The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-12-17

to Be Governed by the Motto, ''TO
the Victor Belong the SpoiIs"-
Appointments Contrary to Civil
Service Requirements.
BALTIMORE, Dec. 16.-A sensational
attack upon Secretary Alger marked
this evenings session Of the Civil Serv-
ice Reform league. Charles J. Bona
parte, speaking on the recent war. re-
viewed the circumstances leading up to
the declaration of hostilities, which he
characterized as being absolutely with
out precedent in history, in that this
nation had undertaken such task
without giving a thought to the COM
parative naval and military strength Of
the countries concerned.
''Our present secretary of war;" said
he, sis said to have replied when asked
a year or more since what we should
do in event of war with one Of the
| great powers: Yes, in thirty days we
could place in the field millions Of men
and could back them up with a wall
of fire-in the shape Of veterans Last
summer, with this modest and judi
cious patriot in the war department.,
not thirty, but sixty days after the
war commenced, we placed in the field
not millions but barely 10000 men,
and so neglected these that we'll in
formed, if somewhat unfriendly foreign
critic could say, and say truthfully:
| Here, at the end of the nineteenth CEN
tury, one of the richest nations. on
earth, one Of the most intelligent and
one which poses as being amongst the
| most civilized sends out a small army
to fight, but shows herself unable either
to feed the soldiers that fight for her
or attend the wounded that bleed for
her, or to bury the dead that die for
| her."
Mr.. Bonaparte then proceeded to Sc
verely criticise President Mckinley for
| having appointed and retained Gen.
| Alger, to whom he referred as q man
| whom most soldiers regard with sus-
| picion and contempt" and he asserted
that the explanation of this action by
the president is to be found in the fact
that Secretary Alger will probably
have the Michigan delegation to de-
liver in the Republican convention of
| 1900, and he can do much to make the
Grand Army vote serviceable at both
the primaries and the polls.''
These conditions, the speaker claim
ed, are the legitimate result Of the
spoils system, Of which he said in con-
| clusion:
1--WE must free our country from this
| miserable yoke. If that can be done,
her soldiers will be In the future, as,
after all has been said, they have al
ways been in the past, those among
| hoy Of eJoo
cause to be ashamed"
RESOLUTIONS REPORTED.
The association devoted the morn
ing of it's second days ses-
sion to a discussion of the re-
port Of the committee on resolu-
tions, which charged the present ma
tional administration with a violation
of the spirit If not the letter Of the civil
service rules. The report as finally
adopted congratulates the lovers of
good government on "the failure of the
recent attack in congress upon the
merit SYSTEM" asserts that the con-
Vention has heard with grave concern
the report that the president Of the
| United States intends to withdraw
from civil service rules a large number
Of positions under the government and
expresses the belief that such action IS
contrary to the interests Of the public
service; cites a number of instances
of alleged departure from civil service
rules within the past year; charges
that the administration has failed to
redeem the promise "to extend the rule
! wherever possible" and in conclusion
asserts that the rule of the newly ac-
|
aster and disgrace If conducted on the
plans Of the spoils politician.
The following officers were elected:
President, Carl Schurz; vice president,
Charles Francis Adams Of Boston;
Henry Hitchcock, of ST. Louis; Angus
tus Macdonough, of New York; H. c.
Lea, of Philadelphia; Franklin Mac
Veagh, of Chicago; Bishop H. c. Pot
ter, Of New York; Bishop P. H Ryan,
of Philadelphia; William Potts, of New
York
At the afternoon session the COM
mittee on resolutions made its report,
containing the following:
There are none in the country who has
wished more earnestly for the success of the
| present administration in carrying out its
| declared principles with regard to the reform
more zealously anxious that in this particu-
lar It's record should be consistent and unim-
peachable. The league, however, In the dis
| charge Of the duties of watchful and tmpar
tial criticism-a duty more than ever impera
tive at this critical period in the DEVELOPMENT
of our administrative system, is forced tn
recognize certain grave departures within the
present year from a strict observance of the
civil service law and the principles underlying
| 1t.
Hundreds OF appointments to civil positions
| in the Washington office OF the war denart
| ment in certain bureaus of the treasury were
made during the recent war without refernca
| to the civil service laws, although the lists
Of the commission contained several thousand
persons eligible for appointment and within
easy call, and further that the persons 80
appointed were in many cases illterate and
| otherwise incompetent and unfit.
Changes in the consular service have been
more sweeping than at any previous time.
| exceeding In number those made under the
preceding administration and, amounting, In
the salaried grades, to a total of 2S7 out of
272. or nearly 90 per cent of the whole; and
that the system Of non-competitiYe sxamina-