Sacramento daily record-union., 1888-10-12
THE CIVIL SERVICE REPORT.

By Senator Hale the special committee
the United States Senate to examine into
the present condition of the civil service has
reported, and the report is anything out
comforting to Mr. Cleveland and his sup
porlers. The committee makes no
bones of the matter; it does net trifie
with words, and calls things BY unmistak-
able and ungloved names. Notwithstand-
ing the fact that Mr.. Cleveland went into
Office voluntarily pledged TO reform the
civil service, and that he took pains to so
express himself in letters, and that he was
bound as solemnly as any man can be to
enforce the existing civil service laws, the
committee charges that partisan changes
have been made by the wholesale in Fed
eral offices without The good of the service
demanding them. That in Philadelphia,
Baltimore, Indianapolis and New York
and other places these changes have been
followed by scandals in the public service
and inefficiency; that Federal officers, de-
spite the letter Of the President OF July il
1886, have openly taken part in political
Q inventions and primary elections, using
their official positions to influence them.
Thus it is cited that the Federal machine
has been used to break down Mr. Randall
in his district; that State Conventions have
been dominated by Federal officials. and
the Craftsmanship of the State Committee
in Pennsy iyani1 secuted Dy Offices De-
slowed by the Administration upon MIN
who would forswesr their allegiance to Mr..
Randall. For none of these and similar
acts has any Federal official been discip-
lined, and though the offense has been re-
peated time and again, they not have been
even rebuked.
The report also charges that tolls and as
sessments have been levied without con-
cealment, in open violation of the civil
service regulations and principles, and the
gross abuse has not been checked or re-
buked. The committee cites the report OF
the Civil Service Reform Association of Iu-
diana, the case of Aquills Jones, Postmas-
ter of Indianapolis, and other facts, in sup
port of its position. The report really gives
us no new information, but it puts what
everyone knew-the shameless breaking OF
his pledges by the President and the open
violation of the law-into official indict-
ment and brings the whole subject to Con-
gressional notice.
The reform of the civil service was en-
tered upon some twelve or fifteen years
ago to correct gross abuses, to eliminate
from the civil service the mere greed for
Office and to secure to the Government
efficient service. 1t was inaugurated in
order to bring into the clerical system, es-
p,cially, the same business principles that
govern in well and economically admin
istered private business house. 1t was
urged to extirpate the spoils system and to
free governmental employees from the
tyranny and extortion of bossism. 1t was
given to the country in order that Gov
ernment employees below the grade of elec-
tive offices and heads of departments
should owe allegiance to the people only,
and not to political task-masters and auto
Gratis, and that their wage-earnings might
no longer be taxed for political purposes
against their viii. II was not put in mo-
ton in the interest of any political party
nor was it the creature of men of one po-
litical organization, but engaged the un-
selfish labors and best energies OF men Of
all parties, and the author of the bill that
projected the reform into Law was Demo
crat.
To the preservation and advancement Of
this reform Grover Cleveland pledged him
self voluntarily and with solemnity in his
letters of acceptance of the nomination in
1884 in his letter to George William Cur
It's; in his inaugural address; in his first
annual message; in his letter to the Civil
Service Commission condemning the spoils
system, and in repeated oral and written
expressions.
After feeble-forcible showing Of inten
ton to keep these pledges, the President re-
lsxed his newborn energy, departed from
his word, and under the pressure of the
spokesman has deserted the civil service re-
form to which he was bound and ha:
thus deserved the scathing indictment upor
which the Senate committee arraigns him