Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1886-10-27
Gt)e Ca,1astrr 1ntelli9eutss
LANCASTER. OCTOBER q, 1855.
The Tenure Of Office.

The president has suspended United
States district attorney in Pennsylvania
and one in Missouri, Republican and
Democrat because of their active champion
ship Of the cause Of their party. The bal
ance preserved by the axe between the
parties in this cut emphasizes the position
taken by the president that such champion
ship Is contrary to the policy which be con-
ceives it to be his duty to enforce. He
would impose upon the government servants
abstention from active political service.
In this we conceive that he is wholly
wrong. We do not know anything in the
law of good government which de-
prives the servants of the people
Of the right to form, to hold
and to defend, with all their energy,
and with such of their time as may be
their own, their political opinions. We
conceive that 1t is doing an injustice to the
people to emasculste their servants in any
degree and that they are so emasculated
in being deprived of the right of the
citizen to proclaim and defend his
opinions. The public has claim upon its
servants for Jealous attention to their
duties it requires from them their entire
energy during the hours of their duty. But
when they are off duty and when their
work is done they are as free as any other
citizen and as much in command of their
voice, their energies and their time.
The president does not challenge the
right and the duty of the offceholder to
have and maintain political opinions, he
does not deny him the right of their ex.
preston; but he draws a line somewhere
between the right to talk and the
right to talk much, between the
right to labor for the party and the
right to labor much. This is as we under
stand his position; and in this we consider
it indefensible.
The oficehUldeI must De free. He must
be in a position to command all his self.
respect. He must be nobodys servant
save in the line of the discharge of his
duties, as citizen he must have no master
We want the very best men we have il
the charge of our important offices. Oul
district attorneys must be from the best
They must not be taken from class tina
is willing to be tongue-tied as to politics t
earn their emolument as attorneys. 1t, j!
contrary to public policy to make politica
eunuchs of the guardians of the public wei
fare.
Doubtless the president will say amen u
this, but conceives that the dismissal o
United States attorneys for political
activity is only putting the public servant
under proper bondage to the public
service ; or else, whatever his own views
considers this to be the view of the civil
service reform law, and acts upon the
principle that the quickest way to dispose
Of bad law is to strictly enforce it.
We do not claim to know all that the
civil service law calls for so faI
as it prescribes non-partisan selection fol
non.political offices we conceive it to bt
founded in good reason, since it is moi
fairly disputable that this country has
suffered greatly from the constant head
over heels struggle for minor posts in the
civil service. 1t has come to pass where
1t needs to be corrected, and we are entirely
in accord with the strong efforts of The
president in this direction. But when h,
gets his offices filed with men who do thei
duty, we want them to be free.
In has been the political habit in thi
country not.only to let, but to require, tn,
public servant to act and to talk in behal
of his party, especial care being taken tina
this is the party in power ; lack of devo
tion to it being sure cause of removal. Al
improvement upon this policy might be tc
leave the public servant in his Office Will,
he discharges its duty efficiently and freely
maintains his opinions. 1t is not an im
prOvement upon it to let he tenure of Iii
Office depend upon his silence.