Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-03-18
Senator voorhees, and Civil service

hGAOEuts
The Washington correspondent OF the
] Cincinnati Enquirer says that senator
voorhees, mas an elaborate speech against
civil service reform prepared which be
will deliver At the 6rst favorable op-
Dortuuity. According to the cerre-
spondent in question, the Senator takes
the ground tAat civil service reform is
admitted TO be humbug by the leaders
OF both political parties. and that the
only thing that prevents them from TAX
ing a decided stand against it is that they
are too cowardly.
II senator Voorhees, is correctly re-
ported, and If what be SAYS about the
leaders OF the two parties is true, the
people have no reason TO be proud Of their
leaders. IL civil service reform is = hum
bug, and the party leaders know that 1t
is, it is difficult 10 see that there is
any great amount OF courage required to
attack it. The people are no more anxious
to support humbug than the party lead
ers are, and if civil service reform is
humbug it is probable that they would be
as likely TO discover it as quickly as the
party leaders. Does Senator voorhees,
mean to be understood that the party
leaders are better able to judge OF the
merits of civil service reform than the
people are! If he does not then he must
admit either that the party leaders
are mistaken, or that both they and the
people know that in UNFOLDING civil SER
vice reform they are UNFOLDING humbug,
and that every body is such a coward that
no one dares to oppose it. Where about
everybody, however, is of the same mind
there ought TO be no occasion for cow
ardice.
Perhaps Senator Voorhees, speaks only
for himself. There is nothing more GER
tam than that if civil service reform were
not supported by popular sentiment it
would never have found a place In
party platforms and among the
acts Of Congress, and that it
would be abandoned very quickly.
1t is nonsense to call that humbug which
both political parties have for years advo-
Gated in their platforms, and for the exist
ence of which in the form OF law both
parties are responsible.
If popular sentiment were not in favor
of this reform the repeal bills offered by
Representatives Seney and Bennett in the
House and Senator Vance in the Senate,
would be passed without delay. Con-
gressmen, whatever may be their own
opinions respecting public questions, act
in harmony with the views OF their con-
stituents, and the fact that they do not
cOuntenance efforts to repeal the civil
service law is conclusive evidence that
the people are satisfied with it.
There are a good may public men who
would like to see an end put TO civil
service reform because it interferes with
their handling Of the patronage, but they
are too shrewd to join an effort to put an
end to it because they know they would
in all probability put an end to their
public careers.
The situation, In briei, is this: Both pO-
litical parties declared in favor Of civil
service reform In their platforms, and
their orators and organs advocated it
during the last campaign and previous
campaigns. The leaders Of neither polit-
ical party expected to keep their promises
to the people with regard to it. They hoped
to make votes by advocating it, and In
tended to ignore it when they got into
power. A man was elected President
who insists on enforcing the laws and
keeping prOmises-heDce the cutlery
against civil service reform by the poll
ticians.
Civil service reform has not been given
a sufficient trial to determine whether or
not it is humbug, and the indications
are that the people are not going to con-
cede that it IS until it has been given such
a trial ".4F