Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-08-05
CIVIL SERYICs REFORM.
GeoIge William Curtis Before the Ma
tiOnal Civil Service Reform, League.


Geo1ge William Curtis Before the Ma
tiOnal Civil Service Reform League.
by Telegraph
NEwPoRT (R. I.l, August 4ib.-George
William Curtis, Chairman of the Commit
tee on the Enforcement and Operation
of the National Civil Service Law,
addressed the National Civil Service Re-
form League here to-day at its annual
meeting Referring to the iteration that
the. reform is broken that the ieform be-
gan twenty years ago, when Jenckes, of
Rhode Island, opened the debate, and
every now and then since then its enemies
have said it was q dead movement-Con-
gress had cuffed il under Grant. under
Hayes and under Arthur-but it lives and
public opinion was never so aroused in its
favor as now, and the wholesome purpose
and sound reason of the reform was never
so clearly perceived as now 1t has largely
killed off political assessments and black
mail and arbitrary removals. 1t has
shaken up the dry bones of Bourbon party
politics. 1t has made men hot TO pro-
nounce against it. and others eioquently
silent in the face of its progress.
He devoted scatlling passage TO
Senator Ingalls, and the spoilsmen.
This year or another may be bad Tor fruit,
but still the, fruit trees are rooted in the
soil, and so it is with this reform. Every
good reform is public conviction before it
becomes law, and opposition shows that
the public mind is under conviction. The
reformers knew the strength of the spoils
tradition, and expected no easy victory.
He defended the League, and challenged
any one to show that it has been untrne to
its high trust. II has been no mans instru-
ment. pandered to no personal ambition
and has been the tool of no political fac
ton. He reviewed the course of the admin
istration and regarding the civil service law
with commendation. The attempt 10 re-
peal the Law had failed. The attempt to
make the compensation Of the Commits
sioners dependent upon a change of rules
by the President, that would abolish conf
petition and facilitate partisan appoint
ments, was an effort Of despair. In amend
ing the service of the Patent Office,
Congress had snatched a few small
places out of the classified service
and thrown them upon The heap of spOils.
If Congress were sincere for the reform
such a trick would be impossible. 1t had
passed no laws to aid the reform in the
year past, and developed no leader as a
civil service reformer He charged the
Bureau of Printing and Engraving as hav-
ing been the refuge of parasites of the
most INSCRIPTIONS partisans. But under
for political reasons, and it had returned
S73, ,000-for the first year-to the treasury,
and estimated a saving of Sl75. 900 on the
appropriations for 1886, while the force of
employees has been reduced by three hun
dred. All the other bureaus of he DEPART
ments OF Government might become what
this is q living testimonial i'll favor Of civil
service reform, if men were put at
The head who are believers in
the reform. The attempt to repeal
the civil service reform law of
Massachusetts had failed, and all the veter-
ans who had fought for the preservation of
the country opposed the attempted repeal.
The third great event of the year was the
introduction by Senator Edmunds of his
bill to improve the civil service. That part
of the bill comforting the power Of removal
upon the Supreme Judges, instead of the
appointing officer, he pronounced as dis
asterous if enacted. He elaborated reasons
for this and antagonistic 10 the 4 four-year
law at much length. He showed that in
1882, of S25 officers whose term expired in
nine months, nearly half had been dropped
from the service. he said:
If S25 offices, nearly one-quar,Cr Of the 8, 100
or $50 subject to Executive nomination. and
filed by members of his own party, had not
been vacated by law within the space OF nine
months, is it probable that the Presidentiwould
have vacated them within that time either by
his own act or by an appeal to Judge2 Is it
conceivable that of those S25 officers nearly one
half were unfit for their official positions? Is it
doubtful that the most desperate and unscrupu-
lous of partisans in every political contest are
officers who know that the chance Of their own
support and that Of their families depends upon
the result of an election. Manly independence
and self-respcct must be necessarily destroyed
and the public service consequently demoral-
lied by the knowledge that honesty ard ability
and experience and industry and efficiency will
be of no avail 10 retain men in their employ
ments if party administration or the iactional
control Of their own party should change at the
end of four years.
In concluding this branch of the ad-
dress he pronounced the Edmunds bill as
a folly unknown in private business, and
bill to legitimate all the evils of clean
sweep :"
If dismissal without reason during brief
term is wrong dismissal without reason at the
sound business principle. Reform, as we under
stand it, seeks TO take the whole non-poitical
public service out OF politics. But the kdmunds
bill thrusts il into politics.
The address closed with a review Of, and
answer TO the plea for rotation i'll Office
in which he said
The legitimate and healthy contest of parties
in a republic is not TO be deprecated. II is the
controversy of principles. the argument of poll
icies. the great contention TO which the political
genius of the EngliSh-speakiag race especially
inclines. But patronage destroys Legitimate
party action, and the reckless party spirit,
against which Washington bequeathed Us his
last aud most solemn warning, constantly strives
to substitute personal and private ends for pub
lie purposes, and u make party contest strus-
gle for the public money i'll the emolumenis of
petty place, instead of great appeal TO Il
country for public policy. Thus the spoils
system instead OF promoting the ju,t objects Of
party degrades and demoralizes parry itself, and
destroys its true function.