Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-11-23

according to tenor OF purpose.
The hole must be small indeed through
which the esteemed Post could not manage
to squeeze when retreat is compulsory. but
the Indications are that Tire aperture Is
uncomfortably contracted just now and
that even a professional wriggler Is so
situated that neither advance or retreat Is
possible. This is therefore a fitting time to
make additional reply to the Posts Ques-
ton. propounded In Its issue of yesterday:
the question which asked.
Where Is the commercial organization
elsewhere, the chamber of commerce or
the merchants exchange or other body of
similar character, that ever went out Of its
way to pass resolutions laudatory of civil
service reform or to urge its extension
upon the public authorities?
The Star last evening stated specifically
that such a commercial organization ex-
listed. and had existed for one hundred and
twenty-six years, in the city of New York;
The Star quoted testimony to prove that
the New York Chamber of Commerce had
not only taken such action but had appro-
priated large sums of money from it's treas
ury to aid in crushing the Tammany spoils
system and replacing 1t by civil reform
service. Our wrigglng neighbor endeavors
to evade the Indictment by misquotation.
1t says:
1T is true that Mr. Charles Stewart
Smith. ex-president of the chamber, said
that we must get the civil service rules
extended and modified IL necessary, but
he did not say that Ii was necessary nor
did nybody else have anything to say
upon this subject"
Let us see what Mr. Smith did say. His
statement was:
I'VE must apply the present civil service
rules to all subordinates employed by the
city, and get them extended and modified,
II necessary"
The difference between the utterance and
the Posts misquotation Is so marked as
to need no comment. But there were many
other quotations, of much more real i'm
portance than the one that the Post en-
deavored to pervert. That the Post is
given to forgetfulness was made plain
when II on one recent day avowed itself
"a devout believer in the genuine virtues
of civil service reform" and on the day
following sneeriDgly referred to 1.-THE beau
ties of emasculated government, otherwise
known as civil service REFORM" but It
can hardly be supposed that It has no
recollection of having reiterated yesterday:
mend the proposed extension of rules,
either as essential 20 the reform of the
District service or as a trade measure in
the interest of local business conditions
without seriously compromising Its dig
nifty. without committing a gross tmpro-
priety or without laying itself open to out
side criticism, of which. in and out of
Congress, 1t and the citizens of Wash
ington. together with 1t, would not hear
the last for years"
why then d!d 1t make no comment on the
loudly -applauded speech of President Orr?
1t could properly have done So because IL
the dignity of our board Of trade can be
compromised ty a resolution to extend the
civil service rules In the interest of moral
lily and business, to " hat a depth of igno-
miny did the New York Chamber of Com
merce sink when 1t worked with all its
vigor for municipal reform that in its COM
: prehensive greatness Included not only re-
form as to minor Offices but also reform
In what the spoils newspapers insist are
political affairs. The New York Chamber
of Commerce vaged var upon the spoils
system: the Washington board of trade will
surely do the same thing; not to such an
extent, because the conditions here are
rot so bad, but the fight is to the same
end and the local victory will come as
surely as IL has come in New York. But
leaving the New York Chamber of Com
merce out of consideration for awhile ana
Inc fOSl QueStiOu dS
commercial organization elsewhere in
terested in civil service reform. The Star
calls it's wilfYly Ignorant neighbours at
tention to the vigor with which boards of
trade have taken up the subject of civil
service reform In the consular service.
The Boston Merchants Association has
said that ''the whole consular service Is
emphatically business, and the ground plan
upon which 1t Is to be conducted should be
the same that upon which business In
general Is conducted" the Denver Chamber
of Commerce has adopted strongly worded
resolutions, urging immediate reform; sim
liar action by other such bodies Is Of record
and will soon achieve publication I'm The
Star. President Byers of the Denver Cham
Der of Commerce said recently: II have
long considered our consular service a dis
grace to the nation. and 1 see no better
course for its reform than to confine 1t
strictly to civil service rules" President
Clough of the ST. Paul Chamber of Com
merce writes as to the same matter-and
for the body of which he is the head
Whatever will tend to promote the COM
mercial interest Of the country will be sure
of our support" President lowering of the
Baltimore Board of Trade-on the same
topic-says: 1T Is a matter in which the
various commercial bodies Of our country
should take a practical interest"
Inasmuch as the Post does not readily re-
spond to local sentiment ii may, perhaps,
be influenced by the expressions of some of
those undignified persons who are prom
inent in broader and moro truly national
field.
There were forty-hve men employed on
the City Post-ot1ice building today. Forty