St. Paul daily globe., 1896-03-29

| appointed since the civil service law went in
to effect have been chosen. Once in Office
your tenure depends on efficiency and good
conduct. You can only be removed for cause
and after full opportunity for defense by or
der OF the first assistant postmaster general.
The temptation to arbitrary unjust re-
moValS is abolished by the manner of select
ing successor. There is no object in making
an unjust dismissal when the vacancy can
not be hlled with personal or political fav-
orite. Thus your entrance to and your exit
| from the official ranks are protected by that
admirable law. You can securely adopt this
as a vocation for life, and prepare yourself ac-
cordingly. You are not obliged to cringe and
fawn for the favor of your superior officers
You are not called on to help pack caucuses
and manage conventions to turn ward
heeler" for month or two preceding every
election. You can give your time to the du-
ties of your position and take such part as
your 1nchnat1ons dictate in political affairs
on either side, without let or hindrance. You
preserve your manhood, dignity your citizen
ship, exalt your Office and serve as a con-
| spicuous example of the splendid results
! which this law can accomplish.
| Here, again, let your light shinel How
ever disinclined any. of you may be to mix
| in ordinary political controversies on this
| point you should be strenuously and restless
| ly active. You know thoroughly the benefits
of civil service reform in your department.
| how it has improved the service, purified
| politics, ennobled manhood and advanced the
| standard of official integrity As citizens you
should agitate constantly and aggressiveIy
| for its extension to all branches of the pub
| lie service, national, state and municipal. 1t
| is Just as proper, that clerks at the state
| house and the city hall be subject to r. civil
| service law as clerks in the postofice. Our
| city policemen, fremen and school teachers
| can be readily made amenable to its protective
| provisions, as can be the letter carriers. Only
| when this is accomplished will we have pure
| local politics and honest administration. The
| non-oficeholding classes can be abundantly
trusted to take care of the politics of the day.
The office-holding class should be relieved
| from the obligation to follow the dictates of
| bosses-thus giving time skill and independ-
ence for the proper performance OF their off,
| cial work.
Don't be afraid totaaeach civil service re-
! form. 1t has come to stay. 1t has come to
spread: 1t is bound to prevail. No national
administration that we are ever likely to
| have in this country henceforth and forever
will reprimand you for doing that much ''po-
| litical work. If any blear-eyed politician
rebukes you, tell him that one of your lead
ing motives is to take the blear eye out of
| politics and put the clear eye in Teach the
people that they can be civil service reform
| ers, and still be as good Republicans and as
good Democrats as they were before. It is
no more necessary to turn mugwump in order
! Hardshell Baptist.
The letter carriers and clerks Of Mime
! sota's free delivery cities can, if they will,
create a public sentiment that will compel our
! next legislature to enact a civil service law
which will complete the emancipation Of our
politics from the despotism of the boss the
touch Of the heeler and the odor of the slum.
The civil service law is your armor and
your shield. 1t has opened to you, as
IL opens TO the numDl6SL CltlZeQ Quiy QudI0eQ,
the opportunity for an official career. 1t Gre
ates aristocracy of oficeholders-ft broad
ems the gate so that all classes may enter.
1t stimulates the honest pride, true sef-re-
spect and manly independence. 1t does not
encourage or tolerate either arrogance or 1g-
science. 1t inspires a popular demand for
business methods in political ofice-and then
it responds to that demand by creating the
most elaborate, complicated, prompt, accurate
ard satisfactory business institution yet
known in the history of the world: the United
States postofice department of the last dec
ade of the nineteenth century.
I close by repeating that yours Is hard,
practical, exacting work, but there is some
romance In it, after ALL There is poetry and
music in it, the perfume Of flowers, the rip
pie of crystal streams, the coolness of shady
groves, the song of the lark and the hum
ming of the busy bee. In your prosaic, COM
mon-place satcheis nestle together such
threnodies and harmonies and contrasts and
discords, such dramas and epic tragedies, as
similar space contains nowhere in the broad
world beside If each missive could voice its
message audibly, you go your patient
round, what medleys would we hear? The
voice from the farm, with its suggestions of
rural aromas and peaceful reflections. The
voice from the roaring marts of commerce,
filled with elashings and confusions. Voices
from flaming battlefelds and the tides of the
soundless sea. The voice Of love. tuneful
silver harps touched by seraph fingers on
the banks Of the beautiful river. Harsh