Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1888-05-18

dent Grant in 1870. The report then goes
ON to say that
Notwithstanding all the difficulties within aud
without the party the Republican Presidents have.
in conformity with their pauy's platforms car
rod ON this reform, until on March t.ls1it may br
said Co have touched the high water marx oi pro
gross Collector Arthur made only iii removals
in his official term Of five wears and four months
ns against 1878 removals which were made tn the
five years Immediately preceding The president
uf the National civil service reform league Mr.
Gcorgr Williams Curtsl. at the annual meeting of
the league In Newport, in August, 1891 express
eel great satisfaction with the results attained
down to that time. and declared unprecedented
progress had been made In all directions. The
addr-ss will H. searched tn vain for any charges
NJ rrtrogrtssiuu or waning zeal ON the part Of the
Republican Executive In the cause Of civil service
reform.
Of the decline and fall' of the reform
under the Cleveland rule, the report speaks
with an array Of facts which cannot be
controverted. and which ought to reach
every voter in the country. After quoting
the tributes paid 10y friends of civil service
TO the various Republican presidents for the
assistance given 10y them to the movement,
the report says:
I'm 1885 the time came when the Democratic
marty was no longer compelled To cunine its
aid civil service reform to mere declarations.
The Democratic President found the reform ON
the high road To- national triumph. path had
been broken through the Wids Ut the 'spotls sNs'
tenn and thenceforth all that was required IN
order to make NJ il beaten track, so broad. deep
| aud wide that thenceforth the weeds OF patron
age political assessments, partisanshp aud pecu-
lations could not again spring up was lo rnhtn-
ne straight ahead and enforce the law in accord.
nuc. with ITS letter and spirit Such was the h'
lief In the capacity Of the Democratic party To
carry forward civil service reform that many al
lurel hv the impression. which the Democratic
president encouraged, that he was a born reform
rr, aud raised up for the special purpose Of com
plotting this great work. left the Republican party.
under the pretext of the great opportunity which
would e afforded TO the cause Of civil service re-
form In his election. and gave the country Dem
ocratic administration.
The declarations Of Democratic platforms
and the positive assurances of Mr.. Cleve
land himself are quoted They present
lively contrast to the facts and statistics
that follow, showing how these promises
have been disregarded by the administra
ton. From statistics furnished by the de
partment. the committee finds that the
whole number Of chief officers subject to
executive appointment, and which includes
postmasters, collectors. naval officers, and
surveyors of customs, appraisers, collect
ors Of internal revenue, superintendents OF
| Of minis and assays, assistant sub-treasur-
ers, pension agents, local land officers, In
dian and special agents, as well as many
others. is j6, 1874 OF these Il, 1872 had been
changed ON June II. 1887, and by this
| time the rumber must have reached at least
| 10000 which implies change in 10000
other offices subordinate to them, or 100,
600 in all OF the , 400 presidential post
masters very insignificant number have
been reappointed and nearly all have been
changed.
| .Of the other postmasters. Of which there are
upward Of h2,UoO it appears that 5000 have hetn
| changed within year. and il Is known that of the
remaining l2.Nn the greater part OF them held
| offices which commanded So small salary that
| the place was not deemed worth the trouble of a
! change. OF the ~ collectors OF the Internal rtNt
uur. - have been changed, and ot the III collect
| Nrs Of customs lN new appointments have been
| made OF the assistant heads of bureaus, chief
clerks and heads Of divisions which at the
sion Of President Cleveland were filled by trained
officers nearly all have been removed and mex
| peripnced Democrats put in their places. ThrS'
| figures show the results To June II, lNS'. Unqucs
toned authority received from Washington shows
| that the same policy has been continued down I,
the present time The ground OF offensive part
-auShip. which has been put forward As the Jus
tifyiuE cause of many removals, appears tn hav,
been a mere prrt,'Nt and subtertuge, since, viii
solitary exceptions. tire new mrumhents hav,
proved to he as Jealous Democrats as Those r.
moved Wrr. ardent Republicans Sucn thimhle
!
reform. is utterly AT war with its principles. an,
instead of alatug an ahusc. grants to il a new
lease ut life.
The tumultuou, haste with which tn,
offices were emptied Of one set of tenants
and filled with another set did not proven
the selection of some choice moral prodi
gies, for
The statement is fully warranted 10y tn
tf tlt
named by him, five within a week werc publicl
named rs morally and professionally unit am
three, of the five have since been retired for mis-
conduct. \ list Of objectionable appointment
made during the first half Of the presidential
term showed that ~ have been Of persons win
have beea convicted or indicted for various crime
10 have been concerned in political crimes, tire
drsprters and one expelled from the United state
senate three DISQUALIFIED from office for viola
tiun of oaths three. the tools of persons disrrpu
table that they could not hold Office and six mort
of whom three were appointed To enforce the IL
trrnal revenue laws, wrrr either themselves liquu
sellers or attorneys Of liquor sellers. To thes
are to b+ added 81 notorious political hacks
\ fitting conclusion to the treatmen
which civil service reform has receive
from the Democratic party, the report say,
: is found in the bill introduced by the Den
ocratic senator from North Carolina, MI
Vance, to abolish the civil service act c
lSS3 which constitutes the foundation NJ
on which the whole thing rests. such
, measure would seem, in the light of III
revelations of the last three years Of Den
ocratic administration, to express the tru
feeling of that party toward civil serviC
reform, which has been murdered in til
house by its false friends who to concei
their crime would, by this bill, bury the Law
while necessarily shouting, public office
public trust. - In view of the facts TIN
stated, certain resolutions were recon
mended and were unanimously adopte,
These resolutions affirm the belief Of Il
Union League Club in the principles of ci'
il service reform, and refer with satisfa
ton to the fact that under the last Repu
ican President the merit system becan
fl well established as the only aN enue of ei
.e trance to the public service. The conclu,
. ing resolutions are these
III Resolved, That the cause Of civil service
form has met with serious setback during d
: administration of the present Executive that Il
IN VERY general partisan reconstruction uf the civ
service which has taken place within the last thr
ld years the vast number of removals not in Il
# interest of civil service reform which have bt7
80 made the Substitution of a partisan Of one par
le for partisan OF the other parry the renewal Of Il
d, system of political assessments which has bt,
- tolerated the failure To recognize the preferrn
IL Ia place which the revised statutes confer up
. wounded soldiers. and the open contempt for Il
ia civil service Laws which Ia : h,-1n shown 10y maj
is who have ht-rn charged with the duty Of enfuI
Ing them, have been most disastrous To the eau
Of reform. and this club views with profound
Ne grrt the present condition Of civil service interest
and deplores the prospect for the immediate {
r turr of ting cause.
Ne Resolved That the course Of the President h
~ been radically Inconsistent with the pledges viii
an he gave before his election and in his iuaugut
f address, in respect tu this reform, and the disI
VI stiuu which he has manifested in the cas-.
he stone and Benton, and IN many others gives col
r to the charge OF insincrrity, partisan bias and
ID lack of genuine sympathy with the spirit al
of | aims OF civil service reform.
Resolved That the Republican party at II
81 critical hour for the cause Of civil scryi
IA, reform, should rally in its defence, and in
- available ways should boldly demand and ms
lie upon the enforcement of the laws relating u 1
Gauss of civil service reform equally with all 9th
Laws upon the statue book, and that to this q
i'll ! the approaching state and natl nal conNcntin
should rraftirm the party adherence To tins eau
re- of reform, and its determination to cunsign [
he "splils system To the limbo, To which the par
m turn has sent slavery state rights a
H. 'duuhtS-ahout the grecuhack s-value.'
as
sd cleveland and the RefOrmers.
X As fitting complement to the foregol
re report and action by the Union Leag
of club we copy the following comment