The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-04-02

esteemed as a day Of legitimate decep-
ton, but We have not heretofore
known Of its use as q day on which
to throw Off deception. Our contem-
porary utiIzes the privileges Of the
day for one or the other of these com
Trajectory purposes, we shall not
assume to say which. We quote from
its editorial columns Of April 1 a por-
ton of one editorial under the caption
"A Perversior~ of~the Law" and also
an editorial paragraph, and leave the
decision Of the question whether our
contemporary has been playing the
Pharisee hitherto or not to the un-
biased Judgment of our readers In
the first editorial 1T says:
Mr.. Cleveland's narrow partisan action in
ming thousands Of government positions. then
outside the jurisdiction of the civil service
commission, with Democrats just before his
retirement from office, and then putting them
under the protection OF the civil service rules
Is an illustration of the fact that In reform
movements, as everywhere, false friend is
worse than an open enemy. =
But the true course for Republicans to
pursue is not to denounce the law but to
heretofore suggested in this journal, to all
persons appointed within a year or more
prior to the Issue of Cleveland's order bring
ing their positions within the scope Of the
civil service rules. This will weed out in
competents, make room for Republican eligi-
bles, and rectify the attempted wrong.
In the paragraph referred to it says:
Carter Harrison Jr., the Silverite candi-
Gate for mayor Of Chicago, has had a lesson
on the impolicy Of too much talking. He
oil cd ho rtld
every republican city official appointed by
Mayor Swift before the municipal civil service
law went into effect. This declaration has
been met by the introduction of a bill in the
Illinois legislature extending to those ap-
pointees the protection of the civil service
rules, which bill will undoubtedly become a
law before the election Checkl Mr. Harri-
That is to say that it was a ''perver-
sion of the law" for Mr.. Cleveland
to put Democrats into office before
including them in the civil service lists,
but 1t was no "perversion' for Mayor
Swift to do the same things with Re
publicans The Democrats appointed
under Mr.. Cleveland's administration
should be weeded out to make room
for Republican eligibles," but
CI1CCh SIOuIQ US Cdll6Q Oh MI. HUI
rison's avowal of a similar intent
Again, although the civil service law
prohibits any Enquiry as to the par
tisan standing Of applicants, it is to
be changed or perverted" so as to
make possible the selection of ''Repub-
lican eltgibles.''' A system designed to
be absolutely non-partisan Is to be
perverted to make partisanship quail
ification. And this at the suggestion Of
a paper that pretends to be a friend
Of the REFORM. When a bill was pend
ing in our legislature-andk killed by it
in spite Of party professions in plat
corresponding for a tentative in
PRODUCTION Of the reform in one Of our
branches Of state regulation of private
enterprise, and supported by the Pho
neer Press, Mr.. Hartshorn YEARLY
declared that he was ''tired Of the
whole civil service reform" We begin
to understand now why he and his
Republican associates in the house
have that tired feeling" 1t is the
humbug and cant that weary them.