The Republican journal., 1888-01-12
Letter from Portland.

oUK toRRESPONDENT SPEAKS HIS MIND
FREELY CONCERNING CIVIL SERVICE RE-
FORM.
PORTLAND. ME-. Jan, 1888. l want to say
something about this new tangled idea, cor
cevcd by some mugwuinp or other. which
has been fosted upon the Republican party
through the appliances of cheek, intrigue and
false pretence. The NEST potent factor en-
ployed to incorporate this un- n-American idea
into our system has been the srarls of sore
headed men at otficc-holders. with cry of
"Spoiis SYSTEM from political ''h, brds." who,
devoid of influence themselves, hate every
earnest man who loves his party and is honest
enough to say that he desires Office.
The true intent of our form of government
is that majority vote is the voice of the peo-
pie. Political parties strive to convince the
voters that their principles are what our couE-
try requires for its material and moral ad-
vancement The people decide, or attempt to,
at the ba'ot-boX. Ii the election is honestly
conducted the minority should acquiesce and
put the entire responsibility upon the majority
and rigidly hold them to an account of steward.
ship. The safety of our Republic depends up
on the intelligence and zeal Of its voters.
The more earnest they are upon political ques
tons, the better II will be for our nation. This
view of ours, carried to its ultimate, gives to
the majority the entire control of the offices
within the gift of the Administration. This is
what the impracticabie "third sex" call the
"spoiIs system.' The ..hybrids' have for
years cried out against men who have been
selected by Republican Presidents for official
station. This was hypocritcal wall, actuated
by malice born Of envy because they could not
select said officers, they being so small a min
orty that it was only by accident that one of
their faction obtained office until Hayes be-
came President, when they rotcd in posses
sion of the very spoils they bad so loudly con-
demne,.
The idea of the ''hybriti'' class is, that an
Office holder, upon becoming such, must at
once absent himself from the caucus and only
vote by stealth; in short, he must hold no
opinion upon the subject of the selection of
candidates for Office, neither should he care
which party controls the government. He is
to lie silent, ami give no offence to any. OF all
the >crNile, sncaking. debasing, unmanly per-
formances on earth this nonentity one is the
foremost 1t is the beau ideal of mugwumr-
cry. II Wearies az: earnest man to read the
Wordy dcc!amations of q. William Curtis, a
walking talking machine, whose head Is cram
they are n-incere. As to his imitators, they
assume to possess all the knowledge and virtue
there is about politics, and set apart, cor
rupt, all men in our broad land who believe
that party fealty should be rewarded in order
to enhance good government. They advocate
mixed office holding. independent voting. the
doing away with the caucus, and consequently
the breaking up of parties. thereby producing
ab,enteeism at the polls, and creating a lit
erlly class like this man Curtis, who have no
politics, but vote for the best man. they,
tie select few being the only judges. This is
the aim of the So-caled reform" element,
that claim to have elected Grover Cleveland.
and are to-day chanting his praises and with
'Tamnlany Hall are solid for his reelection.
TO my mind the Republican party ought to
,i,t for. the rpppal of this ,iprnjriou.
which requires literary examination to enable
Il man to hold certain inferior offices, and re-
srcts the a-e OF the applicant, if he has not
seen service in the army, to forty-tive years,
and under
The late lalneuted Governor Rolwcll is con-
cedetl by ali to have been a man cf great busi-
ness capacity aid sound Judgment. If he had
applied for office under this infamous system
h. would have failed 10 become an Inspector
Of C!,,tonls. anl been declared unfit to count
railroad scepeiS or bushels of salt or tubs of
coal.
his leads NE to say word about the pres
cnt Administration. 1t started out as civil
serI ice incubator. which would hatch out
whole broods OF po>tulantS. who would 90
through the formula laid out by three receiv-
ers. known the Civil Service Commission at
a>hlng:on: said po>tulants assuming the
role Of patient walters, who, with toes cold
and >ton!achs empty. were to wait until some
incumbent died before they could be warmed
and fed. This plan gave way to the offensive
parti>au>hip dodge. and from one end of the
land to the other evidence was hunted up TO
prove that some office holder had spoken
word in favor of the party that had honored
him. the culprit the while neither seeing nor
hearing the charges against him. but is ruth
i2S>ly thrust cut on eNpartc testimony taken
and used iii star chamber style. Atterward
all shame departed, and now men are removed
i'll defiance of the very law which Cleveland
sorilied before and after his election In
,iSlni hn nj thar,l al 10
officers TO the number OF six, five of whom
We're eN-Soldiers. One was Il Democrat who
had fought bravely for his country; but this
caused his orthodoxy to be suspected and pro-
was one OF the commission at this port who
examined the Literary felicrs." In few
months the force will be filled up again with |
lovers of Cleveland. Such are the lodges of
which this accursed system is the father |
Clevelan! has been compelled to act lie all
through, in order to placate the mugwump
element, until recently. Now he makes no
pretenJe to civil service reform save in certain |
Localities where mugWumpery aboundS. like |
Boston and New York. Even at these points |
every Republican will be removed. Now | do |
not object to the removal of Republicans by |
the National Administration. as party men. |
bit 10 object to such Il gross violation of law |
OH the part of President who claimed to be Il |
champion OF the very law he has been and Is |
nufNing every day.
The civil service law should he repeated be-
cause it is ant.gon>tical t. 4 government of |
tile people and by the people.
Because every citizen should be eligible to |
Ill! alIy place hat the people designate. A citi-
zen selected by the ruling party Iii a Republic |
like ouis is the choice of the people.
Because il has q tendency to obliterate party |
ties, which. i'll free country, are a source of
strength to it.
wears of age holding office, which is in direct
conflict with the genius of our nations in>pira- |
ton which declared all men equal and endow-
ed with rights alike.
Because it is an honor to a man to seek Off |
ci.tl position within the gift of his party. and. |
political sentiments with voice, pen and ballot, |
never absenting himself from the primary |
meetings Of his party, but do all in his power |
to select Honest men and active partisans for |
places of trust. as such will make faithful pub
lie servants.
Because this civil service system causes men
to become sneaks. doublcdealers, liars. fawn- |
crs and timmcrs who blossom into mug
wumpS, a class of political disse mblers who
are rs corrupt as they are hypocritical.
Because no party can exist un Ter this sys
TEN, which causes it to turn its back upon its |
friends and attempt TO placate its foes.
In addition to the foregoing reasons. l de-
test this law for the friends it has maze, viz.
broken down politicians who are >oured be-
cause the people are tired of them; dudish
ari>tocrat> like Curtis, who dote on this Eng
lsh system. because they are opposed to men
who toll holding Office; they want privileged
class to fill the places under the government
rich mems sons and their few relatives, who
having been ground out at some institution of
learning and being barely able to parrot the
formula laid down by the august tribunal at
Washington, are to be foi>ted upon the public
and hold office for life. Every hater of Re-
publican simplicity and lover of England is
civil service rcformer. 1t is true that some
good men with American ideas favor this sys-
tenn. or pretend to do so, but they are few;
its sincere friends are not in sympathy with
the masses. who are opposed to it. In closing,
| will say if the Republican party wins in 1883,
porters. open or secret, removed. not upon
false pretence, but for the sole and only rea-
son-on account of their political views.
OCCASIONAL.