New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-11-28
iBOIISH SINECTRES.

ABOLISH NINEtf NEN.
There may be- difficulty in deciding accurate
Is from The result Of the late election just whom
the voters desire to fill the appoinivr offices
within thr-no, not within the gift OF the
Governor and Mayor: that phrase Is mischle,
Gus and misleading but within their selection.
But there Is no difficulty about one thing rcla-
tive 10 all appointments and the popular VIII
concerning them. That Il. that before any ap-
pontmcnt is made. however many applicants
there NAV he or however worthy, or whatever
their claims strict and searching examination
should DE- made - To- whether the ONCE Itself
I. necessary This j. the first step III the reform
movement which We who won the late victory
advocated early and late all through ia" can
yass and promised 10 initiate II the people CAV"
,h. opnortuniiv II i the first step. bccaiis" by
the fixed habit Of political parties. ~ well ~
by the constitution and temperament OF tn"
natural man. the first duty encountered by Gov
crnor or Mayor after he Is elected and before
Inc enters upon his office Is Ia encounter persons
who come in divves with all sorts Of claims ana
recommendations for everything III sight thai
carries pay or profit He has TO listen to them
notlently and In the event decide between them
In ordinary circumstances that il all enough
has TO do. This year. however. he has some
thing more He has 10 decide not so much upon
The merits OF candidates ~ upon the coniinu-
oucc Of the Office And II In his Judgment IL i
unnecessary. he must refrain from making any
appolntmcnt and take measures for abolshing
the Office.
We have been charging upon our opponents
that they have during their lease OF power. not
nv he.
ton TO partisan purposes Of all The official
pntronagr which fell To them upon their ac-
c,ssion. but that they have imposed additional
and unnecessary burdens upon the taxpayers
with the sole purpose Of putting lazy. incom-
petent and worthless party workers upon the
pavrolls. We have charged not only that their
appoinees were unfit. but that the offices they
filed were unnecessary. Did we mean it: or
did We only mean 10 raise meaningless ana
purposclcss pother about it In order To turn out
tbe useless place-holdcrs Of the other party To
make room for set Of paliry politicians Of our
own? That Is the question which Governor
Morton and Mayor Strong have to answer Tor
themselves and for the party which elected
them al the very threshold of their official exist
ence IL is not TO be- dismissed lightly. nor Is
IL 10 be turned aside upon any pretcxt OF party
eyipencies or the hollow evasion that we must
NOT act preclpitatcly in the correction of what
seem 10 he abuses. but may after all be capable
Of being turned TO useful service. None Of that
will answer There Is 10 call for prccipitate
oction On the contrary. 1t IL above all things
10 be avoided. But precipitate action. We sub
NIT. Is only possible in making rash and hasiy
amendments when investigation may show
that none are necessary. II is upon this point
that we urge the incoming Governor and Mayor
the exercise Of unusual care and dclibcration.
They must not Yield an inch 10 the clainor Of
Mace scekers or their friends. Right here X
where the people who elected them expect these
two successful business men 10 apply the blsi-
ness principles 10 which they owe their own
success. II they do this, the people will not be
disappointed
And we repeat what We hav" said before on
this subject. that the amount OF money 10 br
saved to the taxpayers by The abolition Of Use
less commissions and other sincciircs IL OF com
paratiycly small account For one thing. and
that Of itself should be final and conclusive the
faith Of the Republican party Is pledged To thor
ough and sweeping reforms In state ana minic-
ipal administration. and this Is an abuse which
II meets ut the very door Of It's entrance upon
bower II cannot be- ignored: II must not be-
evadcd Beyond that, and aside from any
pledge. enlightened sclf-intcrcst compcls IT, For
whatever the professional and socallcd pric-
teal politicians may say To the contrary. the
experience OF all parties teaches that the null
tplcation Of Offices even when they neceS-
sary and useful. is n source OF weakness rather
than strength 10 the party In power. The more
offices In sight the more officeseekers there are,
and the greater the number Of disappointed and
disaffected to give trouble and create disturb
ance. The abundance II patronage lowers the
tone OF official lfe and drags down the clcc-
toral contests from the plane OF high principle
to the level OF n degrading and disgraccful
scramble for spoils The voters, Of whom the
office-hOlders are a small minority. soon tire Of
that sort OF thing and start reform Of their
own by turning out the party responsible for
it, II the Republican party hopes to continue
in power It must deserve the confidence Of the
people. II has that confidence now. and 1t de-
ponds largely upon the manner In which It's
elected officials meet and treat IT. nrst oppor.