Waterbury evening Democrat., 1889-01-12


 There Is little doubt, now that General Harrison is to be our next president that the republican leaders are generally in favor of abolishing the civil service com mission and abrogating the whole Chinese code. They may not all be as honest and outspoken in declaring their opinion as Senator Ingalls, was when he said he ''would'n let even a $500 man who rolled in barrels hold his place un- less he agreed with him in politics. but most of them agree with him just the same. The civil service humbug was all right with these hypocrites, and even with Ingalls, himself, as long as the democracy was in power, because then it prevented the administration from turning the rascals out altogether: but crats in the federal employ. it is alto gether a different thing, and the hungry republicans are smacking their lips in anticipation of the repeal of the whole code and the abolition of the civil service commission.
 Those who think the humbug ought to go-and they include every body except the ins and a few sentimental dreamers-will agree with Senator Ingalls, that civil service reform so-called once fastened irreme- diably on the country will be .'an over turning of our theory of government It will be founding an aristocratic class class that will soon be permanent, and will ultimately be hereditary, the office descending from parent to child. as any other property does. The system abolishes emulation and ambitiOn and promotes that sluggishness and that superciliouS attitude toward outsiders that are the bane of cur departments to- day A good many persons who have had to do with federal officials can heartily endorse the president of the United States senate in his estimate of the priggishness that marks the conduct of many Ot them. They seem to for get that they are the servants of the people, but take it for granted that they are their masters and act accordingly. There is more pomp, insolence and snobbery to the square inch in some of our federal officials than could be drum med up in a days walk among ordinary denizens of the republic.
 It is hardly possible, of course, that Senator Ingalls, will be backed by all the leaders of his party in his undisguised hope of seeing the civil service humbup relegated to the dead past of buried vanities. These leaders prefer to let the laws stand on the books and ignore them. as they will do as soon az they take the reins of government. They apprehend another democratic victory four years hence, and they want the Chinese code kept in order that it may prevent the victorious democracy from then making a clean sweep. Whether these hypo- critics will prevail, or the honester spoils- men like Ingalls, will demand the abol- tion of the system, time will tell. There is little question, however, that Senator Ingalls, is right in his opinion of the question, as he is in declaring that the main body of the people want the hum bug reform to go. This will be made more evident with the official changes that will be thicker than caves in Val lombrosa once Harrison gets into the white house.
 Civil service reform for the next four years will be d-d barren ideality. Let the fraud go forever from off the face of our government.