St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1889-05-23
THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION

In appointing Mr. Theodore Roose-
welt, of New York, and Mr.. Hugh S.
Thompson, of South Carolina, to the
vacant places in the civil service COM
mission, and in retaining the present
member, Mr.. Charles Lyman of Con
necticut, President Harrison has ia
ken a course which will be most
heartily commended by every friend
of reform. 1t is the earnest that so
far as the commission is concerned
there will be no evasions of the law,
and it is the sign of disposition, of
which during the two months of the
administration there has been little
other sign, to redeem the pledges of
the republican platform and OF the
president letter of acceptance. Mr..
Lyman is a man of strong convic-
tions in favor of the reformed sys-
tenn, of great knowledge of the public
service and experience in the admin
istration of the law. When the COM
mission was organized he was the
chief examiner, and he is thoroughly
familiar with the work His reten-
ton upon the board is most deS1ra-
bic as the link of continuance, which
is of peculiar value in such branch
of administration. Mr.. Thompson,
before coming to Washington as as
sistant secretary of the treasury,
was known as a frank friend of re-
form, while MIR. Roosevelt has been
conspicuous among republican re-
formers, and took an important
part in the passage of the New York
reform law.
The president has thus intrusted
the central supervision of the work
of reform, under the law classifying
the service, to unquestionablef friends.
His own part in executing the law
will be discharged by appointing as
heads of the Offices to which the law
applies men of the same faith in it
and of the same resolution to enforce
which distinguish the commission
ers whom he has selected. There are
none of his fellOw-citizens who will
more cordially congratulate him and
the country upon these appointments
than those who have seen with re-
greet the apparent forgetfulness hith
ertO in his administration of all re-
form promises and pledges. They
w
him of the principles to which he is
pledged, and test his conduct by its
conformity to them. But they will
not fail to rejoice and to express
their rejoicing at every act like the
appointment of the civil service COM
missioners. This appointment will
have a collateral result which will be
very beneficial The president is sur
rounded by swarms of politicians
and office-seekers, who engross his
time and attention, and who OBJ
struct his view of the great body of
the people who are neither politicians
nor Office-seekers, and who are the
most COntemptuOuS opponents OF re-
bly, no really earnest and intelligent
friend of reform, and he is practically
isolated from communication with
an immense and intelligent public.
This opinion in the republican par
ty and in the country will be repre-
sented to him by Mr.. Roosevelt, and
probably in a way which will assure
him of its reality and strength, and
that it is a sentiment worth needing.
In the incessant and immense pres
sure upon him for place he will be re-
called to the fact that office-seekers,
however numerous and noisy, are
not the people nor even all his party,
and that there is very large body
of his party friends as well as of in
dependent voters who are waiting to
see whether there was any meaning
or purpose whatever in the republic
can declarations upon the subject of
removals and appointments. BY APP
pointing friends of reform the presi-
dent has provided for himself re-
source which he will probably find
very serviceable, and which will
greatly facilitate his efforts to pro-
mote the reform to which his party
is pledged.-[George William Curtis
in Harper'S Weekly.