Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1892-08-11

fu,v,I I ~3een prescribed from all Of
fees within reach of the admins
tration this means all but 10000
of the 10000 and these are but
imperfectly protected; remorseless-
ly has every power with which the
people clothed these administra-
tions been used, to prevent the
ascendency Of that party from be-
ing broken. No one doubts now
that Cleveland resolutely endeav-
ored to counteract these evils it
ought to be an instructive warning
TO our voters that Cleveland was
able to accomplish so little who
of the men we have had in public
life for a quarter of a
century could have succeeded
where he failed ? This considera-
tion suggests volumes concerning
the strength well nigh irresistible
of an attack of quarter of a mill
lion mercenaries every four years
upon one man. Surely the one
man ought to feel if he tries TO
hold office seekers in check that
he has the moral support of every
lover of his country ; he usually
finds instead of the sustaining
voice of an admiring people, in
difference. All the organs for Civ
ing expression to the popular
voice, are Indifferent or except a
select and splendid few, in the
control of the mercenaries
But the present condition of the
spoils system is not the most
dangerous possible if it never
could exceed Its present dimen-
sions it would be tolerable what
the restraint has been which has
kept our military and naval estab-
lishments from being the servile
tools of the dominant party's will, f,
it would trouble a shrewd observ-
er to tell it has certainly not
been lost TO the dominant party by
moral scruples what can we find
in the administration Of our civil
service since 1873 to warrant the
hope that our military and naval
establishments can long escape be-
ing yoked to the party chariot =?
What scruple has power ever
shown touching the means of its
own aggrandizement ? Both army
and navy are under the control of
the President more completely
than our civil service and the
corruptions OF civil politics are
mild and innocuous compared
with those Of military politics /;
soldiers are not in position to
cast a free ballot except under fur
Tough which the powers are seldom
able to grant, and again the atmos-
phere of an army does not favor
free discussion, so then we find
liable to the unwelcome
surprises some election morning
Of finding that the army and
navy have been so disposed
and directed as to secure the
ends of the Presidents party and
that by proper manipulation the
personnel of the army and navy has
been changed so that it will gladly,
as our civil service, lends itself to
the furtherance Of the party's in
terests.
When the party in power at any
given time can use all these
branches of the government to per-
petuate its own rule it will be well
nigh invincible, but what may we
expect when telegraph system
becomes an auxiliary of our Gen
eral Post Office? The million en-
ployes of the Western Union sys-
tenn will be at work for the govern
ment there will be no women or
other non-voters then to receive or
carry messages messenger boys
will be chosen not because
they can run but because
they can vote a government hav-
ing at its disposal a vast number
Of positions which require no spec.
ial aptitude or skill which can be
filed by anyone who can vote will
find more surprising venality
among our people than has
yet been brought to light;
we have yet atother pos
sibilty to contemplate stranger
things have happened. Suppose
hat within twenty-five years the
government should control and
operate the railroads; thus we
should have nearly half the voters
Of the United States in the em.
of a political party paid
,ut of the pockets of the people,
lble to hinder the free exercise of
he peoples will; they could nulli-
v the constitution and make our
'epublic like Those of South Ameri-
,a-republics in form but not in
act.
If then, civil service reform
5 a humbug it is time |
ome one was in earnest |
Ibout it endeavoring to make it a |
eality evidently we have /
cached one of those great crisis
n which it is incumbent upon |
men and parties to forego their own
dvantage the man or party
which rises to the height of this
.reat argument and purchases
afety for our government at the
ost, honors or emoluments for
themselves will earn abiding
Ionors; there is no question that
democratic partisan civil service
) as dangerous as any; if the demo-
rats should prove successful in
he coming contest and then
hould tempt their president into
"wild debauch of spoils," " they
'ould commit a political crime of
he first magnitude and would in
eigh against the "conscienceless
reed" of their opponents
nth very little effect. The
lct that the would-be presi-