The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-12-11
CIVIL SERVICE REFORM.
SOME OF 1T IS THE COMPETITIVE
PRINCIPLE.
One of the Ways In Which Cleveland
Has Made Record For HIMSELF
President Schurz's Address.


Reform League began here today in
the Hotel Walton, and will conclude
tomorrow night. when a banquet will
be rendered the visiting delegates by
the Pennsylvania association. Promi-
nent representatives from various parts
of the country are in attendance.
| The members of the general commit
! tee and of the executive committee
met this evening in secret session and
outlined the proceedings of the meet
| ing. The business session of the league
will be held tomorrow. when a presi-
dent will be elected and various reports
and resolutions presented.
A public meeting was held at 2:90
o'clock this afternoon. The papers
read were: 1.-The Postoffice as Party
Spoils," by Richard Henry Dana of
Boston; Civil Service Reform in Phil
adelphia,' by Charles Richardson, vice
president of the Municipal League Of
Philadelphia; 1.-The New System in
New York." by Hon. Silas w. Burt of
New York; THE safeguarding Power
of the American People, by r.. r.
Bowker, civil service commission of
New York, and Results of Reform in
the New York Police Department, by
Hon. Theodore Roosevelt, president Of
the New York police commission; The
Poor Spokesman; His Days Are Num-
bered in the Indian Service" by Fran
els E. Loupp of Washington.
The general committee of the league,
at its executive session, elected these
officers OF the organization: Secre-
tary, George McAneny; treasurer, A.
S. FrisSel: executive COMMITTEES, Carl
Schurz. chairman: Moorfield Storey,
Boston; Sherman S. Rogers, Buffalo;
William \. Aiken, Norwich, Conn.,;
Edward NJ. Shepard, BROOKLYN; Will
lam c. Low, Brooklyn; Charles 81 Bon
aparte, Baltimore; e. 2. Wheeler, New
York; Silas w. Burt, New York: .. D.
Eaton, New York; Edward Cary, New
York; Richard W. Gilderman, New
York w. 4. Potts, New York; Morrill,
Wyaman. ir., Cambride, Mass; Will
liam D. FouIke. Richmond, Ind; Lu
cius Swift, Indianapolis; Herbert
Welsh, Philadelphia; Charles Richard
son. Philadelphia. and John w. Ella,
Chicago.
This evening the Hon. Carl Schurz.
president of the league, delivered his
annual address at Music hall to large
and interested audience. Mr.. Schurz
spoke as follows:
The last year has been one of ex-
traordinary prosperity to the cause OF
civil service reform in various ways
The recent election campaign served TO
exhibit, ii a Singularly clear light, /
some OF the remarkable and beneficial
changes which the merit system has |
wrought in American political life, and :
to expose, in their whole fuuility, many
Of the fallacies, receptions and super /
stitions which the reform movement /
had 70 overcome Surely the custom
houses, postoffices, revenue offices, |
navy yards and so on, have thoroughly I
ceased to be mere barracks for the /
housing and feeding of the janissaries |
OF the ruling political party, who are |
to be let loose on the community at |
the exigencies of party interest This |
we owe altogether to the introduction |
of the merit system. In making those
offices what theZ now are-buSiness |
Establishments, in the conduct of which |
business principles are the ruling mo-
tive DoWer-it has not only given the
people more honest and more eff
ficient service. but it has also made a
vigorous beginning of that moral refor-
nation of political life which is it's
ultimate and its most important OBJ
ject 1t is a significant fact that those
whose zeal in the late campaign was
most conspicuously unselfish, put forth
the most emphatic pronouncement in
favor of civil service reform, While
the party whose cause was condemned
by the American people was the only
of its adherents by opening TO them
a prospect of unlimited plumber. Spells
politics suffered double defeat in the
election.
The hope expressed a year ago that
President Cleveland would assent to
the extension of the classified service
so far as it could be effected by execu-
tive action alone and leave 70 his sue
cessors but little TO do, has been fully
justified. The executive order promul-
gated by him on May 6, 1896, marks one
Of the greatest and most important on
ward strides in the history of the re-
form movement. The merit system is
recognized as the gen
sral rule.
The esta blishment and maintenance
Of the merit system in the various state
and municipal governments is not in
dependent.
There are some public men who will
never propose anybody for office of
whose worthiness they are not person
ally convinced, but, alas. they are IN
he minority. The competitive prin-
;iple is the very soul of civil service re-
- |