The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1896-12-02
RANDOM POLITICAL NOTES.

The army of Office seekers is greater
than the army OF Office holders, or. as
Ny. Blaine used to say, there are more
pegs than there are holes 10 put them
in" This was never so much the fact as
II !s now. Civil service reform has
worked wonders in the line OF decreasing
the amount OF patronage at the disposal
OF n new administration, even II il has
not improved the federal service, and no
one is prepared 10 prove that II has not
done that. Laying aside all sentiment
regarding the right or wrong OF the law
which limits the patronage ar the dis
posal Of an incoming administration,
and looking at the matter in another
way, it seems hardship that thousands
Of good and deserving Republicans who
will be applicants for place, as result
OF the recent great victory won by the
party. must be disappointed because q
law preventing the removal of Demo-
cratic office holders stands 10 the way.
The places which do not come under the
classified service are now so limited that
many will be disappointed. But wha.
cannot be helped must be endured and
the patriots who stand ready 10 serve
their country, and who cannot be pro-
vided for, understand the conditions we'll
enough to take the disappointment phil
osoph!cally, and rest with the satisfac-
tion Of knowing that they will share in
whatever OF general good TO the coun-
try will come out OF the restoration Of
the Republican party 10 power and the
defeat Of Organism, Populism and all
the evils they represented.
As an Illustration OF the changed con-
ditIonS due 10 the extension, or rather
the application. Of the civil service law
TO the offices that were once al the dis
posal OF an administration, under what
was known as the "spolls SYSTEM" when
party workers could be rewar ded 10 q
very great extent, II may be well 20 cite
the single instance of the internal reve-
nue. bureau. In the treasury department.
From the last report OF Hon. John W.
Mason, who was commissioner Of inter-
nal revenue under President Harrison. l
find that he had at his disposal 1885
places. as follows:
Deputy collectorS..... ........- 9hI
Clerks in collectors Offices. .....-.. 1S5
Porters and messengers. 20
Officers enforcing sugar bounty..-.- 45S
Gaugers. $50. ................-.. aiS
Storekeepers.. ................-.. hSI
Storekecper- saugera.. -. ..........1, 1870
Total..... ..........-.... .3.9s5
These places were not in the classified
list and Mr., Mason was enabled TO fill
them with Republicans, which he did,
at the time OF his going out OF Office less
than 100 OF them being occupied by DEM
ocrats and. to Mr.. Mason's credit be 1t
said. the service was never moro eff
cient than Il was under him. The Off
al I, Il Itts hnt -. Tor
Since then the sugar bounty has been
abolished leaving the actual number OF
men on the payroll ut 3,527. outside Of
the Washington Office. and all appointed
or controlled by the commissioner. on
the 9Th OF last May. after the Democratic
administration had had time To fill all
these Offices with Democrats. and In the
last year OF Democratic control. all Of
these offices except tho sixty-thrce COL
lectors and one cashier In each Of the
sixty-,hrec collection districts, were
placed under civil service rules. or. in
other words, placed on the classified list.
There IL no redress y new President
cannot undo the act Of his predecessor in
this matter. or course. for Demo-
cratic administration to make such an
order. taking advantage Of the law
to keep In It's partlsans. is all right, but
for Republican administration 10 sus-
pend 1t would be partisan and Illegal!
In addition TO the above appointees Of
the revenue bureau, there were 900 per-
sons In the office at Washington, includ-
Ing the commissioner and his deputy,
chemists, heads OF divisions, stcuoEra-
phcr. clerks and messengers. OF this
number. however. all were under civil
service regulations, cXccp. the commits
sioner. his deputy. chiefs OF divisions
and messengers. Now all arc under
civil service except the commissioner,
who cannot even select his nwn deputy,
who acts In his place In his absence. nor
his own private secretary. TO this eX-
tent are the dispensers OF patronage
handicapped In this ono comparatively
small branch Of the public service, and
It Ia only q sample " the situation in
nearly all other branches. Hence II IS
that there Is small hope for those who
expect much In the way OF government
positions II Is the law and Il seems to
be popular with everybody except those