The Washington critic., 1886-07-24
WASHINGTON, JULY "a, 1885.
OFFICE AND OFFICES TRUE AND
FALSE REFORM.

FALSE REFORM.
1t appears from statement prepared
by Comptroller Chaplin of New York
that the payroll of the State, includ-
ing all who receive money from the
Treasury for services rendered, or
supposed to be rendered, from
the Governor, Judges and other high
officials, down through the members Of
the Legislature, officers of schools
prisons. public works and charitable
institutions, to the lowest grade Of em-
ployes, contains the names of over
6,000 persons, who absorb in salaries
and other forms of compensation, about
$1,000 600 Of the annual revenues Of
the State.
This Is a somewhat formidable show
ing in itself, but when it is further
taken into consideration that the total
appropriation for the Support Of the
State Government last year was only
$6,577, 151, and that almost four-1f
of this amount was paid out in salaries,
truly startling idea is conveyed of
the costliness and complexity of the
machinery required to run q common.
wealth of the size and population Of
New York.
1t may or may not be an extravagant
outlay. We must recollect that,
whether it is or not, the chances are
that 1t is many per cent. less than 1t
would be were New York duchy or
q principality with an aristocratic
court and a host of titled nobility and
another host of liveried retainers to
support. But even under a popular
government, where Che citizen who
growls at his tax bill to-day may him.
self be drawing a stipend from the pub
lie treasury tomorrow, there is great
danger of O redundancy of offices and
an undue strain upon the revenues to
subsist them, and especial danger Of
creating an Office holding class, which
shall in time become, IL not civil list
to be pensioned, at least fixture which
once engrafted upon our institu-
tions will be exceedingly difficult to
displace. Herein may be found field
for civil service reform of the genuine
sort,
We have cited New York merely be-
cause the figures were ut hand. Simi
lar conditions exist in all the States
and in the General Government; ant
saying nothing as to whether the ad
ministration Of public affairs might no
be conducted with equal efficiency upor
somewhat more economical basis, tlk
question naturally arisesas we gaze upor
the grand army Of Office holding gentry
thousands and hundreds of thousand
strong, whether il were not the soundel
policy to stand by the old doctrine o.
periodical rotation and thus discourage
a growing tendency towards perpetua
tion in Office, than to educate any grel
number of the young men of the coun
try to the expectation of indefinite ten
ures of salary.getling.
1t is the inherent fault of our presen
Civil Service Reform system that il
undertaking to disassociate all ap
pointive offices from partisan politics
with a view to eradicaling the ALLEGED
corruption of patronage, 1t threaten
the establishment of a class which i
altogether alien to our free institutions
Offices there must be, but with th
exception perhaps of those of judlcio
character and those requiring specio
expert training, they should be o
limited tenure, The principle o
wholesome rotation permeates our en-
tire elective system. We recognize
at the polls year after year all over tn
country, in the selection of agents t
execute our trusts; and as rule
works admirably well, Nobody CON
plains that popular eleettt65ns-eve
with all the partisan pSiitics pertainin
thereto-shaitt14ad aitt4d 1b5e BE done away with.
Why then should civil.service re
form step in and say that the sam
principle shall not apply to apNointiv
offices? What is to be gained by draw
ing line here that directly interfere
with the free and full results of a
electoral choice by the people? 1t is
false and dangerous doctrine.
True ciyil-service reform is tn,
which seeks rather to economi2e in III
multiplication of Offices and reduce in
provident expenditures for their mali
tenance. AS to partisan politics, q
which the country has thriyed fro
the very beginning, as no counti
was ever known to thrive, It mn
safely be left to run its shifting an
self,purifying courses, unrestricted
hrncnfnrih ns hnrninfnrp.