Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-08-27
Senator eal,ineer on Civil Service Reform.

form" 1t may have been written be-
fore President Mckinley issued his re-
cent orders relative to the civil service,
and which viii help to remedy certain
of the defects of which Mr.. Gallinger
complains, viz, Insecurity of APP
| pointeess under the present law. also
the inclusion of administrative officials
under it's provisions. 1t will be remefn-
| bered that one of the Presidents or
deIs provides that the employee shall
not be removed except ON specific
charges and then not until he has hal
! ample opportunity to defend himself;
also in the case of certain subordinates
much administrative officials as the
collector. that they shall not be sub
jected to the provisions of the law.
! While Senator Gallinger's criticisms
| are not to be taken at their face value
as readily as il ne were not known
| opponent of the system so far as re-
CARDS any bread application Of it, yes
some of his statements impress one
Who is at all familiar with the exist
ing conditions as unquastionable;
they VIII suggest to the great majority
of readers, we believe, reform of the re-
form rather than its aboiishment. Ger
tainly the friends of civil service re-
form are or should be more solicitous
than it's enemies that it be not made
obnoxious nor be extended beyond
what common sense can approve. In
this view ii would be well TO take the
senator at his word that he is not ac-
tuated in his criticisms solely or even
mainly by greed for the spoils. He
does, however, prejudice his case when
he makes the sweeping charge that the
civil service has not improved under
the reform. This statement may be a
more difficult 10 prove. His reference
to the Increased cost per capita in the
administration of the government is
also unfair in its implied application
for there is nothing 10 show that such
increase IS due to civil service reform
and his own figures show that from 1920
to 1860 this per capita cost had nearly
trebled, which it has not done since
that time. Nor does ne state the per
capita cost in 1889 when the civil SER
Vice reform law went into effect an
omission that makes his comparisons
practically valueless.
Those who have noted the recent re-
buff at die hands of President McKin
ley, Which the avoWed opponents of the
law received, must be convinced thai
civil service reform has little to fear
from those who publicly denounch it.
The danger consists in the perversioa
of the law by those who profess to
mend it but really seek to vitiate II,
Mr. Galhnger's complaint that the ex-
tension pf the law by executive order
has been mischfevous is not altogether
unfounded as the facts he presents will
show. Moreover this exposition demon
strates the reason we have to fear some
of the protested reformers. No Presi-
dent ever made so great prefer
sions to being civil service re-
former as did Grover Cleveland. No
President was ever credited by those.
who assume a sort of paternal interest
in the reform, as Grover Cleveland has
| been. Now from the facts adduced by
Senator Gallinger it appears that no
President since the law went into efTec,
has done more to strengthen the
| grounds for criticism of the system
than did President Cleveland. Here is
Il part of what Senator Gallinger has
| to say that bears upon this point:
The fact that the offices are now
filled largely by the adherents of one
| political party is a weak spot in civil
| service, as it clearly shows that by
| some sort of manipulation or political
legerdema.n that result has been
brought about. When the civil service
| law went into effect there was UNI
doubtedly a large majority of Repub
Hcans in office, as the government had
| been continuously in the hands of tina.
party for over twenty years. 1t was
then claimed that under the civil SER
vice law vacancies would be filled by
competitive examination, thus climin-
a,ing politics from appointments.
ut viii readily be seen that if that
idea had been honestly carried out
there would Still he more Republicans
than Democrats in office, and it is only
necessary to existing facts to show
that the law has not been fairly OF
honestly administered. The following
Illustrations speak for themselves:
AT recent hearing before the SEN
ai,e investigating committee Senator
Pritchard loid before the committee a
communication from Public Printer
Palmer, giving the political complexion