The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1889-06-12

| government really OF tne people ana Tor the
people, they are only the endless repetitions
Of history, and they should not produce dis
couragement, but should rouse the great
| body of citizens, to whatever party they
may belong, to more earnest study of the
causes that lead to such events and more
earnest and persistent efforts to eradicate
them.
The principal causes of these politi-
cal methods Mr.. Edmunds finds, first,
in the intensity of party feeling which
tempts citizens who have no personal
ends to serve to think that they can
excuse themselves to themselves for
resorting, in order to overthrow the
party enemy, to practices which they
would consider dishonorable and Grim
inal as between man and man. Finally,
they come to consider, if they think
about it at all, that principles of moral
ity have no application to politics, and
that, as regards the penal laws of the
country, it is merely question of not
being discovered in the violation of
them-or, if discovered, of finding
prosecuting officers that will ignore or
wink at their offense. Another class
of citizens is not embarrassed with the
possession of any particular principles.
They go into politics for what can be
made out of the campaign if their party
wins, and when success is achieved
they expect to have their reward and
insistently demand it. They are re-
warded not as a recognition of charac-
ter, capacity and patriotic public serv-
ice, not as the best selection to execute
particular public trust, but as the de-
manded payment for the work they
have done. Fortunately for the pres
ent and future of our country" Mr..
Edmunds assures the people, "only
very small proportion of the people re-
gard such state of things with salts
faction" The people undoubtedly
wish their public servants to be selected
for their character and for their capacity
to fulfill the duties imposed upon them
They do not wish to pay their political
worker with public place he is I'M
suited to fill, while they are glad to
recognize the unselfish political activ-
ity of upright and capable men by in
trusting them with public duties they
are capable to perform.
While Mr.. Edmunds does not expect
that the thirst for the power and profits
of rlaco will ayor bo ,,,,ob l;,,;,; Lol
he believes its qualification can be re-
pressed in just the proportion that the
moral sense of the people in regard to
the elective officers, and that of the APP
pointing power in respect of the other
officers, can be reused into firm and
vigorous exercise. The people, he
affirms, taking the country all together,
protect themselves in this respect,
in the election of their own officers, to
greater degree, in proportion, than
those selecting the appointive officers
have thus far been enabled to do. At
this point, bearing directly on familiar
phases of the civil service reform agita-
| ZION, MIR. EdmundS says:
A great part of the time of a president
and his heads of department, that needs to
be given to public matters of general i'm
portance, is absorbed in deciding between
| the conflicting demands of many political
workers for places that all together do not
amount to one-tenth of the number of ap-
plicants, each one of whom is disappointed
that he has not been taken before all his
fellows. And all are displeased in common
l INr al la,,
fectly he may be discharging the duties of
his office, no matter how steadily he may
| have refralned from pernicious activity ="
no matter how high his character, no mat
ter how well the public interest is promoted
by his services not at once dismissed in
order that each one of the claimants may
compete for the prize of the vacancy. We
have had brave declarations OF virtue and
good intentions on this subject from all po-
litical parties for some years, but the per-
Torrance has, so far, fallen shamefully
short OF such professions Indeed, these
promises and declarations have been treated
after elections, with ribald and systematic
contempt Nobody in republic is or should
be in favor of an ofiice-hoding class; but as
the great bulk of the small administrative
employments are those involving no policy
of government, and merely call for the eX-
ercise OF particular and strictly-detned
business work, it is difficult to suggest upon
what ground they should be treated differ
emily from other business employments in
the country in respect of which the ques-
ton of the political opinions of those en-
ployed is almost never heard of. 1t would
be an astonishing spectacle, and one every
body would condemn, If at every change Of
directors in a great railroad or manufacture
ing corporation all the staton-agents, en-
glneers, linemen and operatives should be
dismissed, in order to make places for sue
cessors whose political or other opinions
We're supposed to be like those of the
new board of directors. The business of
the government is of common interest to
every one of its citizens, and to be success
full 1t must be conducted upon the same
principles and by the same general methods
that are found TO be wise and adequate in
private affairs; and in these the man would
be thought demented who should maintain
that the views of the staton-agents or en-
gineers or factory workmen, on the subject
OF protection, or woman suffrage, or any
other of the questions of public considera-
ton, make them any more or less fitted for,
or entitled to, employment
AS illustrating - the ribald and sys-