Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1886-04-02
The Spells System IN the Senate-Recent Utter
ances of Messrs. Voorhees, and Ingalls-Thelr
FalIac1es Exposed.


Two mem bers OF the upper house of our
Federal legislature have recently made
themselves notorious By public expression
Of their opposition to the reform of the civil
service, and that in terms which the GA
zETTE has not been slow to endorse. Mr..
Voorhees, ,oi Indiana, democrat, and Mr.. In
gals. of Kansas, a republican, took occasion
last week in their speeches in the L. 5.
Senate on the Elmunds resolutions in re
gard to suspensions trou oIlice 10 luz in
some uuequivocal condemnation of the
Presidents reform policy. They are wide
" smart in everything else, they were on
different sides when the vote was taken, but
thew are as one man on the great maxim
To the victor belong the spoils.
Both arc men of ability, and one an ora
tor of extensive reputation, and deservedly
q fayorite in the South 1t is therefore fair
game to inquire into the wisdom and patrio.
tism Of some OF their utterances on leading
issue of the day.
Mr.. VOORHEES, complains that there are
still in the Interior Department 5000 sub
ordinate republican Office holders, "symps-
thizng with the efforts of their own party.
and desiring and aborng for the overthrow
Of the democratic party" and that this is
substantially the case IL other departments
These figures may be correct enough, but
the idea that every republican holding Of
flee unmolested under democratic admin.
istration is necessarily hostile TO such ad
ministration is absurd on its face. Why
should any of them be hostile? Is there
not, on the contrary, every reason TO sup
hat ba,, 1,.iSb well tn ant
of which they are part? They are sery
ing, or at least they ought to consider them
selves serving, their country, doing the work
Of the whole people and paid by their mon
ey. 1t is an utterly false idea, unknown
during the first forty years of tho republic,
that the n.politcal Offices Of the federal
government belong to the party which hap
pens to hold the Presidency, and it is this
false premise which lios at the bottom OF
the whole spois system.
Mr.. Voorhees, INDUCES in tho CID cIaptrap
about The peoples Having ordained in 1881
change in the admin stration Of the GOV.
ernment," and having intended thereby
that there should be a clean sweep, through
I'LL its notifications and Mr.. Ingalls, says
the same This allegation, as have already
at least once demonstrated in your columns,
is unsustained by the facts. President Cleve-
land, when candidate. made no secret Of
his determination IS far as practicable TO
change all this, and the head ard front of
his present offending is that he has stuck 10
his pledges. He has told the truth and
shamed the devil, and the politicians cannot
forgive him for doing so.
Mr. Voorhees, pathetic picture Of the per.
petual conspiracy going on in the depart
menLs among the wicked republican clerks
to bring the democratic party to grief, and
his touching reference TO the pelidiOus 're.
publican confidential short hand writer's
and republican private secretaries" will no
doubt furnish fine material for the enemies
CT the administrator Gil the slump this
summer, but he scarcely expects sensible
mon to swallow them. Their cxuggCratnu
is too absurd.
Recurring now to the Kansas Senator's
speech tho following day, let rs quote from
tho newspaper account
"Mr. ingalls, believed that no republican
could hold public Office under IL democratic
administration without either sacrificing his
convictions or forfciting his scli-respect.
Accordingly when the new administration
was inaugurated, those who held office in
Kansas began with one consent to make
.Acuse for retiring 10 private life. They did
uOl StduN vi llS oliCi VI gum, tHSb
tramlped on zach other in g tumu'u0nS and
indecent haste 10 get out of Office. There
was no craving for mercy" etc, etc.
As 10 the Convictions and sell -eGpect'
of the average KANSAS republican we know
nothing, but fortunately for their common
sense, and unfortunately for their Senator's
reputation for accuracy the following state
men. compiled from the u. 5. Postal Guide
:ni the Congressional Record will demon
stratc how plain tale will sometimes put
down Senatorial rhetoric.
1.-THE number of presidential postcfiices
in Kansas is 50. Between March 1 and De-
cember II, 1885, the appointments 10 such
offices had been 80. OF these were 10 fill
places vacated by expiration Of term Of
Offices to succeed those who had been
suspended AMI ~ omyto .m places rac0icd
By rcsigndi'on."
The points thus noted in the latest deliv.
ORANGES on civil service reform Of represent
alive politicians of each of the great parties
only establish further what has been long
apparent, that the question is one for the
pcop'c, and not the parties of tho coun-
try to determine. The servants of the peo-
pie will in time have to do their bidding,
and when voorhees, and Vance have done
their utmost, the work inausnrated by the
patriotic Pcndeton will stand and prove
but the beginning Of yet better things.
/ cannot better close communication
already too long than By the following quo
tation from private letter recently re-
ceiVed from gentleman Of this State, who,
though not in politics, enjoys, at least in
professional circles, national reputation.
He says
II deem civil service reform TO be the
most important issue which now engages
the attention of the people of this country.
Without the reform Of the civil service so as
to dissipate the idea that the Offices of the
nation are to he spols Of political victory, |
do not believe that free institutions can be
maintained among US for another half cen
fury. / am, therefore, for that reform first
and last and all the time, and deeply de-
plore the temper manifested by some demo-
cratic politicians and journals to war against |
it, 1t sounds to me very like the knel of
the party, as it would assuredly be (if not |
rebuked by the general sentiment of its
members) were it not that no confidence
no, hn IoIt lcroI tIak H.