The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-10-23
THE CAMPAIGN IN INDIANA.
Ciyil-Service Reform and the Broken
Promises of Cleveland'S Party.
The SANDER Mill First Set in Operation by
Vilas.-0liyer I. Mortons Speech at Scots
burg-Meetings at Other Points.
Special to the indianapolis Journal.


was crowded, the halls were filled, and more
people were in the yard than could be got into
the house. Addresses were made by Mr.. Oliver
T. Morton and Hon. W. D. Foulke Mr.. Nor
ton was enthusiastically received, and made a
fine speech, being followed by Mr.. Foulke in an
earnest and convincing argument and exhorta
ton.
Mr.. Morton began by discussing the Demo
cratic gerrymander. He then spoke of the con-
dition of the colored people in the South, and
continued as follows:
The doctrine of civil-service reform, as applied
to the subordinate, clerical, purely ministerial
Offices of the government, is based on the follow
ing selfevident propositions: That offices are
created to fulfill certain necessary functions in
volved in the routine OF government. and not
simply to give some man place: that offices
are supported by non partisan taxation; that tax
alton is an evil, and therefore it is essential
that the public service shall be as efficient and
economical possible; that public Office is a
public trust that something less arbitrary than
favoritism shall govern appointment and re-
moval: that men shall be appointed solely on the
ground of merit, and not in liquidation of polit-
ical debt; that an examination shall be held to
ascertain the qualifications of the appointee,
thus ensuring that clerk shall know how TO
write, a book-keeper how to keep books. and a
gauger how to gauge that such examination
shall De competitive and open to all, not being
confined to the members of any one political
party; that class system is opposed to the
spirit of our institutions, and therefore, Offices
should not be the vested property Of ward
workers and political kenchmen. to the total
and absolute exclusion of the great
BODY or the common people; that an
office holder is a citizen of the United
States, and is entitled to all the rights
and privileges attaching to such citizenship;
that neither the President nor any other execu-
f1innm hoOf nir,11k a.
holder, remove him from place. or threaten his
subsistence on account of his politics; that such
a brutal procedure Is un-American; that the
tenure of Office should not be dependent on the
degradation of manhood and the prostitution of
political opinion; that the power of the Presi-
dent and his Cabinet to remove 120, 900 Office
holders at will is dangerous and despotic and
should be restrained by law; that under the
present system these 120, 900 Office holders con-
sttute great standing army of paid servitors,
ever ready to do the bidding of their patrons, to
the perversion of the public will, and are
menace to good governments; that political as
sessments, If paid unwillingly are an eztortion,
and a direct theft from the ofice-holder,
and if paid willingly are generally a
brokerage commission and bride to the
appointing power for continuance in place; that
If salaries are so large that assessments can be
endured without Inconvenience, such salaries
should be cut down to saving of the peoples
money; that promises OF appointment to Office
made, whether definitely or indefinitely, by pol
iticians, work a corruption Of public opinion;
that the bride of 100, 900 Offices offered
to the voters of this country tends to obscure the
real issues Of politics. encourages the sacrifice of
principle to selfish personal gain, and induces a
laxity of political morals; that clean sweep of
the Offices demoralzes the public service. and is
the direct and indirect source Of an enormous
financial loss to the people of this country that
skill in the manipulation of caucus and in the
packing of a primary, is not presumptive evil
dence of capacity for the performance of official
duties; that the Constitution Of the United
States contemplated the election of Congress
patronage monger: that such patronage
is burden to every honest, conscien-
tious and able Congressman, compels the
neglect Of his proper duties creates patty fac
tional disputes and wrangles among his constit-
uents and often defeats the re collection of a
trustworthy servant of honorable record; that
the statesman is thus rapidly becoming an ex-
tinct species, being succeeded by the politician,
and the consequent loss inflicted on the people
through crude and unwise legislation is incalcu-
liable; that the fear of losing the spoils of office
is paralyzing the legislative branch Of govern
ment ESPECIALLY during the session preceding
presidential election), makes towards of political
parties, and Is the enemy Of progress; that the
retention OF the vast patronage of 120 900 offices
is becoming or more concern than the triumph
of principle; that the mania for place hunting ia
Increasing and the number of Office seekers al
ready greatly exceeds the number of Offices; that
the clamor of spoilsmen compels the creation of
sinecures thereby increasing the taxes and final
ly, that all the evils heretofore enumerated are
increasing with the multiplication of Offices, and
WILL ultimately, unless checked by compre-
hensive aud decisive enactment, undermine and
overthrow the institutions of our country.
Such is an imperfect outline of the doctrine of
civl-service reform The doctrine is not new.
Neither is it an importation from England, Dem
ocratic politicians to the contrary notwithsrand-
ing 1t prevailed in this country during the
first forty years of our government. That mere
clerical and ministerial officers have nothing to
do with shaping political policy. and that such
officers should be removed only for cause. were
automatic propositions. and until the time of
Andrew jackson were never called in question.
During the first year of mis- administration he
removed over 1000. appointees because they had
opposed his election. The doctrine that TO the
vctors belong the spois had been vigorously APP
piled in New York by Van Buren, who. in turn,
derived it from the infamous Aaron Burr. The
fruit has been worthy of the tree
we are now repeating the experience of our
remote ancestors. Aaron Burr transplanted the
spoils system from England, where it had long
hourished, and where it was extrpated only
after an obstinate struggle with high handed
corruption and aristocratic privilege. The per-
lection of the workings of parliamentary gov
eminent was the doom of the spoils system.
The two are antagonistic. Ministry is liable
to fall at any moment, If an adverse vote in the
House is sustained in the appeal to the country.
The tenure or the governing Ministry Is uncer-
tain, and if with every change of party control,
which may occur half dozen times a year, all
the subordinate officers in Great Britain, as in
this country, were removed. the civil service
would be in state of anarchy
And may add parenthetically that if our ad
ministrations had changed once every four years
since the war, as the Constitution permits. and
a clean sweep had been made several times the
decentralization in the service would have COM
PEELED the enactment of a comprehensive civil.
service law long before this. Practically we
have had cvl-service reform in many Of It's feat
ures not by statute, but by custom, under the
Republican party for the last fourth of a CEN
fury. Of course some changes were made but
the body of the employees had been in the service
duties and to administer their offices with econ
omy and dispatch.
But despite the warnings of jefferson and
Madison, and tho protests of Benton, Webster
and Calhoun. the spoils system became the