The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-04-04
CIVIL-SERVICE RULES
THEIR EXTENSION STRONGLY ADvo-
GATED By MIR. ROOSEVELT.
Vigorous Argument Against the
Spells System-PIea for Taking
Postoffices Out of Politics.

WASHINGTON. April 3.-Civil-service
| Commissioner Roosevelt is thoroughly COM
mitted to the doctrine of including many
more Offices under the civil-service rules
| Speaking on this subject he said
"A house divided against itself has got
to fall, and in the end this government,
so far as the nonpoitical offices are con-
| am perfectly certain that the merit basis
is. the one on which it ultimately will be
service reform not only in the Nation. but
IN the State and the municipality, and we
have got to apply it not only to those Of
ton. but to very many other offices that
are not properly political in character Our
people have for seventy years. been edu-
Gated to regard the spoils system as part
of the natural order OF things so that they
that a postmaster, for instance, has moth
ing whatever to do with politics If he at
rends TO ms IS duty a;y. and that there Is no
offices with people who sympathize with
the views of the administration for the
reney than there would be sense in hav-
ing the express and telegraph business of
the country administered by men who are
protectionists or free-traders, according as
ELECTION s - - :
fuses to treat postoffices political spoil,
and it may be of interest to those fool
ish members of our own body polite who
rail against the reform because in Eng
land there is also ~civil-service reform to
know that in England the reform only came
in with the growth of the democratic spirit,
and that the reform has reached its most
pubic Of sMitzeriand. Z The latter Country
is genuinely governed by the people Tor the
people. and no public servant whose duties
out for political reasons. In England post
masters are appointed by. promotion from
grade, where they are appointed directly
from the outside. They are never re-
try ys It would oi perhaps be dicut to allow
of system of transfer from office to
office throughout the Nation at large, but
such transfer could be certainly made With
in the borders of State, and the postmas-
tiers in the big cities at the largest offices
should be appointed, whenever a. vacancy
occurs, from within the ranks of the postal
service of that State
IF you wish an illustration Of the fact
that the service rendered by postmaster
has nothing to do with his politics let me
refer refer you to POSTMASTER zumstein. OF Gin p,
Postmaster Brown and who himself four
years, ago supplanted Postmaster. Riley.
two years he has served under the Demo-
cratic Postmaster-general.M Mr.. Bissell. All
zumstein has been postmaster at Cincin-
natl. Nobody would know from any result
visible in the operation of the postal service
that Postmaster Zumstein was of one poll
tics or another. He has given during this
time precisely s;, as good service as Postmas-
Hesing, at Chicago, boths of them Demo-
Gratis The letters have been distributed
just we'll in Cincinnati under the Re
publican postmaster as in Brooklyn or in
Chicago under. the Democratic postmaster
Four years ago the letters We're distributed
just as we'll under the Democratic postmas-
ter at Cincinnati, Mr. Riley, caring the
Republican administration of the govern
ment they were by the Republican post
masters of Chicago or Boston. The people
have been as we'll satisfied by one admin
istration of the office as by the other. AS
a matter of fact, ninety-nine out of every
100 of them have not known and have not
cared rap what the views of the post
master were as to the annexation of Hawaii
the Nicaraguan canal so long as their
letters were delivered speedily and without
cratic postmaster was continued ali through
Mr. Harrison's term of service, just as in
ter was continued during Mr.. Clevelands
first term, and in neither case did single
Individual outside of the class of profess
sional politicians who wanted a job for their
henchmen complain
I'VE have the same interest as private
have in the delivery of a telegram or pack
age of goods. We want it to go as quickly
and as surely as possible, and It is not any
more the concern of the public what the
postmaster thinks about the tariff than it is
what the manager of the express company
the superintendent of the telegraph sta
ton thinks. 1t is just as absurd to turn out
a letter carrier because he voted the wrong
ticket as it would be to refuse goods de-
sympathy with the dominant party on
some question or to refuse, to, give your
think just you did on the. tariff.
The present railway mail service is adj
ministered precisely as it was three years
ago. Democrats and Republicans go into
the service alike, and as a matter of fact
are now pretty. evenly represented in it.
that the nominal head of office is of no
consequence whatever in the administration
of the office. In great many postoffices
throughout the country all the work is
done 10y. the assistant postmaster. who is per-
n s.
1.-The decent people of this country are
they are also greatly interested in such
nonpolitical questions as honesty and eff
are not interested in seeing lot of small
politicians get office. The question of the
tariff thu question ton, Of the currency the
all of immense concern to all Americans
who have the welfare of America at heart.
But these questions are fixed by the
tons of the peoples representatives in Con-
gress. in the presidency, in the Cabinet.
There will be no need of changing more
Department to make complete and radical
reversal in the tariff or financial policy of
employees perform duties merely ministerial
in character. The enormous majority of
tne ao at M f. deal hsys with % po o
merely with the work that is done by the
average employe of business firm or cor
poration. and the concern of the public in
their work is limited to seeing that work
done faithfully and intelligently.
Il want to the civil-service system
become universal, in the first place, because
the Offices ought to be out of politics. and
the service would be improved If they were.
but in the second place, and chiefly, because
wish to take out of public life the utterly
demoralizing and degrading influence of the
spoils system. 1t has been on the whole
the most fruitful of the causes which tend
ed to degradation of American politics, and
in no way can We SO strengthen the forces
which tend to the elevation of our political
life as to utterly destroy the spoils sys-
tenn