The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-12-13
The civil service reform associations
of st. Paul and Princeton college were

The civil service reform associations
Of st. Paul and Princeton college were
admitted to membership.
Mayor Schieren, of Brooklyn, was
elected treasurer and George McAneny,
of New York, secretary. The members
OF the executive committee were re-
elected. Other officers Of the league
will be elected tomorrow.
In the afternoon several papers were
read, including one by Richard Henry
Dana, on 1.-The Appointment and hem
ure Of Postmasters."
William Dudley Foulke, Of Indiana,
spoke on the subject of the superannu-
alton of the civil service; He began
by saying that John Wannamaker.
when postmaster-general, once wrote
by the hand of Marshal Gushing.
circular letter to number of civil ser
vice reformerS throughout the coun-
try. asking why both parties should
not discard the insincere professions OF
the law and have the patriotism to go
back to the old system.
Mr. Wannamaker," Mr. Gould aided.
sis not the only one who desired to re-
turn to the old methods of political
pull. They make the claim that the
efficiency of the departments will be
seriously interfered with by the old age
of many of the clerks who could not
be removed. It is easy to answer that
these clerks ought to be dismissed
when they cease to be efficient and 1t
is easy to say that when they accepted
employment they knew that no pen
sion awaited them, and that it was
their duty to save in the days OF their
prosperity, enough to support them IN
the infirmities of old age. 1t is sun
true that the permanency in ONCE holo-
ing which the merit system encourages
makes even discretionary removals
outIive their usefulness, this so-calleo
tenure in office during good pehaVlor
still fails and fastens barnacles upon
the service. I use the ep1thet parna-
Giles for it is used by another hlgh au-
thority in the camp Of our enemies.
Mr.. Porter, who conducted with such
impartial and disinterested hdehty the
taking of the last census.
Mr.. Foulke advocates the fornation
of a superannuation fund by retaining
a portion of the pay OF each cierh
every month and believed the system
comprehending the entire classlneo ser
vice would be the most perfect OF all
The public meeting at Metzerott nan
tonight was largely attended. me
stage was occupied by the most proml-
nent delegates and members OF the
local committee. In a. few words MI
John Edison welcomed the delegates.
He then introduced the Hon. Carl
Schurz, the present president of the
association.
Mr.. Schurz spoke of the fact that the
municipal governments OF our larse
cities were confronted by problems or
unaccustomed and constantly increas-
ing magnitude and perplexity. we
have he said, witnesses in the great
est cities of the United States-one
man welding the powers of municipal
10 onr1or Oh
system rendered the development Of
bossism possible. With that system
kept alive in our politics, bossism will
not only continue to exist in spite of
political reverses, but it will propagate
itself from state to state and bring
forth results which if predicted now
would severely tax popular credulity.
1t is a remarkable fact, he continued,
that civil service reforms which twenty
years ago struggled apparently in vain
to win the favorable attention Of the
great mass of citizens, has of late
years marvelously risen in popular in
terest and every day the popular de-
mand grows more general and more
energetic for its extension over wider
fields. The problem remains how to
secure what we have won by further
conquests.
Mr.. Schurz thought it was in the
Gus attempts are made to circumvent
or subvert the results the reform
movement has achieved. At the same
time, whatever the executive power
may do in the way of extending the
reform, the aid of legislation is re-
uuired to give it endurance and Sc
curity.
He thought that of all those charged
with public duties the legislature,
especially a member of Congress.
seemed to him by far the most inter-
ested in the abolition of the patronage
system.
He argued that the use Of patronage
by members of Congress IS essentially
corrupt and corrupting.
Mr.. Schurz closed by saying that
evidences of advancement of the cause
were such that in years gone by. we
found incentive to strenuous effort In
the greatness of obstacles to be over
come. we may now work on inspired
by the hope of complete achievement