The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1890-06-16
ent constituted .may produce further
coat Of whitewash. Tho people at large

ent constituted slnay prodnce lnrthef
coat Of whltewash. Tho people at large
have not had, nor cannot have,
opportunity to judge fairly OF
the merits OF Civil Service. They
cannot know that It's name Is but
an euphonism for ali kinds OF hypocrisy
and deceit; that 1t simply opens new
avenues OF intrigue 10 politicians OF all
parties; that it Is perhapa the veriess
whited sepulchre existing in the conn.
try to-day.
Tho Congressman and Government
officials who DO not know and do not say
that all thesc' things mud more arc true
OF our present Civil Service system are
SO few as to be hardly worth mention.
ing. But they also know that their con-
stituencieG arc for the law as 1t stands;
that there 10 u great popular prejudice IN
Its favor; and they must follow the dc
ta.es Of their constituencies. There was
larger vote against tho appropriation
for the Civil Service Commission nj the
present session than ever before; but
large rs 1t was there was not man on
the floor but knew that scores OF men
were voting ior the measure who did so
only through fear Of personal conse.
qucnces when the next election should
come round.
These men know equally well that
there 10 a way, entirely practicable, ont
OF the difficulty; but nearly all OF them
are afraid 10 make the first move. The
way out Ia the one which General Clark.
son and several others OF less promi.
| nence have already suggested. They
advocate an examination which will
prove an applicants ttnese for the po.
sition 1t is desired to fill, rather than a
lottery scheme which attempts TO dem.
onstrate that because niaa can spell so
many words correctly, or is q good &c.
ographer, be isneccssarily adapted to fill
n place requiring IN expert mathema-
ticiau. II the lottery could DO conduc.
ted with fairness there would yet be
room for hope; but when ceaseless ef-
forts are being made to induce the draw.
ing OF certain numbers and The avoidance
Of others, and when, furthermore, these
efforts are go frequently crowned with
success. the whole scheme should BIZ
abandoned.
The usual comment OF practical bust
ness men who visit Washington is to thu
effect that the Government affairs arr
not run on a business basis; that thl
force employed is far oo!arge and there
fore the expense unnecessarily great
Yet, II the Government is not allowed Il
practice the rudiments Of business re
quiremenls, how can there be an i'm
provement? There Is not business
man in the land who would not cry GU
If he wero compelled to select his nj,
haphazard, without regard 10 qualitica
ton or expense OF any kind. or
| There is not man who would dream
OF practicing in his private affairs wha
he requires Of the Government. Ant
yet il a public man CARES cxclaim agaius
the manifest inadcquacy OF. the presen
system and to demand q civil service
law which will in reality do what it pro
fesses to do, he is set upon BY mug
wump press which knows less OF til,
practical workings OF the eystcm than j
does OF the moon, but which is suppose,
to influence votes here and there.
II the report Of this special committee
and its subsequent proceedings shal
serve to destroy popular delusion am
; by that means in any degree correc
what is now public disgrace, the com
mittee will not have labored i'll vain.
Meanwhile the net result to date il
that 4 inugwrmp is the tirstto be caugh
in .Gagrante dclicio. The country vii
be benefited ii a much decricd "spoils
man" shall be appointed 10 succee'
him.
Tin Plate Again.
A correspondent writes to tho Ney