Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1888-12-12
Senator EngallS Ole Civi, Service sse-
form.

form.
Mr.. Ingalls, said "Of course Presideni
Harrison will obey the civil service laws
he could not honoraby do anything eiae
The republican party is committed IN the
policy and Congress has enacted ii.
"Me2 o. I do not believe in the need VI
wisdom OF these lava at all. am tho
roughly immoral politician, aud Iany .iB WI
confess my turpitude. No DISCUSSES viii
avail me. Ia this respect am known 10
be very bad E,Gu. Nine tenths Of Ill the
clerkships in Washington COULD be aocapta
bly, filed by any intelligent young n,u ol
eighteen after two weeks experience end
I do not understand why the iacualCeut
should have the oil of conaecraIi4n iub1sd
upon his head and be assured tha, hs will
not be ousted by the part5 which he cp
poses. can hold Office for only six years
and then l become an oEice-seekt and &C
back to my State and lag down cny record
and my claims and say, Gentlemen, here
am here s what have done. If you
should acquiesce should like TO 30 back.
And they put me on trial and weigh my
servicee and decide my case On what they
regard as my merits. Why ebou!d 81 200
clerk be exempt from trial. the triai which
the President faceB every four yeers2 Why
should be be creased With some noii me
tanRere ointment and be made all exception
to the general rule of responsibility 10 the
people?
"There are thousands If men ia mg State
whom have nayer seen get & ho make my
cause their own who defend my acts aud
my Words who would Ggbt for me who
would sacrifice rest and spend money for
me; who would get up at midnight and
ride horso forty miles to get to work iu
huence 10 my behalf Well, l sm very
immoral politician want to give those
men come Of the thinga We have won.
When one Of them applies TO me for post
Office al Swnmpoodle or for dooikeeper's
place in the Custom House or cleskehip at
Washington, this high-.oned Law makes me
turn my back on him and cay: oh, for
shame Go away You are mere Office.
seeker, and nan Is wicked and depraved
who seeks Office You go right back home
and don't think Of such an unworthy thing
again, and pull of your coat for me every
time you have chance l 6nd it I'M
possible to get to be so severely moral as
that"
"Do you think, senator, that this new
civil service system will be abolished ?"
Il 90 not Know. 4no pboplo eeeu W
want 1t and they should have their way. If
it persists and eventually succeeds, it will
not be reform, but revolution. 1t will
be to that extent sd overturning Of our
theory of government. It will be founding
an arietocratic class, 1t will abolish emule-
tion and ambition and promote that slug-
gishness and that superciious attitude TO-
wards outsiders that are the bane of our de.
partments to day.
"But while you listen to my opinion 1
warn you to remember that am desper-
ately immoral politician, and that if were
Custom House officer and could have my
way I wouldn't let even 5000 mar who
rolled in barrels hold his place unless he
agreed with me in politics. 1t would seem
much less unreasonable to elect for life the
President and Senators, who are supposed
to acquire valuable special training, than to
fix in their places $4,000 subordinates whose
duties anybody can soon learn to perform.
am not truly good and great politician
you see, like Mr. Curtis. .'-Wash. Cor. Phila.
Pr1eS