The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1886-10-07
DEMOCRATIC STATESMEN.
What Has Been Held by h Light OF til
Democracy Regarding ~Civil-Service h

form.
The opposition of the New York Sun
to Civil-Service reform leads it into
f~orgetfulness of certain pledges made
by the Democratic party in reference
to principles. 1t designates Presi-
dent Cleveland's adherence to this re-
form as an attempted reversal of the
Democratic system of politics. and
%pertinently asks: Where does he
find the authority for under
taking it?' The answer to this is
very simple. In the Democratic plat
form OF which he was elected. "But."
argues our luminous contemporary,
turning to the National Democratic
platform, we find the sum of the DEM
ocratic declaration regarding the re-
form of the civil service to be for an
honest C%ivil-Service reform If the
Democracy had intended, upon assum-
ing the control of the Government, as
in 1884 they hoped to do, to make the
civil service no%n-partisan, as Mr.. Cleve-
land had proposed, ana to establish a
| permanent tenure of office, the inevita-
BILE result of such a system, it can not
be supposed that they would have
failed to record their intention" The
Democracy. in that platform, offered
to the venerable statesman, whose
memory is dear to his party, and also
to the New York San, ''the pledge of
| our devotion to the principles and
| cause now inseparable in the history
| of this Republic from the labors and
| the name of Samuel j. Tilden." Eight
| years before, that illustrious states
man was nominated and elected
IN a Democratic platform which said:
Experience proves that efficient, eco
nomical conduct of the Governmental
business is not possible if its civil serv-
ice be subject to change at every cleo
ton, be a prize foughtfo for at the ballot
box, be a brief reward of party zeal,
instead of posts of honor assigned for
proved competency, and held for tidel-
ity in the public employ; that the dis
pensing of patronage should neither be
a tax upon the time of all our public
men, MOI the instrument of their am
bition."
This, the Sun will acknowledge, is
explicit enough and sound Democratic
doctrine. On this Mr.. Tilden was
elected, and on this the Democracy.
in 1884, renewed to him the pledge
of their devotion to the principles
and the cause they fought for in 1876.
On the 26th of June, 1882, Senator Pen
dleton, whom the San must acknowl-
edge to be very excellent Democratic
authority, closed one of his most brill
liant speeches in favor of Civil-Scrvice
reform with the words: To-day, the
Democratic party is putting itself at
the head OF that return: C~ivil-Service
reform is writ on its escutcheon and
emblazoned on its banner. BY its
strength. and, in order to perfect it.
the Democratic party will, sooner Or
later, come into power. When that
time does come, when we take posses
sion of this Government, when we shall
put in the high places of power our
worthiest and best, the President of
the United States, the Chief of the State,
under the people, the source and fount-
ain OF honor and power in the country,
will be able to say to all as Van Arteveld
said, in response to Vanclaire, who w as
thanking him for his promotions:
"'Supremacy of merit. the sole means
And broad highway to power.
= meritoriously administered,
While all it's Instruments, from first to last.
chosen for their aptness to those
Which virtue meditates.'"
If this is not sufficient to convince
the Sun that Civil-Service reform is a
Democratic institution to which the
party is pledged, perhaps our esteemed
contemporary will hearken to the
words of our grandest statesman. In
Mr.. Tilden's letter accepting the nom-
ination, in 1876, written in this city,
on the 31st of July of that year, he
says: "The convention justly affirms
that reform is necessary in the civil
service, necessary to its u%nification,
necessary to its economy and efficiency,
necessary in order that the ordinary
employment of public business may
not be a prize fought for at the ballot
box, a brief reward of party zeal
instead of posts of honor assigned
for proved competency and held fol-
fidelity in the public employ. Two
evils infest the official service of the
Federal Government. One is the
prevalent and demoralizing notion
that the public service exists not fol
the business and benefit of the whole
people, but for the interest of the Office
holders, who are, in truth, but tn,
servants of the people. The other evi
Is the organization of the official elias,
, into a body of political mercenaries
governing the caucuses and debating
the nominations of their own party
Further on, Mr.. Tilden recommend
''the patient, careful organization of
better civil service system under tn
tests, wherever practicable, of prove'
competency and fidelity" Is it fair
then, for the Sun to characterize Mr.
Cleveland's C~ivil-Service reform polio,
as belonging rather to the Republican
platform than to the DemocraticP TIL
. Suns hatred of the President shoul
not lead it to the extreme of fa~lsifyin,
, the records of the Democratic party
, Albany Arqus.