Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-02-20
The investigation last nigh. before the House
committee on reform in the civil service was a

committee on reform in the civil service was a
complete break down OF the prosecution. II
proved nothing that everybody did not know
before and established no one of all the sundry
charges of wrong-doing in the commission.
The strongest charge in the newspaper con-
troversy has been that Of committing or con-
doning the of 'nses nj bribery and official cor
ruption in the allege sale of questions to be
used in the civil service examinations. At the
time this charge was made the persons accused
replied in the newspapers tina. the questions
referred to were not sold and were not and did
not pretend to be those which were to be asked
IN a future examination, but were those of a
past examination, such printed in the
reports, and such as candidates are freely per-
mitted to examine in order to obtain an idea Of
the probable scope OF the examination to which
they are about to be subjected No facts
have yet been established which overthrow in
any substantial particular this defense. II
nothing further is to be proved upon this point
the accusation against the administrations of
President Harrison and Cleveland and against
the civil service commissions, past and present,
ignominiously fails. The questions in contro-
versy have been treated as those which were to
be used in examinations Of the immediate fu-
ture. and the examinations have been de-
nounced as a fraud and mockery, and serious
charges have been brought against both politi-
cal organizations on this assumption II
the questions were obsolete and such
as the commission itself might have
submitted to the inspection Of
q candidate the imputation of unfairness in
the examinations and Of connivance at official
corruption is overthrow; and the remaining
question, whether or not a clerk has committed
q breach Of discipline in supplying copy with
out consulting the Commissioners, is compare
lively Insignificant and without the general
public interest which justifes Congressional
investigation into the offense. II the investi-
cation of the claim that bribery and corruption
render the civil service examinations a sham
and that the administrations Of Cleveland and
Harrison have been parties to a crimi-
nal deception shall degenerate. seems
likely, into a farce, an examination may
be held Of the counter claim that
the accusation to be investigated is de-
vice of the spoilsmen, based upon deliberate
misrepresentation and suppressions Of fact
to obstruct the reform OF the civil service and
to secure if possible repeal of the civil ser
vice law. In any event if it is discovered that
the prosecution has been making a great ado
about nothing the reaction in favor of the
1lerit system may be expected to result in its
strengthening and improvement For such
result, which will prevent congressional time
and the public money from being absolutely
wasted in q farcical investigation, Washington,
whose interests are intertwined with those of
the merit system, will be profoundly thankful.
The gerrymander question is one that should
be decided, as far as it can be decided at all,
entirely apart from political considerations.
1t is not possible to prevent the party in con-
troll OF a state legislature from so arranging the
congressional districts as to give it some adj
vantage. But there are rough edges in the
gerrymander that may be trimmed off. Thus
tine provision in federal law that the districts
must be composed of counties of a common
mass with center of population, and not
stretched ont in the shape of a shoe-string is
feasible. The law should be SO framed as to
prevent the greatest abuse of the gerrymander
system, the placing of counties in districts
whose interests are distinct and it may be con-
iic.ing, counties widely separated by distance
perhaps cut off from each other by natural
barriers. The law ought forever to prevent
the arrangement OF counties in districts only
one county wide where the population is not so
dense "a to require it on account OF the fact
that there not more than one or two
counties in the district Another exception
would be where the counties were cut off from
other portions of the state by a great natural
boundary, such as a range of mountains or a
great river. In such cases it might happen
that the shoe-strng idea would make a natural
and equitable division.
The Iowa deadlock is ended, with the demo-
Gratis in possession Of the speakership, the as
sistant clerkship and two minor Offices, the re-
publieans Of the other offices, the five princi-
pal committees. and half of the residue This