Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-10-02
tn. STAR believes in the meri. svs.em a,

The STAR believes in the merit system. az
distinguished from the spoils system. of
selecting government employees and in a
reasonably certain tenure Of Office for efficient
clerks. irrespective of their political views.
1t believes that the removal Of the routine gov
eminent ofices from the category Of political
spoils 10, to the extent to which it has been
accomplished, blessing to the public service
and to the public servants, and local benefit
to the national capital For this reason it wishes
total failure to all efforts to cripple the civil
service reform principle and to secure the re-
peal or ENCOURAGEMENT Of the existing law.
While it il thus in hearty sympathy with the
purposes Of the civil service reform league, it
withholds its assent from many statements
made before that body last night by Mr.. George
William Curtis. which, in its opinion, are
not only unjust and unfair, but
tend to advance the cause Of the
spoilsmen. These statements picture the
representative republican press of the re-
public and representative republican assem-
blies ~ hostile to the civil service law Ger
tain foolish and irresponsible newspaper utter
ances are quoted, and Mr.. Curtis adds:
Naturally this uniformity Of tone In the
party journals throughout the union is echoed
by party assembles." He finds this echo in the
hasty and excited fumings Of a few disappointed
ofice-seskers. In his newspaper quotations he
overlooks entirely the expressions Of such rep
resentativs papers a. the New York tribune
and the Philadelphia Press and bases his de-
auctions upon the views Of obscure publications.
He considers that the local clubs Of Baltimore
state tbs republican position on this subject,
and disregards the action of the far more
representative gathering Of republican clubs
in Pennsylvania. He discovers q valuable hint
concerning the republican doctrine in the fact
that three state conventions have failed to.say
that they are opposed to the repeal of an exist
ing law, and omits entirely all consideration
of the declarations on the subject Of the con-
vensions OF Massachusetts,, New York and other
states. The representation that the party
in power is from top to bottom composed
Of spoilsmen at heart is the claim Of the spoils-
men themselves. Mr.. Curtis gives aid and COM
fort to them in their efforts to repeal the civil
service law. He places himself squarely upon
their platform. But Mr.. Curtis and the spoils-
men are both wrong. The public does not be-
heve that the republican press, republican
clubs, republican President, and the whole re-
publican party are violators Of pledges,
spoilsmen and corruptionists The re-
liable indications are all to the con-
trary. II Mr.. Curtis and the spoilsmen
were right and it were true that the demo-
cratic party is opposed to civil service reform,
and that the republican party is also opposed
to the reform, striking it through its President
and sustaining him by the approval Of his hos
tile acts, the spoils system would of course be
restored as the first act Of the new Congress.
But no one seriously expects such action.