Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1897-12-24
REPUBLICANS AND THE CIVIL
SERVICE LAW.

flung to the winds by General Gros-
venor and his followers in the house
who seem to think that the prime call
ing of a congressman is that OF office
broker with great appropriateness Ot
the Repub leans in the house who look
upon the civil service law with no
friendly eyes, there seem to be about
fifty who are ready to follow General
Grosvenor in his attack on the civil
service system to any extent. In short,
now that they are in, their party in
power, about every third Republican in
the house appears ready to avow his
belief in the doctrine that 'to the vic
tors belong the spoils +" And there are
many more Republicans who would
like to secretly subscribe to such a
declaration, but lack the courage, men
who would like to see the civil service
system temporarily overturned, but do
not want to take any part in the over
turning, in short, men who long to reap
the profits of it's overturn without
sharing the responsibility
A general turning out of the ap-
pointees of Mr.. Clevelands administra-
tion, not for cause, not for incompe-
tence, not for failure to do their work,
but merely to make place for Republi-
cans, for men to whom sundry con
gressmen owe some political debt
which they long to pay at Uncle Sans
expense, seems highly desirable to Mr..
Grosvenor and his followers some of
whom actually take pride in proclaim
ing themselves as .'spoilsmen." And
to break down the civil service law 80
that this general turning out may take
place is their earnest purpose. It is
not a very comnendable purpose; their
aims are not very high; the calling of
congressman as they see it is not very
exalted one, but it must be admitted
that they attack the civil service law
with great earnestness. They attack
with an earnestness commensurate with
the profit in place dispensing way
that would come with success. They
carry the attack with frceness, al
though it i. but little removed from
pc, sonal attack on the president, who
is friendly to the civil service system,
who has extended it; who has declared
it must be broadened for the good Of
the public service, that it must not be
overthrown
Still these Republicans attack al
though they know they will meet the
opposition of the president. They evi-
IDENTIFY are not wanting in hope that
they can frighten, drive the president
into giving ground into going back on
his pledges, into surrendering his con-
victions, into aiding the overthrow of
that which he believes in. Rather
than risk the making of a political
breach in the Republican party these
enemies Of civil service think, at least
hope, that the president will give way
to them, that in. order to keep the
peace he will back down, not indeed to
the extent of approving the complete
overthrow of the civil service system,
but far enough SO as to make possible
the destruction of the substance of
civil service while preserving the form
We trust that the president will not
give way to these anti-civil service re-
formers in his own party who seem to
think more of place seeking than any
thing e.se, who seem to think that it is
their duty as congressman to put in
their time in finding places in the
service of the United States for their
political adherents rather than in Civ
ing their attention to legislation, in
looking after the public veal And
surely time thus spent is spent in look
ing after their own private veal, not
the welfare of the public, for the find
ing of places in the public service for
their political adherents not because of
any special fitness Of such appli ants,
but merely because they are adherents,
cannot result in b t,ering the public
SeIV1Cc, CduuOG IeSu1G Ill COuScIFluS Guc
public veal.
Some seven years ago, when Mr..
Harrison was president, a similar at
tack to that now being made upon the
civil service system was made in the
house of representatives and success
fully resisted. And Mr. Mckinley, as
a representative from Ohio, was instru-
mental in defeating this attack. The
civil service system was looked upon
with ill concealed disl leasure by those
who longed to turn out
appointees of Mr. Cleveland in order to
make place for their own adherents
They antagonized the civil service COM
although they had had no
word to say against it during Mr..
administration, and when
it stood rs check to the turning out
of Republicans in order to make place
for Democrats. Although by attacking
this law in 1890 they showed that they
had little regard for principle or con-