Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1889-06-14
The President and the Civil Service.

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The President and the civ;, ssryiee.
Inc opposition papers keep loud
chorus Of attacks upon the c;v;l Service
Reform record Of President Harrison
a little scrutiny Of these attacks will
show that many Of them are based upon
what it is said by unfrieudIy newspapers
the President proposes 10 do but shich
somehow he doesn't do. BY keeping up
a succession Of these, passing from one
10 another, the opposition press succeed
III creating the impression IN the uuds
of some perhaps, that affairs are IN
very bad way indeed. They make no
allowances VIII tovcr for the need Of
larger proportion Of changes at me out
set than later. simply because tie Dem.
ocratic administration brouoh, hte
oiilce great many incompetent md 10
worthy men, who cannot be allogel to
remain there if the service ia 4 be re-
stored to its former efficiency. mis-
takes IN appointments have beef, aje,
which is not impossible, it mus al
mitted that the din which il |up
about them is out Of all prof to
their importance. But it is p, az
that if the Republican newspa bid
made an equal noise about SIND ses
under the late Administration. Re
Of hearing of coed many Amer clt-
liens would lave been permanely de-
stroyed
The opposition newspapers lead'tbeir
readers to believe that there is Jack.
sonan revcl going On in the postofEce
Department. The truth is that il was
announced long time ago that tbe
President would not remove presidential
postmasters until the expiration Of their
terms, unless in very exceptional cases
aud the utmost vigilance of bis critics
has thus far been able to discover only
two cases where this rule bas been
waived. These were in New England
where Mr.. Harrison acted for reasons
which were no doubt satisfactory to him.
1t is true that a considerable number Of
fourth-class postmasters have been re.
moved, but it is, no doubt. equally true
that these removals were necessary. It
does not follow that removals will con.
tinuc at the slme rate after the more
glaring cases Of incompetence and lack
of fidelity have been dealt with Mr..
Cleveland was not judged by what It
was said he might do, but by wba. he
had done, and this is obviously the fair
way to Judge Mr.. Harrison. During
almost the whole Of Mr.. Cleveland's Ad.
ministration the Civil Service Commi,.
sion was a prey to dissensions, aud its
influence was neutralized BY the open
opposition of at least one member to the
principle Of which it was the official
guardian. One of the first acts Of Mr.
Harrison's Administration was oEeor-
ganize the Civil Service Commission in
way which EFFORTS the most emphatic
approval even from his severest critics.
1t is evidently the purpose Of the new
Commission to enforce the Civil SCpiee
law TO the very letter, and in thai MI
pose they have the hearty co-operaion
and support of the President.
1t would not justify Mr.. Harrison to
show that be was making no moe re-
movals than MIR. Cleveland did. We do
not believe that record of the late Ad-
ministration will be repeated under Pres
ident Harrison. But the Presidents
critics ought not to be allowed to blur
the general memory of that record We
hope aud expect to see the Civil Service
in much better condition when Presi-
dent Harrison leaves office than he found
it. We hope and expect to see the
standard of reform carried higher than
it is now, and we note with pleasure the
aggressive sentiment of the Commission
on this subject. But the record of the
Cleveland Administration is a landmark,
and the people should not be permitted
to forget it.