The National tribune., 1898-12-01
CIVIL SERVICE REFORM.

Mckinley did not appear before Thanks
giving, as was confidently expected, and
it is still mysteriously hanging fire
though some sanguinely look for it every
time they open their daily papers We
sincerely hope that they may soon be
gratifed.
While waiting. it is pertinent to con-
slider some things about Civil Service in
general.
The founders of the Government most
strongly feared, and the people have
always had just and unconquerable
aversion to building up an ofice-h holding
class. That is despotism in its worst
form. No matter how bad tyrant may
be, the evil that he can personally do is
quite limited. 1t is his office holding
aristocraey that Expresses the people,
and he is simply part of the injurious
machine. In reality, the personality
and absolutism Of the Gar of Russia
are of small consequence. The tyranny
of the Government comes wholly from
the vast and complicated ring of Office
holders, who retain their places for life,
and are succeeded by their sons and
who can run the country solely for their
own benefit. France is a CHASTITY travesty
on the name of Republic" Her Gov
eminent is really q bureaucracy, which
has gone on unchanged through the
century, though the First Empire fell
and was succeeded by the Absolute
Monarchy, and it by the Constitutional
Monarchy, which in turn gave way to
the Second Republic. and it to the
Second Empire, and the latter to the
Third Republic, which rules to-day.
The tendency to bureaucracy is
always very strong in every country,
and has to be necessarily combatted in
order to prevent its fastening its blight
ing grasp upon the Government and its
institutions Men who get into Office
naturally seek to make the most they
can out of it. They naturally seek to
increase It's power, scope and profits.
They naturally seek to perpetuate them
selves in it, to surround themselves with
their children, relatives, and henchmen,
and to exclude all Others. The newt
able tendency Is a desire to administer
the places for the benefit of themselves,
their heirs, administrators and assigns,
rather than for the benefit of the public.
They make themselves a class, caste,
tribe for which the country exists,
rather than they for the country. This
has been the invariable history of office
holding since Governmental institutions
began.
Fully aware of this dangerous ten
dency enr fathers carefully elaborated
scheme of Government in which there
should be no semblaace of an Office
holding caste. The Government was to
be of the people, for the people, and by
the people. Every citizen was to hold
himself liable at any time to serve the
people for term in any capacity for
which he was qualified, and then return
again 10 the body of the community.
The advantages of this system are won
derfully manifold and manifest 1t
keeps the Government constantly near
to the people. 1t keeps it progressive
and responsive to the needs Of the
people. 1t brings constantly to the
service of the people fresh blood,
energy, zeal and patriotic spirit 1t
constantly returns to the people men
who have gained accurate knowledge Of
the workings of Government. and who
are capable critics of their successors.
1T allows unfit men to be speedily |
discovered and displaced, and fit men to
be retained Under this system our
public affairs, from those of the Town
ships to those of the Nation, have been
more honestly, capably and satisfactorily
administered than those of any country
in the world. 1t is true that there has
always been abundant cause for Just
criticism, but that is because all human
institutions are criticizable, and we have
been constantly straining for the highest
possible attalnments in the character of |