St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-04-04
THE OLDEST INHABITANT.

1t is usually the oldest inhabitant
who voucheS for the assertion that the
winter has been the SevereSt or the
summer the hottest, or the blizzard the
worst or the rainfall the heaviest within
his memory. Most people share these
delusions with the oldest citizen. Their
memories are short. Their standards
of comparison are defective.
Just now the oldest inhabiiant in
newSpaperdom is cock sure that there
never was such a torrent of otficeseek-
ers as that which is now sUrging on
Washington and breaking into foam on
the steps of the White house. The edit
ors, especially of what CABOT LODGE
terms ''watchful opposition" were
never so confident of anything as they
are that the crowd is unparalleled. In
fact, their comments might be nothing
more than reprints of editorials
from the papers of their antago-
niStS four years ago or from their
own eight years ago. As the admin
istratiOns change and what ALEXANDER
STEPHENS once characterized as the
universal rush for the hog-trough'
begins, the papers of the outs are IN
sparing in their ridicule of the seekers
after place. This, of course, is but the
fulfillment of what the molderS of opin-
ion think is their partisan duty; but the
effect of it is to create an opinion in the
minds of the people that there is some
thing disgraceful in otficeseeking. 1t
is i'll this way that the very papers
which lose no chance to sneer at the
reform of the civil service help that
cause along and give it the backing of a
strong popular sentiment. Educated to
think that there is something weak and
unmanly in trying to get place, the peo-
pie regard with favor all movements
looking to a reduction of the OppOrtuni-
ties for seeking it.
But the sober fact is that the rush now
is no greater than it has been; no more
than in the days when GARFIELD could
find no time between his Inauguration
and his assassination to attend 10 any
thing~but the opportunities of place
hunters; no stronger than when the
craZed horde found their last expression
in GUITEAU's bullet. 1t was of the
swarm when one Republican president
succeeded another that STEPHENS made
his biting remark. When Republicans
sought to have Republicans ouSted that
they might have place there was less
excuse than now, when Democrats are
asking that Republicans give way to
them. Slight as the excuse may be,
utterly insufficient as it is ia most cases,
still it is sOundness itself when placed
side by side with the Republican prece-
dents.
There is no doubt that it was the ex-
perience of President CLEVELAND that
convinced MIN that it would be useless
to call congress in special session until
the work of place-filling had been
largely done, that prevented him from
calling congress to enter on the real
work of the party. The evil increases
with the population, because the num-
Der of places increases with it-though,
fortunately, not in the same proportion.
But the dissimilarity of increase, COM
pressing as it does the efforts of larger
numbers OH the relatively fewer Off
ces, but magnifies the evil. 1t will con-
tinue to grow until some day it will be-
come unbearable, and some efficient
remedy will be found. Then the oldest
inhabitant in newspaperdom will he out
a topic for leader.