The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1888-12-05
Obey the Law.

The cause of civil service reform has
not yet made such progress but that
there are some republicans who openly
avow their approval of the doctrine
that I" to the victors belong the spoils,"
and who unhesitatingly advocate a
clean sweep of all democrats in office.
1t was this very doctrine and practice
that created necessity for civil service
reform. The movement did not come
any too soon, and, if held to its original
purpose, it can not be too earnestly
prosecuted for the welfare of the
country. The fact that it has been
made more or less odious by hypocrit-
ica professions and Pecksniflian pre-
lenses is not the fault of the movement
itself. The movement is essentially
right. 1t aims to reduce the business
administration of the government to
business principles, to place it on a
stable basis, to remove the minor Of
fees from the field of mere political
spoils, and to make merit and efficiency
ruling principles in appointments and
promotions. 1t is impossible to deny
the justice of movement that aims at
these ends. All good citizens and both
parties alike are interested in their ac-
complishment. They must be accom-
plished if our civil service is to be
saved from becoming the mere prey of
spoilsmen and a perpetual source of
corruption and danger to the govern
ment. No government can be perma-
nently maintained on basis that
openly defies business principles which
are founded in the common sense of
nd twill raf in TO
true sense-that is, in the sense of in
PRODUCING an element of stability into
the civil service and in conducting it
on basis of merit and efficiency,
rather than of mere political spoils-
civil service reform in this sense has
come to stay, and will move forward
rather than backward. The republican
clean-sweepers should not be unreason-
able in their demands on the next adj
ministration. The democrats made
that mistake four years ago, and re-
publicans should profit by their ex-
ample. The more unreasonable the
demands and expectations in this re-
gard the greater the liability to disap-
pointment and of its proving a source
of party weakness. Those who make
it forget that the republican party is
fully committed by its platform pledges
to civil service reform, and that Gen
eral Harrison has declared himself in
full sympathy with it, they forget that
the clean-sweeping business was one OF
the main counts in the indictment
against the democratic party, and the
consequent decentralization of the pub.
lie service one of the principal causes
of its defeat. Whatever sweeping is
done should be done solely with view
to restoring the efficiency of the public
service, and not establishing a prece.
dent that the democracy may use in
future years for overturning and de-
moralizing it again. If there is any
honesty in politics, the republican party
is pledged to use Determinations in re.
movals from office as well as in APP
pointments thereto, and to use both
primarily for the public welfare rather
than for supposed party advantage
Above all, our friends, the clean
sweepers, forget that General Harrison
will be surrounded by some restric
tons in the matter of removals and APP
pointments which he can not disregard
The civil service law must be obeyed
1t has not altogether been ignored ever
by the present administration, and il
would be scandaous for republican
administration not to give it still
fairer construction and better enforce
ment.-IndianapohS Journal (Rep.)