The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-01-23
COL. GRUBER'S GRAND KICK
CHOPPER UNION JAM FULL OF Pro-
GRFssIyE G. =. REFORMERs.

"a
Larry was stretched" - The Crowd
wboops when the Colonel Pictures the
w.pv amp In his Gre at Once n oiding Act
rrpIy IL was great night for Col. Abe Gruber
- bi. progressive civil service reformers.
conner Union was jammed full. and IL the
covers OF the meeting had provided for an out
A., e,htbltion there would have been couple
=, GOOD. sized overflow meetings; but, rs Col.
Az. .sid I'VE never thought Of It," The brass
h.nd came early and played 1T Don't Seem Like
An. same Old Smile" somebody said something
.hout Col strong. and the band started off on
.villie When You Die. VIII You Will Me Your
whi.kersi" Then Col. Gruber marched In be-
s,,d Lucas l.. Van Allen. and followed by cx-
po.,rna.ter Van Colt. Col. Jim Stewart, State
I,.pector Of Gas Meters. and about half the
m.mters Of the Republican County Committee.
m, hand struck up THE Night Before Larry
va. stretched" and the crowd howled well
come.
For the benefit Of the SrS readers who don't
tpow about the purposes OF tho Progressive
ri,u Service Reform Association. It may be
aid that IL IL a creation of Col. Gruber. and
,ha, its main object is to secure the passage Of
laws that will stop the asking Of damphool
questions Of the men who want to go into tho
service Of the city or State. aud to substitute
questions that will bring out tho applicants
Qualifications FOR the work in hand. IL was
o,rapized a year or so ago, and Col. Gruber says
un marching on. now. 10000 strong. This is
the first mass meeting. The Colonel had staked
mia reputation that IL would be q great success.
ard 1, may be added that he saved his reputa-
,ion and could have saved 4 couple more II
necessary.
When the band got through with the Night
Before Larry Was stretched" and the crowd
b.d got U and howied. Mr.. Van Allen stepped
forward and made a little sreecA 10 put the
Wheel, In motion. lie wanted II understood
that the club wasn't opposed TO practical civil
service reform. but was opposed to tho present
uaioue system operated by the holler-than-
thou.art fellows for their own aggrandizement
and benefit" He was opposed to IL, he laid. be-
cause II WAS not practical. IL was not com mon
sens. and It was un- American.
-Ike idea" be said. "of asking = street
sweeper whether the planet Mars Il inhabited
or What was tae qualify of apple Adam ate, or
how msay sea.s there are in Alaska, or tho
npubcs ut microbes that have been discovered
.sce creation TO ascertain whether lac Is of sum-
cent Intelligence 10 sweep the streets"
Then lie turn,d TO Col. Gruher. who was
uni,!ns AID kicking up his heels and intro
dvesd h M as the father Of our association,
snail CT stature. but mighty OF intellect; the
author. the or; :lpator. and he who Is 10 be the
peffsctor Of the true civil service REFORM"
TIE band started up. Sec the Conquering
Here Gomez" bot the Colone, stopped them by
~a'!,g both hsnd,. His nrst sentence WAS a.
s;ruptsd BY a "Hi-hi-hi-hl-yl-yi! Hurrsh for
snail we carry our fight on. he Numbered
until we have won in the last ditch won not
for ourselves. but for our country. won for our
tr.fiI a. snail = q down in dRffaty All
tbsn. indeed. will b. the approach OF the Ga=k
day when the citizens no longer control this
Go,.rament, but shall have approached a
"B.rrah. hurrah. bully. Give It 10 EN-.
ABB came from all parts OF the hall: and the
Colore! SQUARED 81 aud went at EN-.
The cry, he saiu. that we are politicians
LOOK ~ COR spolls shall not deter us. especially
when IL come. from those who, declining to lie
holdes'
and the tsmult hadn't subsidized when he did 60
on. Hes got big voice. and with all the
strength q 1t he shouted: AN the professional
civil service reformers have long record OF
oficebo.tin g and when they did not succeed In
getting aces for themselves and their social
trisad. y "a: only because their reach was not
Give 'em L. Abe. give EN- L. shouted q
mddls-aged man In the front row, Jumping up
.sd down, He was suppressed. and Col. Gruber
,"ki, true th., when politicians seek ONCE 1t
Ia said that they are looking FOR spnils, bur
when our critics feverish with nticiI alton. are
or the same errand spOils become heaven-sent
Eits In recognition OF superior virtue" and the
anplause hrokr out AGAIN.
The Colonel wen. on To sar that the Progress
siVe CIV! Service Reform Association wasn't
looking solely for spolls, and that the Offices
shoqid ~ he'd by men of the same political faith
as the head, q The Government and the heads
ofdepariments. II the heads Of the Government
ana TIE heads OF departments are to be held
responsible for the MANAGEMENT Of the Govern
ment.
= republic" he said. cannot live except By
party government. and party government can
hot exist with good TO the nation unless the
party IN power Is actually responsible for all
thal Is done In It's executive departments This
psUposltion IL 20 automatic that need not dwell
% ": merely state y here tonight for the
b.n.ni Of the editor Of the Eu>ntng Post
There wer. shouts Of Good boy, good boy"
H. voice from the rear OF the hall; "Larryl
Nsii TIE Co.onel took up the manner In which
,ss McsNGmp. talked about politicians. and he
eAhed tr- MGgrumps "a faddish. narrow. i'm
p.EieaO'e aud int.uteSinAl minority" which
hAd dram Atogt itself a circle. "suggestions
s sS@ VIII no matter BY whom made or
go Lhey uAy b. worth. are at once con-
d.mned. sneered at, viliied. and lied about in q
mahhef tru'J artistic and possessed only by the
setcDnsecrat-d cyclists themselves"
lie sad the objections IN tn. present civil se--
sce system were. first, tho met hods pursued In
asts nag the rner, and htness Of applicants;
M. M, th- atmosphere sought to be created that
s.stee with either Of the two great political
ss.dt, . o. engaging tn political work was dis
tLa"r' lHiru Us tendency Tow ara the eeta D.
Hshmeht OF bureaucracy. and tho destruction
n puIe democracy; and, fourth. its ny pocricy.
IL sain that AIN bition to enter the pub
sho got tn nowadays had to have more book
isarhlhs than horse sense. He described the
aNyef membe Of the Civil Service Com mission
PREPARING list OF questions to find out the
tua!Hcsuons OF a meat Inspector. He said that
snt,ng a large, round hand helped along q
MAh percentage, aud then he asked: Can
{oa Imagine poor old Horace Greeley grooming
~ Us grave aud the crowd jumped up AMI
sowna and howled
An. 4, j. we'll" said tn. Colonel. that they
th me- Gntll Horace died before they invented
Then he gave some samples OF Ben Frank
" pspei,Ihs, coupled with the comment that
m.,tsNhS"h couldn't have got n Job as q police
han urder Theodore Roosevelt. The crowd
Board. -' e-'' VI Inv ""e'
?, LssL me say. here" said the Colonel. that
eonJ Inte Roosevelt declares that he 10 full OF
80 intentions. ~ and | have heard OF a
80 thht Is paved with GOOD Intentions. Tho
t'nurl pause: and the crowd hOwlpd. yet"
"-nl Hh, when lie had the chance, people
tb.,s"e dohL Eet much credit for residing
~, ne hHd 10 stop again. and there were voices
in az parts Of the hail Of:
=" ne II 10 him; that's right"
yort ~te are many sturdy citizens OF New
e., Hr SAM Who wish Tonight that Mr..
''TTE>eNe't Wa IN hat place"
.t"th ir read 4 lot Of sample out Oft e-vny
L. u'Eh',c hgol questions that had actually
poIIc as'ed Of men no appl ed for places on the
te force since Mr.. Roosevelt has been a
,".."'N'1pNtr, He DECLARED waa