The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-09-20

10 Il IMAM private me-
The following apt simile is credited
to George William Curtis:
The doctrine of rotation In office Inn
plies that merit should not be considered.
1t treats the public service as huge
soup house, in which needy citizens are
TO take turns at the table, and they must
not grumble when they are told to move
on.
A most striking crystallization of the
spoils doctrine enunciated by Marcy
in his famous utterance in the United
States senate, and of which Burr, jack
son, Tweed and Conkling were eloquent
advocates, was the famous reply of
Judge Barnhard on his trial for the
corrupt use of judicial patronage: IT
won this office, and it's patronage Is
mine."
Some years ago, at a dinner in New
York, Prof. Huxley asked Senator
Conklng what he thought of the civil
service reform. The senator launched
into an eloquent defense Of the spoils
system. Huxley was asked what he
thought of it. He replied that 1t was
the most eloquent defense he had
ever heard of perfectly indefensble
thing.
SPOILS A BURDEN.
President Lincoln once said he never
went to sleep without looking under
the bed to see If a certain senator was
there in pursuit of an office. At an
other time, when he was sore distressed
by these congressional opportunities,
he said he could not get time to con-
slider the Southern question. Il am"
said he, like a man so busy in letting
rooms in one end of his house that he
has not time to put out the fire in the
other end" Secretary Window said:
In the last one hundred days a few
| thousand men in search of office have
| taken nine-tenths of the time of the
| president and his cabinet.
DR.. Andrew d. White, eX-minister to
st. Petersburg and now president of
the Venezuelan commission, is credited
with telling of a member of congress
with whom he conversed on an import
ant measure. He asked the congress-
man why he did not make a great
speech on the subject, educate the
country, and extend his own fame. The
oppressed statesman, holding out a
bundle of letters, replied Il cannot
do 1t. sir; I have not the time. Here
are fifty unanswered letters from my
constituents asking me to get offices
for them"
AS a contrast to this Mr.. Broslus
quotes a member of parliament. repre-
senting one of the most important dis
tricts in the United Kingdom, who
thanked heaven that he was powerless
as to the appointment of the pettiest
tide waiter in the Empire" Mr.. Glad
stone, too, once boasted that the only
office in his gift was that of his own
private secretary.
Granting that Mr.. Cleveland had
caused the wholesale removal of Re-
publicans to make places for Demo-
Gratis previous to issuing the order,
Mr.. Brosius declared that time will
cure the wrong and make things even.
Under the merit system there is no
danger that Republicans will not have
their share of offices. They have all
to gain and nothing to lose"
AS illustrative of the practical work.
ing of competitive examinations in this
respect, he related an incident told by
Major Harlow, of the civil service COM
mission, about B. B. Smalley the WELL
known Democrat, who was collector
in Vermont
One day some of the party leaders
came to the Vermont collector and
complained;
"See here, Mr.. Smalley, you have not
got any Democrats in your office. These
fellows holding the government posi-
tions are all Republicans"
well, what do you suggest?" asked
the collector.
We've got a couple of good Demo-
Gratis and we want you to put out two
! Republicans and give them the places,
was the reply.
"All right" said Mr.. Smalley; II am
I a little hampered, but I'll see what car
. be done. You see this list of names?"
; yes"
| "Well, run over it and see If you car
| find the names of your two Democrats
on it."
The politicians did as directed. One
of them suddenly blurted out:
What is this darned thing, anyway
{ Mr. Smalley?"
, THAT" answered the collector, 81.
the lis. of persons who have passed
, the civil service examination. If any
vacancies occur in my office force, thu
a law requires me to fill them from tn,
names on that list"
! "But these are all Republicans, MI
e Smalley; there is not Democrat ol
o the list
I Il am afraid not" said the cellecto
: regretfuly.
p "The trouble is, our Vermont Demo
4 Gratis don't so to school, as they should
n and. until they do, there is no way o
q getting them government positions"
" Major Harlow had also given MI
a Brosius an account of an experienc
e while postmaster at St Louis, whic
matches Mr.. Smalley's story very wei
Father Walsh the shrewd rector of 81
Bridget's parish, made a study of tn
g civil-service law, and one day went t
:, the postofllce and got a copy of tn
regulations governing examinations
The next time thera was an examina
8 tion at the postofice a group of brigh
e young fellows from st. Bridgets paris
II school put in an appearance as candi
dates. They had evidently been pre-
: pared with care. Some of them cam
t, out of the examination with the high
IS est percentages and were given posi-
J. tions. THAT thing continued" sal
e Major Harlow. Father Walsh's youn
: men would come out of the eXamina
: tions at the top of the list, and unde
the law they would get the appoint
ments as vacancies occurred. One da
J. some of my A. p. A. friends came int
a the office and said; Look here, Hal
low, you are filling up the postofic
'r with Catholics. Why don't you civ
Protestants chance?"
"These incidents show" commende
Mr.. Brosius, that the competitive sys