Great Falls weekly tribune., 1896-12-11

ri The National CIVIL Service Reform
Ieague ia in annual session at lhladel-
1hhu The IRlBuNE has over held that
r. fundamental principle Of civil ser ice
|Hform is correct. 1t is brief and eimple
N holds that the te1uro Of certain Ceri-
Ie and ministerial offices undor the gov
Eminent should not bc subject 70 goiti-
IA! changes; that merit, not influence,
sNoud be the standard for upprlntueut,
"a the law were carried out tD this ox-
Nm. the entire country would say
1lnon Unfortunately, the feiJrmers
henseIves have departed widcly from
D. tcurtB Of the faith they aided III
Establishing. In spite of t'e,r profess
5ions Of honesty, they have demonstrated
bsi lhey are but common clay, that
Hoy do not practice what they preach,
hat their doctrines only apply to thoee
Nlo agree with thor, and that those
Wlo differ with them must be andthe-
matted. As interpreted by It's leading
81 stiles, including Grover Cleveland,
D. intent Of the law is to remove all
fsoorl employees from active partlcipa-
No. III politics; ut least this is their
ppLlc declaration on the =ubjoct. That
Il theJ have not made their practices con
brm to their preCepts has been made
NinfulIy manifest, especially to the VIC
&na Yet, despite the known facts Of
ING recent campaign, we find Robert T.,
y BO1ker, civil eervice commissioner Of
N NeT lOrk, standing before his aseo-
ciatrs in the annual convention, glOrify
nF his system and dwelling especially
upon the "aplendid uprising which re-
ssuted 10 the Indianapolis gold standard
Convention ConId eirrontery 60 fur
tho? Mr.. Morris and hiH associates
know full we'll that the "ap!endid upris-
ing of which he speaks was originated
and foatercd by President Cleveland and
Secretary Carlisle, and that behind 1t, as
it, only motive force, WIS all the ntlu-
enCe that tho national Hdmjns-
tration, through tho machinery Of
goyernmont, could bring to bear lie
knew that this was i'll direct violation
Of tie civil service law, ho know that
every cmploye of the government who
espoused that side Of the controversy
wa excused and applauded, and those
VII raised their voice for Bryan we're
ppnlehed. Numerous instances to this
eficlt have been published, and only
Yesterday the dispatches brought us the
following fro,n Missouri: John G. New
Bill register of the Springfield land OF
fcc has been requested 10 send hIe
Hslgnation to Secretary nt the iLterIGr
Francis or undergo trial for neg act ol
dutg He is said to have neglected his
woTS to further the silver cause The
Rt lt ia easy to forato,l Mr.. Newbill
VII either resign Or he fired. IN his
sta bH in kentucky and Indiana, there
We hundreds u federal officials whc
TOO he stump for this gold standard
Dul no one OF them mas ycl oeeh
Gcusod Of neglect Of duty 1t it
sue instances, and such speeches
Y that OF Mr.. Becker that have
4 Mougt the law into disrepute. Under
IT. operations by Cleveland md hi:
1tollites it has become Il machine y
aSSnFlisan oppression instead Of protec
stcn TO those whom it wls intended u
eDefit. The principle having been dis
Arded, tho law should be- wiped of th'
salute books. AS it stands, it is onl.
% instrument in the hands OF dlshon
@t president, such as Cleveland, to com
Pc $4,000 employees to serve his poltlca
pufposes, feed his vanity or assist hin
" venting his spite.