The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1897-11-24
THE INTELLlGENCER.
wHEEIiNo, NOVEMBER "a, 1897.
we.t vIrglnla and olvlI Service.

West Virginia and civil Service.
II the Pittsburgh Dispatch would re-
frain from publishing every fake dis
patch sent to It by sensational correspon-
dents In one or two places in West Vlr-
glnia, it would feel no occasion for the
following unwarranted comment:
II West Virginia deserted the solid south
for no better object than to attempt a
restoration OF the spells system in the pub
lie service II would have been better II II
had never turned from the Democracy
West Virginia did desert the solid
south and she has no Intention OF return
ing. The Dispatch knows well the con-
dltions that Re~publicanized this state,
and its paragraph. which is a reference
to a fake special it published, does not
do justice to the Republicans OF the state.
The dispatch in question was to the eff
feet that the congressional delegation
from West Virginia is solid for an abso-
lutte repeal Of the civil service law,
With one exception, the members of
the West Virginia congressional delega-
ton have announced no such radical In
tent. They are, however, so far as the
Intelligencer knows their views, heartily
in favor OF reforming civil service re-
form as 1T has been practiced. They
favor the correction of it's abuse and a
revision of the law that will prevent
crimes being committed in It's name.
They want to see the merit system what
It was intended 10 be, and not used as the
Cleveland administration used it, name
" to fill the offices with partisans and
then apply the civil service rules in order
to hold them in under his predecessor.
The law never was intended to be so
abused. The West Virginia congress-
men do not believe that It was ever an
tended that the law should force an off,
Ger OF the government under heavy
bonds to retain and be responsible for
the acts OF deputies with whom he is not
in accord personally or politically, or
whom he may deem incompetent They
simply believe that the law should be
modified and amended to make impossi-
bic the abuses that have been committed
under It and that tend to the building up
OF an office holding a1stocracy.
The merit system is all right when APP
piled within reason, and no one disputes
that 1t is right, put 1t is not in accord
ance with American political institutions
to establish a life tenure in the off,
ces Of the executive departments, where,
ut times, the entire executive machinery
may be made up OF men who are opposed
TO the chief executive charged by the
public with the responsibility OF govern
ment II may be we'll to note the Demo-
cratic boast, voiced by Senator Faulk-
ner. that a recent civil service decision
would keep in office $1,000 men. all of
whom believed that the Mckinley adj
mlnistration would be a failure and bad
for the country.
SO far as the Dispatches reference to
west Virginia Republicans and the
spoils system Is concerned, perhaps the
Dispatch does not know thar previous TO
the Republican control of this state tho
spolls system was rampant. 1t was the
first Republican legislature in twenty
nve years that took all OF the state insi-
buttons, Including the state normal
schools and the University. out of the
hands Of exclusively partisan boards,a and
provided for minority representation on
them. The plan worked we'll and was
commended by the people and endorsed
by the press.