Evening star., 1896-09-21

The more Mr.. Bryan says about civil ser
vice reform the more evident Is 1t that he
is not in sympathy with the merit system
This fact has been in plain view ever since
his comprehensive acceptance OF the Chlca-
go platform but great many peopie-some
of them, strangely enough. residents OF
Washington-declined to believe what was
told them and were vigorous in defending
MIR. Bryan from what they were pleased to
term the assaults of extremists" There is
nothing to quarrel over now, for Mr.. Bryan
has put himself on record so clearly that
he who sprints may decipher both language
and meaning In the storm-a abbreviated
speech which Mr.. Bryan delivered at Cap
itol Park Saturday evening he called es-
pecial attention to the anti-civil-service
plank of the Chicago platform and then told
tie multitude just how he felt in the matter.
He commenced by reading the plank, and
when he concluded the first sentence: I'VE
are opposed TO life tenure in the public
service" there was a great outburst Of ap-
plause by those who are not employed by
the government but who are willing to lay
aside private business If the administrati ton
for whose coming they pray and shout Will
only bid high enough and guarantee
soft thing The plank having been read,
MIR. Bryan-in conscious partnership with
the "outs"-said I'VE are in favor of the
civil service reforms that mean something.
We believe in appointments based
upon merit, and such method of appoint
ment as will open the offices to those Of
'ascertained fitness We are in favor of
fixed terms of office in the civil department
of the government. We want it SO that
when man goes in he will know how long
he is going to stay and when he is going
w h.I,N tI,., 60
which relieves man from all further care
is destructive to the highest forms of citi-
zenshfp and should not be tolerated in a
country Ike ours
And these sentiments were applauded.
1t may be that those who cheered such
utterances were not Washingtonians, or
it may be that some of them do reside here
and are careless enough of the city's well
fare to be willing to have a quadrennial
turmoil if in the confusion they could
snatch something for themselves, but 1t
Is not to be believed that any thoughtful
member of this community was honest in
his approval of the uncompromising doc
trine of spoils enunciated in the Chicago
platform and preached by Mr.. Bryan last
Saturday evening.
1t will be noticed by every intelligent
person who gives to this matter the con-
sideraton it deserves that neither MIR.
Bryan nor any of his followers present
argument in support of the ''spoilS con-
tention; they do not, they cannot, assert
that departure from the methods now in
vogue will result in betterment of the
service. they totally ignore the admirable
results now being achieved by the eco
nonical and business-like system under
which the clerical work of the general gov
ernment is being done; they endeavor to
hide their hatred OF reform by specious
and demagogic reference to a life tenure
man of straw which they have constructed
in the hope that it may further their OWE
selfish purposes.
MIR. Bryan may have carried away with
him the notion that his anti-civil service
ideas are popular in Washington; those
persons who are really his friends Should
see to it that the error is corrected. Po-
litically there are two classes of residents
at the National Capital: those who vote
and those who do not Those who vote
are, mainly, government employees, whose
Those who do not vote-but who sometime:
contribute to campaign fundS-are deeply
concerned to the growth and solidity
of the city, their interests, too, are being
able conclusion that Mr.. Bryan blunderet
when he talked spoils right in the face O
these people