The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-04-13
IT'S ENERvATING EFFECT.

| the seductive influences of the national
capital, where he is now sojourning. It
is matter of common report that the
little, to the narrow, selfish and self
seeking spirit that characterizes the
| Washington politician. The atmO-
sphere of Washington is charged with
the spoiIsmans notions, and we some
times wonder how any good thing can
ever come out of that hopeless Galilee
The Pioneer Press prints an editorial
letter from Washington which is sad
| commentary upon the surrender of this
| once Jealous advocate Of civil service
reform to the views of the office hunt
ers, by whom the writer has probably
been surrounded for some weeks past
and whose representations he has final
| ly been unable to resist All that he
has to offer in criticism is the time
worn and foolish plea Of the partisan
spokesman. This is that Democracy has
gained by the extension of the civil
service reform rules while Democratic
| PAEolAS41L w DIS III OIIc0.
This Is the same old cry that all the
| secret and open enemies of reform have
been shouting out for the last ten years.
1t is evident that if the rules are ever
to be extended at all, it must be done
by some president, either Republican
| or Democratic It is clearly obvious
that when the extension is made the
clerical force in the departments will
not be exactly divided with respect to
party. Therefore, the extension op-
crates to the benefit of one party Or the
other temporarily, and it must do so
until we get that ideal and angelic be-
| ing in the white house who would see
that all the offices are exactly appor-
toned between the two parties and
then put the reform system into effect
1t may be mentioned that Mr.. Har-
rison did not do this, but made his ex-
tensions at time when they would
do most good to Republicans. 1t is to
be admitted that Mr.. Cleveland made
his extensions with a view to helping
I
the inevitable The great thing is to
have the extensions made, to put the
civil service beyond the greedy grasp
OF the spoils hunter, to get rid of the
accursed system of bartering public Of
flee for political support. That is what
the civil service rules have done, and
those who criticise the method that
human infirmity has imposed upon both
parties are endangering the success, If
not the existence of a most beneficent
reform, for the sake of a petty and I'M
worthy carping against political oppo-
nents.
Moreover the editorial correspon-
dence referred to is obviously and ex-
tracrdinarily inaccurate. For instance,
it contains the following statement: I'm
many cases tried and trusted officials
and specialists of approved competency
have been turned down and turned out.
without shadow of Justification, to
give place to the incompetent friends
of some potentate with a political pull. 8"
We are surprised that any man with
a reputation to sustain should append
his name to such an assertion as this
The provisions of the civil service law
are explicit and it's penalties exact.
While men may be discharged, as a
general rule, at the will Of their SUI
periors, on the plea that they are in
competent, and so it would be possible
to turn out officials who were doing
their work we'll, the power of appoint
ment is not thus unlimited. The APP
pointing officials must select from the
list of eligibles furnished by the ex-
aiming board of the civil service COM
mission. Therefore the "potentate with
a political pull is powerless to get his
incompetent" man into Office unless he
can first corrupt the examiners, so as
to get him at the head of the eligible
list; and, second, corrupt the appoint
ing power, SO as to get him into the
place selected for him.
If there is any evidence that this has
been done, which would warrant the
statement Of the Pioneer Press, that
evidence should be laid before the
courts, and the prosecution Of the
guilty parties should be carried on so
vigorously that this particular crime
would be ended for good and ALL It
is obvious that if the Republicans had
any such evidence within reach they
would not delay Offering it and
exposing the offenses charged against
the last administration. The accusa-
ton, therefore, disappears into the thin
air Of partisan hatred and yelled and
perhaps unintentional, but none the
less direct hostility to civil service re-
form.
In other respects, this editorial let
ter shows rather amusingly how easily
the wool can be pulled down at Wash
ington over unsuspecting eyes. 1t criti-
cises the placing of chief clerks and
other responsible officials within the
protection of the civil service system.
AS illustrating this objection, it says:
"a Democratic free trade clerk or chief
of division in the treasury department
is thus able to obstruct the protective