Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1886-01-12
CIVIL SERVICE REFORM.
To the editor of the Alexandria Guzcife:

In your editorial columns on the 3lst ult.
occurs this paragraph:
1.-THE New York San says: When there
| ia Democratic administration, let the OF
| fees all 60 to Democrats; and when th,
Republicans get into power, let their turn
come. This is the way 10 distribute the
offices equally There is no doubt thai,
whether right or wronE The Sun thus voice:
| the opinion of nineteeL-tWentleth OF lhs
men whose votes put the new administers
| ton into power"
In other words, you declare that the afro
cious political maxim--"to the victors be-
long the spells" that which an over
whelming majority of those who voted fol
Cleveland meant 10 approve.
There is one unsnswersh!e argument
| against this view, aud until it is explained
away no such position can be maintained
When our present President was nominated
be was by universal admission the most pro-
nounced and prominent enemy cfthe spells
system in the United States. His course as
Governor OF New York, his public speeches
and other utterances, his entire career had
so stamped him, nnd as such he was chosen
the standard bearer Of the parry in the last
campaign. He protested to he civil ger
vice reformer and declared that he would
administer the duties of President On reform
principles. There was no concsalment, re.
servation or eqnIvoCatloD about II. ltthere
fore "rineteen-twentieths Of the men whose
votes put the new administration into
power" are utterly hostile 10 those p-inci
Piles they either stultifod themselves at the
polls, or they believed that Grover Cieve-
land was liar AS am satisfied they did
neither, l believe that the bulk of those who
voted for him still stand by him.
Agsin, in the paragraph which you quote
with approval on the S:h inst. from the
speech last week Of Mr.. Voorhees, in the
Senate, you evidently think you see advo-
cacy Of the spois system. IL may be SO in.
teuded by the distinguished speaker, but
the words do not necessarily convey that
when the people proclaim their desire for
change in the administration Of their gov
ernmcut they expect the head of that adj
ministra,ior, and those whom he calls
around him, to administer this government
through friendly hands by friendly hearts
and friendly minds" This is exactly true,
and no civil service reformer, so far as I am
aware, gainsays it. But the great majority
Ol LuOSG buc
have places with which politics naturally
have naught to do; places of service rather
than OF administration, and places which
the best interests Of the whole people require
should be filled without regard to party,
and the duties Of which may be discharged
just az faithfully by ono Of different political
faith from the executive as by one of the
same faith.
There is indeed no more ridiculous idea
than that the duties of q subordinate clerk
ship, or like post, under government can
not be faithfully discharged by man who
does not vote with the party which happens
to be in power; unless it be that all the
offices belong absolutely to that party, and
not to the whole people, whose work they
do and by whose money they are paid. If
Mr.. Voorhees, really thinks this, it is to be
hoped the day is not distant when be may
be relegated to that retirement which in
the near future awaits all such legislative
fossils. l.. d. 3.