The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-02-22
INITIATE ILLINOIS.

The second annual report of the civil
service commissioners of the CITY OF
Chicago contains matter that should
give an impetus to the efforts to Sc
cure from this session of the legislature
a comprehensive act putting the state
or, at least, the municipal service upon
the merit system. The members of
the legislature who are endeavoring to
forward this benef1cent reform will
md In it an armory Of facts to draw
upon, while the friends of the reform
working for the same end can further
equip themselves from its stores.
Chicago's action carries with it the
strongest possible REPUTATION of that
objection, so powerful with timid souls
in politics, that this merit system of
appointment is only fad of the doc
trinaries and has no support in popular
opinion. 1t was this objection that
led to the incorporation in the Illinois
act of the provision that the get should
49, become operative when submitted
to a vote and accepted by a majority
Of the voters of any city
OF all our cities, New York not ex-
cepted, one would suppose the spOils-
men the most powerful in Chicago.
The character of its common councils.
with their perennial scandals of corrupt
deals, could only be possible, one might
with reason. conclude, in a city domi-
mated by kakistrocacy, among whom
htness for place would, naturally. he
the last qualification thought of if
thought Of at all The pictures of it's
civic life sketched by it's papers would
warrant the inference that the control
aIternated between disreputable and
INSCRIPTIONS machines, managed nv
men Who cared only for the spoils of
Office And yet, when the experiment
was tentatively made of providing the
merit system of appointment to place
by making its adoption depend upon
majority vote, the trainers and friends
We're with the country, equally sur
pr1sed to have the system adopted bv
the voters Of Chicago by over fifty
thousand majority No timid friend OF
the adoption of the reform for this
state or for any of it's municipalities
need hesitate as to it's popularity when
Chicago sets such an exaInnIe Even
II such fear still haunts any mem
ber's soul, no harm can come by MAX
ing the system optional with any citv
Ii majority Of its voters SO wish.
There may be members Of the Iegis-
latllre who still hold to the belief that
patronage is essential to party success.
and that, when the lure of a possible
place and salary is removed, the work.
ers will disappear Experience everv-
where refutes this Where or when
was there fiercer contest than the
last presidential campaign, and vet
aside from the postoffices, there are
but seven hundred places to which the
next president can make appointments
Inc removal Of almost all the minor
offices of the state Of New York and
Its cities from the spoils Of victory has
not preventing that state from having
exciting campaigns, with ample sup
ply of workers." nor has it prevented
the oscillation Of control from one to the
other political party. In the national
field the Democrats won in 1884 with
out a Democrat holding a federal office
and lost in 1888 with more than half Of
them in possession; while, in 1896, as
we said, the Republicans won with
all but a few offices permanently
placed under the the merit system.
Bagacious politicians long ago
learned that patronage was a
source of weakness to any party.
like the impedimenta of an army. each
appointment creating, as one expressed
1t, zone migrate and twelve enemies"
The session should not be permitted
to pass by the majority party control
ling it without some measure which
shall take the expressions of favor for
rivil service reform out of the do
main Of mere profession in platforms,
and place 1t in that Of performance. If
there remain doubt of its popularity,
bt least give the voters a chance to ex-