Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-10-13
When You Go Home to Vote.

Within a few days a large number OF
voters who for business reasons reside In
Washington will make active preparations
to visit their respective legal residences Tor
the purpose of exercising their bailot-cast-
ing privileGe Most of those who will
migrate are government employees. some of
whom have their homes in states where
votes mean something. Then there are
many people who are here only during the
hours OF daily toll journeying nightly TO
Virginia and Maryland suburbs; all people
who vote. Before thsse-the government
employee and the man engaged in profess
sional or mercantile pursuts-The Star
once more spreads the political situation as
it must appear to those who are deeply in
terested in the welfare of the national
capital.
The Chicago platform and Mr.. Bryan ar,
agreed in their antagonfsm to civil service
reform The party and the party's leader
know no variance of opinion to the pres
ent system; both have declared themselves
in opposition to '.life-tenure," both believe
in fixed four-year terms of office. both
in hot chase of the spoils. 1t matters not
that decentralization of the public service
would en1ue should the Chicago platform
and its sympathetic representative be sue
cessful at the polls. Businesslike considera-
tons do not enter into any of the calcula-
lions of the hungry and thirsty multitude
that follows the Bryan standard wherever
it waves. The demand is for immediate re-
turn to the me thods by which the taxpayers
were robbed of millions of dollars through
departmental inefficiency. The proposition,
locally stated. means the expulsion from
government employ of every one now on
the rolls. without regard 20 fitness. and the
substitution therefor of a sufficient number
of the hungry and thirsty aforementioned
who in turn are TO be expelled four years
later. Such ideas if put in practice would
convert this city of homes into a camp. d
place of temporary sojourn, where those
who Were new in office would not have
means sufficient to establish themselves
and where the strictest economy in personal
expenses would prevail to the end that as
much as possible may be taken away al the
conclusion OF the limited term.
Every government emplOye. every pro-
fessional man. every merchant, must know
what such a program would mean, not only
to the District Of Columbia at large, but
to himself
The St. Louis platform is as definite in
its friendship for civil service reform as
the Chicago platform is in it's antagonism
thereto: it insists that the law shall be
thoroughly enforced and extended wherever
practicable The republican candidate
stands squarely on thnr platform. Speaking
for himself and MS political associates IN
his letter of acceptance he SAID that the
republican party will seek 10 improve
but never degrade the public service
Those declarations mean that ineri, will
not be disregarded but viii be given its
due: that conscientious service will be en-
Couraged: that political debts will not be
paid out of the public treasury: that condi
tions in Washington will continue along
the lines of betterment toward The perfec-
ton of desirabilty.
This is a plain. impartial statement OF
one issue of a campaign in which the Dis
trict of Columbia has much at stake. vii
government employees commit hari-kar
with their ballots? Will the franchise
blessed of Washington's unofficial popula
ton voluntarily aid in revolutionary
effort that promises only distressing re
suits?