Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-02-22
There is Ia very general inseres. felt in

There is q very general interest felt in
knowing whether q system that will permit or
admit OF abuses such as are attributed 10 these
individuals Campbell and Lymanl, having the
administration of the law in their hands, Is
really entitled to the support and confidence Of
The people. - Washington Post
Such comments as these indicate the real
motive Of the prosecutors in the Investigate on
Of the civil service commission. They may
pretend hypocritically to be friends of the merit
system and to desire to improve it by removing
wrongdoers from its administration. but it has
for some time been clear that the charges were
only pretext for an assault upon the merit
system, designed to give the impression that
this system is not entitled to the support and
confidence Of the people" and to work, If pos
sible, repeal of the civil service law in the
interest Of spoils-seeking politicians.
The fact that Campbell had taken valueless
paper from the files and thus committed a
breach Of Official discipline has long been
known and has been defended by nobody. If
Lyman was more Ienient with Campbell than
he would have been with one who was not his
relative, that is fault which nobody has in
terposed to defend. But it has been ste adily
maintained that the acts of these officials have
not been of character to affect in the slightest
nations, or to justify n Withholding of conf
dence and support from the merit system. The
issue has been made between the friends and
enemies OF the merit system the latter distort-
ing admitted facts into a .spoilsman's argument
against the system. the former exposing and
resisting this perversion of facts.
The Post having taken the politicians side of
the controversy against that of the people of
the United States and against that of the clerks
and people of Washington is naturally not in
sympathy with The STARS suggestion in re-
srect to the requirements of local interests,
which are. the Post indicates, The STARS
''old breastworks." Our neighbours expressed
view that the clerks in a department should be
changed as frequently as its head, is, of course.
dramatically opposed to The STARS opinion
that there should be a stable tenure of Office
for efficient clerks. The STAR has maintained
that the principle that merit and not the mere
complexion Of clerks politics shall determine
the character of his tenure Of public Office
tends to give to the government better service
for the money which it pays in salaries. tends
to relieve the lot Of the government employee
of some OF its features of harassng and demor-
alizing uncertainty, and tends to convert a
numerous and intelligent element Of the capt.
tails population from transitory guests into
property-owning, reasonably permanent citi-
zens. It considers that a return to the spoils
system would be severe blow to the
prosperity of Washington as a residence city
and to the local interests in general as we'll as
a damage to the government service and TO
political morals. 1t considers tine spoilsmen
who would twist the offence Of Campbell and
its treatment by Lyman into instruments for
the overthrow of the merit system by securing
Withdrawal of the support and confidence OF the
people" to be the selfish and INSCRIPTIONS enc
mics OF this city, OF the government clerks,
aud Of the welfare Of the public service. The
STAR will venture to pursue its customary pol
icy of defending the breastworks of local in
terests, notwithstanding the disapproval of the
Post. which in this matter finds itself fighting
on the side of the enemy.