Omaha daily bee., 1889-10-02
CIVIL SERVICE.

George William Curtis Address He
fore the National Reform League.
PHILADELPHIA, Oct. The annual meet
ing of the National Civil Service Reform
league, of which George William Curtis is
president began here this afternoon After
the transaction of routine business the dele
gates sat down to an informal banquet ten.
dered them by the local association. George
William Curtis presided. This evening
President Curtis delivered his annual ad-
dress ut association hall. There was II large
audience present. The following is u synop-
sis of the address:
Since ouy last annual meeting the second
party change in the administration OF the
national government has occurred. Seven
months of the new administration have
passed, and as friends of civil service reform
our questions to-day are obvious and simple.
What was the declaration of the successful
party upon the subject of reform! What
were the pledges of its candidates! How
nave those pledges been fulfilled, and what
are the prospects OF reform!
The irrepressible platform pledged tho
party to many things, but to nothing with
such reduplicated and reiterated zeal as 10
reform IN the civil service; and having done
this in the most precise and positive words
it pledged the party with especial tervor TO
keep it's pledges.
To the ardor of the platform the protesta.
tions Of the president, II candidate, fifty
and fully responded He declared that it
would be his sincere purpose, if elected. to
advance reform. He said that fitness ana
not party service should be the essential test
in appointment, that fidelity and efficiency
should be the only sure tenure of office, ami
that only the interest of the public service
should suggest removals from office.
How, then, have che pledges of the sue
cessful party and candidate been fulfilled!
Have fidelity and efficiency proved to be the
sure tenure of offices Has fitness and not
party service been the essential test in de-
termning appointmentss Has the interest
of the public service alone dictated removals
from office3 Has the great pledge Of the
platform that the spirit and purpose of re-
form should be observed in all executive ap.
pointments been honorably futiiledi Or
have such appointments generally been made
precisely as thcy would have been made had
there been no platform Promises, no pledges
of the candidate and no public interest in
civil service reforms!
The knowledge of every citizen in his own
community answers. The daily record or
the newspapers for seven months answers.
The general political prescriptions the policy
which President Harrison when senator
defined as the frank and bold, If brutal
method of turning men and women out
simply for poll icai opinion, ~ the clean
sweep which is proceeding in the Dostoffice;
the alarm which pcrvades every branch Of
the service; the open, fragrant con-
tempt for public opinion, for private
information and for the party promse,
which was shown in the appointment OF the
late commissioner of pensions; the executive
refusal to include the ceusus service in the
les and the removal Of public officers con-
spicuously fitted by character, ability and ex-
pericnce, who have absolutely and confess
edly dlsregarded politics in their devotion TO
official duty and the public service, all these
facts, and such as these, answer the ques.
tion, how has the executive action conformed
to the party promise and the presidents
pledge.
AS with all progress worth fighting for,
the contest is stubborn and resolutc. Delays
and defeats are inevitable, but temporary.
The advance is sure The thunders of the
church did not persuade Galileo that the
earth did not move and the roar of the party
machine and the gross violation of public
pledges by the president, the postmaster
general, by senators and representatives in
congress, by party committees and local
leaders, all Of which we have heard and
seen before, do not convince US that the
reform sentiment of the country is not
stronger every day.