The record-union., 1897-01-10
NOT A DISHONEST NATION.

AT a recent meeting Of the Wonlan's S
Association, in New York, a Mrs. Low
ell, echoing common pessinnistic moan,
took occasion to declare in an impas-
stoned address that this is dishonest
nation, adding:
"A nation which for three generations
has acquiesced in a system of dishonest
appointments to public office, in dis
honest work of public officers, in dis
honest removals from public office,
could not remain honest in other rela-
tions. The poison has worked into the
very life of our people. We are dis
honest nation. We do not do honest
work anywhere" She added that before
we could expect thoroughgoing reform
the present generation must die off and
a new one grow UP under an honest
system of public work.
That is all twaddle. The very fact
that a civil service organization has
existed with a, great number of branches
and auxiliaries, and that intwenty years
time the reform has been worked into
most Of the branches of the Federal
system, and into several of the State
systems, is refutation in itself of the in
dictnent of over-zealous women
1t is a good deal as the New York
Times" says in commenting upon the
incident, namely, that the explosion is
illustrative of the curious feminine in
version of the operation of cause and
effect If we are a dishonest nation we
have not been made so by any system
of appointments to office, but our dis
honesty must have produced and then
have sustained the iniquitous system.
From such logic we do not think
there is any escape. We are either in
herently dishonest, or else we have
been corrupted by practices springing
out of our natures-a contradiction
within itself. Dishonest nations are
because of dishonest grounding rather
than because of bad practices springing
out Of good beginnings.
But the fact is that we began well,
were honestly planted and have been
making betteranents all along, and in
this very matter of the Civil Service
have made great strides within a
shorter time than the most ardent of
the reformers expected in their most
hopeful imagining.
An inherently dishonest people could
not have accomplished what the Amer
lean people have achieved along very
many essential lines of progress. As a
matter of fact the dishonesty of which
complaint is made, is not a natural de-
velopment but rather fungus growth
that we are ridding ourselves of. OF
course the spoils system was and is
bad OF course the doctrine that duty
runs first TO party and its captains and
last TO the Government served, is a vi
cious thing. OF course the buying and
selling of place is bad, and low political
methods are vicious; and partisanship
has run to extremes and resulted in
shameful abuses. But these do not
proye that we are therefore dishonest
people.
What we accomplish and how We
achieve it; what we are, the methods
we employ in progressing-these tell
the story of our mate honesty and our
possible retrogression; the story of the
real thought and purpose Of the Ma
tional heart
1t is popular to decry the present, but
not a defenstble practice. 1t is true that
business competition is sharper and leg
jslaltion is not as deliberate, nor are
legislators of as good mold as formerly,
but this is so because business aosorbs
so much more than 1t used to do the
energies of the best ability. and because
of the unhappy delusion that iegisia-
ton is the panacea for all Ills.
But whatever the apparent condition.
All the core the people are as honest TO-
day as ever, and out Of present eviis we
will rise, are indeed. rising. As mat
tar of fact there is now a higher graoe