Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1888-05-09
CIVIL SERVICE.

President CIeveland's Practice Entirely
Consistent with His Preaching ON This
Subject.
That the President has made a note
worthy advance over all his predecessors
since Jackson's time in the matter of Civil
Service reform is fully conceded by the
mugwumps. That he has not gone the full
length Of their desire or hopes may be con-
ceded by the Presidents friends in turn.
They expected that he would not only fully
and fairly enforce the Civil-Service law,
which they admit he has done, but that he
would also apply the spirit of that law to all
other offices. This, too, he has done to
greater extent than was ever done before,
but not universally nor even generally. He
has made but few removals, and this fully
accords with the spirit of a reformed civil
service, but when commissions have ex-
pired he has almost invariably appointed
Democrats to fill the vacancies, and this is
now the main point of criticism against him
by the Civil-Service reformers. The point
is neither well nor fairly taken.
1t will probably be admitted, says the
Chicago Lerald, that nine-tenths of all the
vast army of ofice-holders, not under the
workings ofthe Civil Service law, who were
in office when Cleveland came in, were ap-
pointed solely from political reasons. They
were all Republicans, and workers."
"henchmen," strikers or party servants
of some degree, and had more or less to do
with the ''machine." They were fully i'm
bued with ''the spoils system" idea, believed
in 1t, and worked accordingly. They be-
heved in their party and in its success. The
most Of them were suffered to remain in
Office until their commissions expired.
When that happened neither they nor any
other Republican were applicants for the
vacancy, either because they were elbowed
too strongly by Democratic competitors, or
because they feared the contempt of their
party associates. The President conse-
quently had but little choice SO far as the
political faith of the applicants was con-
oerned. They were all Democrats. The re-
suit Is that very large proportion of the
Government offices are now filled by those
Of the same party faith as the President.
Democrats do not look upon this as an un-
mixed evil, and, upon the whole, consider
that a very great reform has been effected
in the public service. The mugwump in
some quarters regard it differently, and are
inclined to charge upon the President some
violation OF his promises, at the same time
admitting that he has done splendidly in
standing immovable as rock in face of the
greatest political pressure brought to bear
on any President since Lincoln's time For
this they should commend and support him
They should also see that the President
must be further strengthened by Congress
sional action.
The most potent move in behalf of per-
manent reform would be the repeal of the
four years term of office act of 1870, and all
subsequent laws of the same tenor. That
was the real beginning of [" the spoils sys-
tem," and was so Intended. Before that
time, and from the beginning of the Gov
ernment, all officers, such as district attor-
neys, collectors, naval officers and many
others, were appointed by the President
without limit as to their term of Office. In
1870 William II. Crawford was prospective
candidate for the Presidency to succeed
Monroe in 1924. He was Secretary of the
Treasury. His most active supporter was
Martin Van Buren,. The Secretary of the
Treasury had immense patronage, but could
make no removals.
At Van Buren's sugge stion Crawford
prepared tho bill which created a term of
four years for these inferior offices, and also
provided that the officers should be remov-
able at pleasure. 1t was introduced into
the Senate and speedily became law. The
officers thus subjected TO the new law be-
came ardent Crawfordites. 1t iu fact
built up the Crawford party and gave him
the strength he had in the contest of 1924
Later the same Little Magician" Van
Buren, introduced the spoils system to
Jackson's notice, and then began the "Iliad
Of woes" to all civil service servants. In
that law lies the root of the whole matter.
The mugwumps may criticise and may
complain, but they will look in vain for a
public man in the Republican party, or any
possible candidate hitherto named for the
Presidency, who viii stand as firm or do
nearly so well in carrying out tho present
law in letter and spirit as President Cleve-
land.