly
good. and are giving satisfaction, while
those given office on the recommends
ton OF the politicians come in the main
from the scrub class and are causing
discomfort and complaint; the DIFF
ference between the two classes of men |
is so marked as to excite comment
everywhere. Cleveland has made Con-
gressmen understand that he did not !
desire them to solicit him for Offices,
and the result is that so far the men to |
whom he has given place rarely COM
pare favorably with their predecessors
IN ability or anything else, and they GER
tainly fall below the latter in the matter
of giving satisfaction to the communities
served.
There is need for reform in the vay
Of selecting men for appointments to
Federal offices, but the depriving of
congressman of the privilege of saying
who vii best serve the people and gov
eminent will increase rather than lessen