The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1888-12-01
Civil Service Reform and a Clean
Sweep.

Sweep.
As it very naturally would, an edi
torlal under the above caption which
appeared in last Fridays issue of The
Indianapolis Journal is attracting very
general attention, as being indicative of
the probable policy of General Harri-
sons Administration. The intimate
personal relations existing between the
President elect and Mr.. Halford the
editor of the Journal would have been
sufficient to give force and meaning to
the editorial in question, outside of the
fact of MIR. Halford's appointment as
General Harrison's private Secretary.
alt was,' the article says, "the doc
trine and practice of 'to the victors be-
long the spoils,' which created neces-
sity for Civil Service Reform. The
movement did not come any too soon.
And, if held to its original purpose, it
cannot be too earnestly prosecuted for
the welfare of the country. The fact
that it has been made more or less
odious by hypocritical professions and
PecksDiffian pretenses is not the fault
of the movement itself. The movement
is essentially right. Civil Service Re-
form in its true sense, that's, in the sense
of introducing an element OF stability
into the Civil Service, and conducting
1t on a basis of merit and efficiency
rather than of mere political spolls-
Civil Service Reform in this sense has
come to stay, and will move forward
rather than backward.
"rhe Republican clean sweepers
should not be unreasonable IN their de-
mands on the next Administration. The
Democrats made that mistake four
years ago, and Republicans should pro
fit by their example. The more unrea-
sonable tho demands and expectations
in this regard the greater the liability to
disappointment, and of its proving a
source of party weakness. Those who
make 1t forget that the Republican party
is fully committed by its platform
pledges to Civil Service Reform, and
| that General Harrison has declared
himself in full sympathy with it. They
forget that the clean sweeping business
was one of the main counts in the in
dictment against the Democratic party,
and the consequent decentralization of
the public service enc of the principal
causes of its defeat. If there is any
honesty in politics, the Republican
party is pledged to use discrimination
IN removals from Office as we'll as in
appointments thereto, and to use both
primarily for the public welfare rather
than for supposed party advantage.
Above all, our friends, the clean sweep
ers, forget that General Harrison will
be surrounded by some restrictions in
the matter of removals and appoint
ments which he cannot islegard. The
Civil Service law must be obeyed. 1t
has not been altogether ignored by the
present administration, and it would be
scandalous for Republican Admins
tration not to give it a still fairer con-
struction."
After remarking what Offices are and
are not included under the Civil Ser
vice law, the writer concludes "From
what has been said it is evident there
are many things to be taken into &C.
count in connection with the demand
of the clean sweepers, and if they have
the welfare of the party at heart they
will recognize the necessary limitation
of the situation. One thing they can
rest assured of, the President-electi is as
old and earnest Republican as any
of them, and can be depended on to
do the very best thing for the party, as
well as for the country"