The Democrat. (Scotland Neck, Halifax Co., N.C.) 1884-1896, 1886-12-17
The CIVIL SERVICE QUESTION,
WHY THE DEMOCRACY ARE OPPOSED
TO Mr.. CLEVELAND'S PECULIAR
NOTIONS.

NOTIONS.
''It is exceedingly strange says
the President, referring to the civil
service, ''that the scope and nature
of this reform are 80 little undcc>
stood, and that so many things
not included within his plan are
called by its name" Does Mr.,
Cleveland not tee THAT he himself
is larger reponsihls for the misun-
darstsndlng that excites his Won
der: What We're the suspensions
Of Benton and Stone but so many
t.,ings not included within his
pla:, :" what other than Its
name are we to ca Executive Or
lers'' ieyeIle | at ;he very founda-
,lon Of tho Americans brthri4 ht
of free thought, free speech, and
free election, a,,d ca cutatcd, If not
desi. ned. to rsplac. our constitut-
lonal system of political govern
ment. based on party accou ,tabill-
tv with the revolutionary importa-
ton of the political pastry cooks.
and sntitle non-partisan civil
service BASED on BUSINESS princi>
pies, which is only anOthe" form Of
uescrinin,s a perpetual otfice-hoId
ing class, abho:rent to all our ia
,ttutiOnS?
The Civil Servict act relating to
a lew cl>rks was no great matter.
1t is as an entering wedge th it
though fu! people begia to qacs-
tion d. as interpreted by the
PreSld Mt. to tmbra G "a scope and
nature not contemp at,d by those
who 70 ed FIR its passa se that 1t
cea e. to b the simple ref,rm Of
an ahuse, and becomes the lire It
eneu revolut on OF a system.
$re confess that we are at a loss
t. undel stand just what the pre,i-
dent M AIS when he describe the
UNDER wing plIuclple' Of the civil
service theory As the safest Guar
an'ee ii American Institutions"
" hat underlying prirciIe" is here
speclfied-the principle tlla because
Il ,uan be>O.res a.iOvcrument officer
he shall cease to be a citizen: tho
prime pies that would exclude m@n
from O;lice because o. lh~ir active
interest in al ctions; the plinciple
that Wtu,A so divorce Office from
pol ties as will exchange party res
possibility f:r personal responsi-
bility? We know of no such indis-
pensab:e con lition to American in-
s'itutions. On the Contrary, exact
" the reverse. It is the Presidents
assertion Of it. and he danger arls.
ing th~ace to Old and es abl;s:'ed
principles Of Govcrnm mt, which
inspire ;he protest of the rank aud
file of the party, whese only hope
of esc*pe from the consrqu nces Of
this perverslty of judgement LII
their Ch eff Magistrate, after the
hope tnat he will abandon it. les
III the very. poor conso vat On that
the Ee=ub:lcans. if 'hey should
come into power. will make short
work ef it. undo1ng whatever he
ha, done. ana all a. the expense o.
Democ ats.
H.rein lie ali the cri iciSms we
have PASSED uron the Prs dents
utterances d actl n, in this re-
gard and is constituted be whole
OF the case Of the party against
h;sa olicy. it nro|'es a. Organic
difference OF opinion, a..d, to some
extent, a party disappointment.
The latter is. the course. lemedla>
ble; for slowly. bu, surely. the PreSi-
dent is '.tnrn ng the rascals out"
But to the extent that English and
French bureaucratic ideas are ell
grated upou ou~ way Of tran act
in. the public business has a a'ss
aaH IN slead ng philosophy taken
root IN Democratic America, to
hr:. @ forth what fruit tie future
a'oae can tell. -COHrie7JDN'HG5.
q gsass z.s;s'.