Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1886-06-02
A Poor Plea for a Preacher,

A Baptist preacher in Germantown
named James, whose vocation does nc
prevent him from being illogical, writes {
the Philadelphia Press complaining tha
some letter carriers out his way have bee
removed for reasons which do not approv
themselves to his judgment their integ
rity and faithfulness have never been cues
toned, and two of them at least wer,
soldiers in the late war. 1t is the subject
of the preachers bitter complaint that
honorably discharged soldiers, sober ant
industrious public servants, are to be sum
marily dismissed to make places for raw
hands who are unproven save in the com
plexi0n of their party affiliations
This preacher should take into account
that for twenty-four years one-half the
citizens of this republic, whatever their
integrity, qualification, public service or
private worth, were debarred from em.
ployment in the federal service simply be-
cause they were Democrats. When the
vote OF the people and of the electoral col
lege transferred executive control and the
appointing power from one party to the
other, those who came into the direction
OF public affairs found that Democrats
had been almost universally barred out.
In the Philadelphia postoffice, for in
stance, with some nine hundred employees,
scarcely Democrat was found and it was
shown that upon one occasion when an an.
polntee OF that faith had accidentally
got upon the list his appointment was re.
voked by Postmaster Huidekooper, on
the plainly avowed ground that he was a
Democrat. In the departments at Wash.
ington and the subordinate places over the
country the proportion of one in a hundred
was probably the extreme representation
OF Democrats, although for many years
this party has comprehended a plurality of
all the people of the country.
Even those who made the civil service
law made no restriction upon the executive
power as to removals; George William
Curtis, Carl Schurz, Dorman b. Eaton and
other promoters of the movement left the
heads of department full power to swing
the axe; it was only provided that appoint
ments should be regulated by merit
as developed by the competitive examina-
tons. This was manifestly demanded by
the consideration that those who were en-
Joying these places had got them without
any examination in ninety-nine cases out
OF hundred they were appointed because
they We're Republicans, and Democrats
were excluded from every chance at them
because they were Democrats.
Under this state of things it i'll fits thosa
who are in office and their hackers to lament
aud rail as they do when they are turned
out. Almost when they went in ,hau
were raw hands and unproyen save =,
the complexion Of their party affiliations ),
III they are succeeded by unfit or even los q
tit men, that may be made standard of
fair comparison and subject of Just com.
plant; but their removal in itself is en-.
tirely justi6able and demanded by every
consideration of justice and a properly
regulated civil service. 1t is no fair system
that would let men stay in simply because
thsy are found in place, when it is notoriou.
lat they were not appointed for merit
When The different departments of the
public service shall be even half filed with
Democrats 1t will be time enough to talk
about checking removals. At present the