Morning journal and courier., 1886-11-17
News by Telegraph
FROM ALL QUARTERS.
CIVIL SERVICE REFORM,
Mr.. Blaine Makes His Posi-
ton Clear.
THE RIGHTS OF Ex-S0LDIERS.
Heavy Losses BY Fire At
Durham.
SECRETARY Vail ON TRIAL.
MOen's Counsel Makes A
Vigorous Plea.
SECRETARY VAIL ON TRIAL.
BLAINE ON THE CIVIL SERVICE.

He Correets Some False Statements p ut
Into His Mouth by the Mugvyumps OF
Massachusetts.
| AUGUSTA, Me-, Nov. 16.-The editor of the
Kennebec Journal some time ago called Mr..
Blaine's attention to circular of the ssinde-
pendent committee" issued during the late
campaign in Massachusetts,, criticising Mr..
Blaine's attitude in regard to civil service re-
form. Mr.. Blaine to-day addressed a letter
to the editor of the journal thanking him
for bringing the matter to his notice and ex-
planning that absence from home for the past
few weeks had prevented an early reply. Mr..
Blaine adds: "The circular embodies a sin
gu1ar perversion of what quoted in speech
on the 10th of October at Huntington, Pa.
How the error or Misrepresentation original
ed it is not for me to say" Mr.. Blaine goes
on to state that his Pennsylvania speeches
were accurately reported by skilled stenog-
rapher for the Philadelphia Press. He en-
closes copy of the speech of October 10
as printed in the Press aud asks
that it be published side by side with the
circular referred to. Referring to an open
letter from Martin Brimmer of Boston, dated
October 26, which the editor had also en-
closed to Mr.. Blaine and in which Mr. Blaine
is accused of repudiating civil service reform
"with a sneer," Mr.. Blaine says that perhaps
Mr. Brimmer has inconsiderately based his
remarks upon the circular in question and
has thus been led to publish statement
which does Mr.. Blaine great injustice. eff
So" adds Mr.. Blaine, "Mr. Brimmer will, as
a gentleman, withdraw his language" MIR.
Blaine continues: It is scarcely necessary
to say that have never repudiated reform In
the civil service nor abated my interest there
in. Nor have I ever regarded the sheer as a
forcible mode of argument. Were tempted
to resort to it I should direct it, not
against the reform of the civil service,
but against the hypocrisy of those who
wish the conditions of that service
to be enforced against their political oppo-
nents, but not against their political friends.
The point which I sought to establish in my
speech at Huntington was entirely confused
and obscured in the independent circular.
In fact said that the English civil service,
which was held up model for our own
government by those who left the Republican
party two years ago, Is now under
Investigation and apparent condemnation
by the English themselves; that the British
ministry have instituted commission to ex-
anime into the alleged abuses and that Mr..
George W. Smalley, apparently agreeing
hitherto with the American admirers of the
English service, now declares the belief in
England to be that the civil service is worse
in all the departments of the government
than it was forty years ago. Mr.. Small
ley gives somewhat detailed
recital of the defects and abuses alleged to
exist in the English service, defects and
abuses which were never attributed to our
own civil service even by its most merciless
censor. My argument implied and was in
tended to imply that the Republican party
had been wise in not adopting the English
system with its life tenure and its large
pension list and all the attendant evils,
which have at last demanded Investigation.
Nor would justice and fair courtesy have
been done to my speech even if my
remarks on civil service torn from their logic
the independent committee. These remarks
were but part of an argument in which I en-
deavored to illustrate how truly American in
its best sense were the whole policy and his
tory of the Republican party and how under
the lead of the sc-cal1ed Independents and
the Democratic party, both in its revenue
system and its civil service rules, was to be
conformed to British policies just at the
very time when the British themselves are
finding fatal weakness in these policies.
In short, though did not say SO in words, I
meant to convey my belief that the very
worst leaders and guides for a continental
republic are those who persist in seeing the
perfection of human government in an insu-
lar monarchy whose conditions are in all re-
spects radically different from those eff our
broad land The Massachusetts, independ-
ents should learn that American inspira ton
ends where imitation of England begins.
Very respectfully,