St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-03-22
IRELAND ELOQUENT
In His Scholarly Address, lat
Last Nights Mass Meet
ing Of
CIVIL SERVICE REF0RMERS.
70
Nearly Every Seat in the
House Chamber Is Oe-.
cupied.
CIVIL SERVICE REFoRMERS.
PROMINENT MEN ATTEND.
Prof. Gregory, Rev, w. r.
Lord and Others Address
the Gathering.

Nearly every seat in the house
chamber of the state capitol was oc-
cupied at the civil service reform
meeting last night. The bulk Of the
attendance comprised members of
the Civil Service Reform association
and members of the legislature.
Quite a number of ladies were preS<
ent also.
Capt H. A. Castle presided, and
addresses were made by Prof. G. N.
Gregory, president of the Wisconsin
state university; Archbishop Ireland
and Rev. William R. Lord, pastor
Of Unity church, who came here
recently from Boston. A number of
letters were read from prominent
civil service reformers who had been
invited to be present, but could not
on account of personal affairs.
Among these We're Col. John w. Ella,
Of Springfield, Ill.,; President North
rop, of the Minnesota state univer-
sity; Hon. Theodore Roosevelt, of the
national civil service commission;
Hon. G.. K. Davis and Hon. John S.
Pillsbury, of Minneapolis.
On calling the meeting to order
Capt. Castle referred briefly to the
civil service reform movement, and
called attention to what had been
accomplished in the postoffice de-
partment under civil service regula-
tions-the Improvement in the serv-
ice and economy in the administra-
ton of the department. Capt Castle
then introduced Prof. Gregory.
Prof. Gregory began by saying that
when there was a war involving the
existence of the country, it was the
duty Of every good citizen to go in
it. at was the duty of our
ANCESTORS TO FIGHT .
for political Independence" he said.
But the battle that must be fought
by us is for integrity and fidelity
in public life"
The speaker then went on to criti
else the method of appointing men,
to positions simply because of their.
political pulls" There should, be.
some mechanical plan for the Sc
lection and retention of men in pub
lie positions on the ground of merit.
For the first time in the history of
CIVIL service reform the question has
been submitted to the people of the
greatest state in the Union, the state
OF New York, and been adopted by
them, continued Prof Gregory.
'Talleyrand said that every time he
made one appointment he made ter
enemies. Public men are hounded
to death by seekers for position.
Prof. Ely has said that the reason
proper sanitary reforms cannot be
adopted in large cities is because
they are so corruptly administered
that scientific administration in any
department becomes impossible"
The speaker advocated the enact
ment of law to compel political COM
mittees and candidates to make pub
lie statement of their expenditures
for campaign purposes, and referred
to what has been accomplished by
the enactment of such a law in Great
Britain. One of the states in which
such a law is in force is Missouri,
and the mayor of st. Louis told
him 1T was operating very success
fully; that he himself had paid to the
campaign committee $3.50 when he
was making his canvass as candi-
date for mayor, and after the cam
paign was over, the committee re-
| turned to him 500. which was one
! Of the direct results of the law.
The address was greeted with ap-
plause.
Archbishop Ireland was then intro
| duced, and he said in part:
Eve have noble institutions, and
1 1t is our duty before earth and
| heaven to maintain them This is
| true patriotism. There is room for
| patriotism in days of war and in
days of peace. We are right in hon.
oring the heroes who went to the
| front to defend their country, and
the best way we can honor them is
| by emulating their patriotism. In
| days of war there is an excitement
that makes it comparatively easy for
| one to go forward and join in the
| fray, but in days of peace there is
| need of greater effort, and if we do
not make that effort, the country is
seriously impaired We have a
| prosperous country that stands be-
fore the world as the embodiment
! of the highest type of free institu-
1. tons.
eve owe a solemn duty to our. own
country and a solemn duty to hui
manity. The peril of democracy is
that so many being brought in tic
have voice in the government, toe
many will take advantage of it fo1
their own personal interests The