The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1895-01-23

The result showed marvellous variety |
OF views or rather guesses at Longfel- |
lows meaning and some notions about
life and the soul which would have
thrown Dr.. McCosh into ''geeminy fit, "
but the prudent ones merely contented
themselves with transposing the poets
words. A colored applicant, after max
ing several attempts, as shown by
scratched out sentences and phrases,
finally wrote this: "Do not say life is
not real, for he who says so had better
open his eyes, shake himself and find
out thereby whether or not he is here or
not. P" Many of the answers indicate a
general belief, even among tolorably
we'll educated people, that there never
was any liberty or much civilization be-
fore Washington's time, and that all
our political institutions We're created
de noyo by the constitutional fathers.
A bit of history is necessary to under.
stand present conditions. From Wash
ington to the second Adams included
there was slow but tolerably steady
increase in the practice of making offices
rewards OF party service. jackson swept
the field, and Van Buren, made the so
called spoils system permanent, but the
plan was not seriously felt until 1858.
When Pierce had turned out ali the
Wings, there was feeble protest, and
very feeble law was passed, but it was
of so little consequence that nobody no
tiCed it. When Buchanan began his war
on Douglas and his anti Lecompton sup
porters, there was louder protest, but
in reading the law of 1853 and it's later
affirmation now I cannot see that it had
any object except to arrange the clerks
in classes The war and it's enormous
expansion of government business
brought the disease to an acute stage,
and perfect cloud of vampires descend.
ed upon Washington. The vulture in
stinct which guides such fellows lead
them to the secretary of war, and while it
is not we'll to rehearse ancient scandals
or revive a happily forgotten pain it
must be said that the practices of that
year gave riseto the very suggestive and
somewhat personal phrase of 'Simony
This caused the once very famous Van
Wyck investigating committee, az
though the New York congressman ST.
fered politically for his zeal there was
change in the cabinet, and in April
1864, Senator Sumner introduced t.
first bill for civil service commission
The senate was almost unanimously no,
tile, and the bill was dropped. In De
cember 1855, Mr. Jenckes of Rhode Is
land introduced bill in the house which
was making good progress when the
quarrel with Andy Johnson broke out
1t was dropped and soon after the seven
years era of corruption began,
Beginning and Growth.
The conditions in the last year of
,JohnsOn's administration and the first
two of Grants were so bad, what with
pardon brokerage Indian rings, whisky
rings, Credit Mobilier and scores of 9TH
err evils that Grant, on his OWE motion,
inaugurated a sort of plan of reform, and
in 1871 a clause was inserted III gen.
eral bill confirming his system, which
went into effect on the first day Of 1872.
George William Curtis was the first
commissioner appointed by Grant, but
the storm of abuse and ridicule was too
great for his sensitive nature, and he
gave way to Dorman B. Eaton. who
was of tougher fiber The war then
opened in redhot earnest, and the work
of the commission ended in 1875. Late
in 1880 Senator Pendleton introduced
his bill, and Mr. Willis, now minister
to the Sandwich Islands, introduced 1t
in the house. Both were beaten, but a
bill drawn by Orlando B. Potter, Everett
P. Wheeler and Dorman B. Eaton was
introduced and with some notifications
passed and was signed by President Ar
thur Jan. 16, 1888. 1t has never been
amended and is the first and last real
civil service law.
Of the present commissioners 1t may
be said that the best known is Hon
Theodore Roosevelt, who was born IN
New York city in 1853, graduated from
Harvard in 1880 and elected in 1852 TO |
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