Marble Hill press., 1898-01-13
YandiYer on Civil Service.

Jan. 7 the house devoted ano tn
er day to exposing the humbug OF
the present civil service system.
Mr.. Vandiver of Missouri spoke
forty minutes with force upon the
question. He said in part;
"May l inquire what it is that
causes all Of this conflict and com
motion2 Is it because the great
body Of tho American people, hon
est, Industrious and self.support-
ing citizens Of the republic, fear
that their property is endangered,
their liberties imperiled, their lives
menaced or their happiness in any
way involved? Is it because some
commercial enterprise waits on our
action, or some great moral and ed
ucational reform is to be worked
out? No, no; it is none of these.
1t is a question so insignificant, a
question so utterly foreign to the
welfare of the great mass of our
people, that it would seem untitled
to engage the attention of any but
pusillanimous partisaDs. 1t is sim
ply this: There are few petty lit
tie government clerkships held by
democrats, and great horde of
hungry republicans want them,
"Now, what we ask Of yon is not
to stay your hand but proceed at
once; repeal this law and fill all
these places with your political fol
lowers. then stop all this cant
about the civil sercice reform and
merit system Be honest and can
did about it; say that yon do it for
political reasons; feed the hungry
horde of officeseekers who are houn'
ding your footsteps by day and dis
turbing your dreams by night; but
don't ask us to assist yon in so mod
flying the law, either by enactment
here or by pressure upon the exec
utive, as to enable you to turn out
these democrats from Office and yet
leave the law to stand as cloak
with which to cover your sins.
"Truo, this would be ignoring
another plank in your platform, but
you have shattered already much
more important planks in it than
this one. If we may take your Sec
retary Of the treasury as your ac-
credited spokesman, you have aban-
doned already your campaign pre-
lenses Of favoring bimetallism,
which your party was pledged to
promote.
eff the presidents message is to
be taken as an expression of your
party's position, thon you have
shattered the Cuban plank in your
platform, and made it easy for the
gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Grosve'
nor) to parry thrust of the gen
tleman from Massachusetts, who
had charged him with getting of
the civil service plank, by simply
asking HIM what had become of the
Cuban plank.
"But what spectacle does this
afford! What an argument for q
distinguished statesman to make.
In substance, it reads like this:
I'VE have broken faith with the
friends of Cuba; therefore, there
is no longer any reason why we
should keep faith with the friends
of the civil service reform
"And why break it? To improve
the public service or TO reduce The
expenses Of the government? No
but for the avowed purpose Of keep
ing the republican party in power
u consummation devoutly to be
deplored. And the distinguished
republican representative from Nortl
Carolina went so far as TO say, il
substance, at least, that in his stat,
the pressure was so strong that i
the present civil service rules were
not abolished and his party follow
ers given some reward for thei
party fealty, there would not b.
enough republicans left after th'
next election TO glvoa decent buria
TO their defeated candidates. Gap
plausc)
"But what q spectacle does al
this present. Are there no princi
pies left for republican statesmen
60 delcndy Il tho whole republl
can party organized only for th'
spoils Of Officer Has The great par
y Of Lincoln aud Grant doaeende