Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1889-01-22
AND THE MAIL SER
VICE.

| WINFIELD, Kan, Jan. 20.
To the Editor of the Eagle,
Mr. Cleveland must have understood
the result of the late election to be the
signal to unmask, for ever since that
time he has been displaying traits of
character that must be shocking to those
very good people who imagined him to
be political Moses, who was destined to
lead the poor deluded people out of the
wilderness of political corruption and
ignorance into the glorious light of civil
service and tariff reform. He has mas
queraded for long time as one of those
utterly utter good souls, uncontami-
mated by the vulgar infirmities with
which ordinary mortals are supposed to
be afflicted more or less. The verdict of
the people in the recent election seems
to have brought the gentleman down to
the bedrock of stern reality, and
led him to adopt the commonest
kind of a method to get even.
His late order extending civil service to
the mail service may seem like very
appropriate and judicious step, and per-
fectly harmless in its effects; but it is
more far-reaching than appears on the
surface. If the order is allowed to stand
it will not only put the finishing touches
on the butchery of the mail service
which Mr.. Cleveland has made, but it
will also leave the service practically in
the hands of the Democrats for years to
come. As we understand civil service. a
person is required to enter any branch of
the public service through the lowest
class in the classified service, and then
proceed by promotion through each sue
cessive class to any higher position to
which he may aspire. As is well known.
nearly all the old employees in the
service have either been removed outright
or crowded out into subordinate
positions where they have been cut off
from the possibility of promotions; so
that the chief places of importance are
filled by Democrats. If civil service
regulations are to govern, then those men
are directly in line of promotion. This
would be rank injustice to the old clerks
who have been removed and crowded
out to give place to Democrats who never
had to earn their promotion. To allow
this order to stand would be to indirectly
sanction the wholesale removals of
efficient clerks by this administration,
and put premium on the gross in
efficiency that is so apparent to every
one under the present management.
1t would protect men in the higher
positions in the service 10 which
they are not entitled either
by practical experience or merit.
1t was petty piece of spite
work on the part of Mr.. Cleveland that
is a thorough expose of his hypocritical
pretenses at civil service reform.
Time has settled beyond controversy
that there never was any real demand
for reform in the mail service, but even
if there had been, in order to have estab-
Hshed his claim to sincerity Mr.. Cleve-
land should have issued this order in the
beginning and then worked out the re-
forms by correcting the evil and preserv-
ing the good. If he had issued this Or
der concerning the mail service at the
beginning of his administration and then
had it vigorously enforced, he might
have saved the best mail service the
world ever saw from almost total
wreck. But now he throws off
all disguise in the vain hope that he may
do some injury if he can do no good. If
the order is allowed to stand it will serve
a two-fold purpose for the Democrats by
the heads of a lot of inef-
ficient "chumps" in case the order is not
revoked, or placing the Republican party
in the light of opposing civil service re-
form in case it is. 1t is an attempt to
gain partisan advantage at the ex-
pense Of the public service.
But we shall miss our estimate of Gen.
Harrison if he does not show Mr.. Cleve-
land that he has the courage to take the
risk of appearing to oppose civil service
reform in order to resuscitate the almost
defunct mail service. To restore the
service to the state of efficiency acquired
under Republican direction it will be
necessary to undo what Mr.. Cleveland
has done and begin at the beginning.
1t is doubtful if under the most favor
able circumstances civil service can be
applied to the mail service.
How much more difficult, then, must it
be under the state of affairs that will
confront the new administration. The
people have said by their votes that they
are tired of the kind of reform .practiced |
by Mr.. Cleveland, and in order to obey
the behests of the people it will be nee
essary to turn the rascals out"
r. P. C.
Winfield. Kan. Jan. 10th. 1889.