The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1889-05-15
ANOTHER MUGwUMP JEREMIAH.
From the Chicago Tnbune.l

William Curtis was its spokesman. IL
was not n hopeful or hilarious occasion.
The meetings of the Civil Service Reform
Association seldom are. They have been
somewhat dull and oppressive from the
start. but this one seems TO have excelled
all its predecessors in whine and iamen-
tation. Mr. Curtis address shared the
prevailing gloom. Ii was n lugubrious
confess on of defeat and a notice TO the
brethren that civil service reform is pro-
crossing crab fashion. In his summing
up Mr.. Curtis said.
IL the President regards himself as trus-
tee OF his party. he is n trustee OF party
which adopted civil service reform as its
policy. and declared that its spirit and pur-
pose should be observed In all Executive
appointments. Yet not in one conspicuous
instance. so far as / know, has the Presl-
dent observed that spirit and purpose. or
ordered them TO be observed. L do not
mean. OF course, that he has appointed no
honest and capable officers. but that he has
not respected theprinciple that such officers
in places which are not political should not
be removed for political reasons; nor do
know single member OF the Cabinet, SIM
gle Senator or Representative In Congress.
or. with few honorable exceptions, like
Theodore Roosevelt, OF New York. a single
recognized local leader OF the dominant
party who has publicly insisted that the
declared policy OF the party on this subject
shall be respected. The administration
Senators and Representatives who fingered
in Washington after the adjournment of
Congress did not remain TO take care that the
party policy OF reform should be enforced.
but as office brokers and peddlers of patron
age. TO secure places for political workers.
TO procure party advantages. and to foster
personal ambitions. They were not en-
gagged in promoting the public service where
politics is impertinent. but in tightening
and strengthenlng by patronage a party
machine. Meanwhile the party clubs.
leagues, and committees all over the Union
have shown by their conduct the confident
expectation That no regard would be paid
by the administration 10 the platform prom
ises and pledges under which in the cam
paign the support OF intelligent citizens
friendly 10 reform was solicited. With few
honorable exceptions the press OF the party
has either demanded the usual political
prescription in the civil service or it has
acquiesced in the practical contempt OF the
declared party policy. or it has truculently
defended the plainest neglect of principle as
real reform. The chief party organ in the
country frankly defended the overthrow of
reform in the New York postofiice by the
assertion that 1T is certain that party or
ganization cannot be maintained by ignor-
ing party leaders" which is the old and
fundamental plea for the spells system.
1t must be confessed that this is a
mournful condition of things and n
pretty how do you-do, but it would be
interesting TO know why Mr.. Curtis has
reserved this sorrowful bleat for four
years and all of sudden sent it forth
with such robust clamor, hoping to catch
the public ear and arouse a feeling of
commiseration. For four years Mr.
Cleveland did his best to demoralize the
civil service system even to the extent of
demoraliZing and almost destroying many
branches of the public service at home
and of impairing the usefulness and repu-
tation of our diplomatic service abroad.
Republicans were tumbled ont of Office
by wholesale upon no other pretexts than
those of n political nature. For these
violations of the letter and spirit of civil
service reform Mr.. Curtis promptly apollo
gized upon the ground that IT was neces-
sary at least 10 have the service half Dem
ocratic, otherwise il could not be expected
TO retain its equilibrium. The Republi-
cans had been in power for quarter of a
century and of course occupied nearly all
the Federal offices. 1t would be impossi-
bic, said Mr. Curtis, for Cleveland to run
his administration when loaded down
with Republicans To make it stable
and enable it to keep its balance at least
80 per cent. of the officeholders should
be Democrats. The decapitation process
began with Mr. Curtis approval.
The Republican half went out with
n rush, without the assignment of cause
other than that they were Republicans.
Mr.. Curtis found no fault with this style
of reform. But the work Of removal
did not stop there. 1t went stea lily on.
Before the close of the second year three
fourths of the Republicans had dis tp-
peared. We heard not word from Mr.
Curtis about the equilibrium, not a word
about political prescription or contempt
for the civil-service regulations. BY the
time Mr.. Cleveland's term had expired
nine-tenths of the Republicans were out.
The remaining tenth were protected in
their places under the Pendleton act.
Still not word of robust rebuke OF
Cleveland and the Democrats from Mr.
Curtis. Nothing was heard except in the
way Of labored apology. Had Cleveland
been reelected land Mr.. Curtis supported
HIM, there would not have been Repub-
lican left in Office one year thereafter.
The few routine clerks protected by the
civil-service regulations would have been
weeded out on various pretexts, the serv-
ice would have been solidly spoils Demo
cratic, and Mr.. Curtis would not have
uttered his recent lament.
During all these four years of Cleve-
landism Mr.. Curtis was deaf and duml
and blind to what was going on around
him. SO far as protest Is concerned, he
was about as vigorous and eloquent as g
clam at high tide. His hatred of Mr.
Blaine was so bitter that it shut his eyes
to all the spoils Democracy was doing
that same spoils Democracy whose hun.
ger and thirst for patron ge aud plumber
he had so mercilessly derided in the Chi
cago convention. His hatred for Mr.
Blaine went even further than this, fol
il carried him clear over into the ranks Of
the anti civil service reform Democracy
He could see no fault in anything done
by Mr.. Cleveland, although the civil ser
vice system was rent from stem to stern
but now, when the interlopers are being
tn own out, when the expert men who
brought tho civil service up to it,
high state Of efficiency are being pu
back into the places that were given t.
! ignorant and incompetent heelers as
reward for partisan work, he sets NJ
this mournful whine, although he knows
that the Republican party has been tn,
protector of civil service REFORM; thai
the Democratic party is and Away,
has been its open and professional an.
tagonist, and that it is and always ha,
been the out-and-out advocate of tn,
spoils system. AS Mr. Curtis has re
covered his voice after four years o.
silence, we shall expect him to use il
now for four years 10 come, and Away,