Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1898-01-13
AN ATTACK ON CIVIL SERVICE REFORM.


bUtu ubTb Huu Ut NHSDiu,I0u. NO |
man WHO are nhlo TO win elections under
the manly system OF popular suffrage, |
who are able to Gil tho Offices and |
given decent administration to public |
affairs and who are neither afraid nor |
ashamed to nvow their contempt for
the so called civil service Rystem aud |
their belief in the virtue Of the GO. |
called "spoils'' system. have boon
moving upon the entertainments Of tina
hypocrites with vgor and Ri effective.
ness that is making tho animals howl.
Tho iellnws who are claiming tho solo
charge OF this munarchial bantling
mrde their first successful onslaught
upOn james 6. Elaine thun whom there
never was a man in public life whu
cured lnsa about patronage and who
used il lesH. blaine did not need tho
undorpinning of Offices. ile was strong
enough to dipense With it, and 1t 10
ths fact that hs never usod il except
out of pure friendship, to please
friend, and never TO strengthen him
self. But the hyrucriteR, who could
no rot uilicss for they could not win
victories, hal newspapers. and that is
about all they have to day. Their
leading newspapers in Now York City
were subsidized, il is true. They got
puid in dollars and cents for every line
OF opinion they uttered, Tbs ilnposters
Of New York City invested their money
in newspapers. Money hired brains.
IL cannot hire morals, hut IL can always
command brains. 1t commanded macy
brilliant men who wero put TO work
10 Now York newspaper Offices, and
ably helped by Tammnny's ballot box
htutfers, they succnGdcd in defeatinZ
Elaine, nos on tho issue OF protection,
hut on tho falsohoud that no WINS
spokesman. There is the Evening Post
OF Now York, for example,. 1t etlits
many 40 called Democratic newspapers
Of the country, including Every Evon
ing OF this rity. 1t 10 Il Nero Eira!ing,
living Off tho polls OF importation. 1t
used to ho Republican hirclirg and
its o@ners or managers or editors Ia
tho old days, outside Of William Cullen
bryant, had always TO lie kept in Office
somehnw. That was their price for
surpurtiug Decent policy, They were
willing 10 ho decent, hut they had to
be paid for it. When it changed hands,
it did not change morals. 1t had and
has still TO be maid for it's services.
Hut the men who are paying it bayo
had the Wilson act. and the four laat
years of Grover. They got back thon
all they had invested in tho Evening
Post, the Times, the World and the
rest OF the potent free traitors.
Civil service reform was anpincident,
but il was q most effective weapon. II
ia pretty good weapon yet, but Cleye-
land took ntl it's edge. 1t docs not cut
the way it used to do. 1t will cut
still less after this battle ia over. In
| this city, as elsew hare. the reformers"
are men who can't get Office eithor by
Rlectinn or appointment. The leading
| light among them tried TO bs elected
and he was showed undar, and his chief
instrument happily adapted in tho
use of scissors, tried to get an appoint
ment from that must indiscriminRting
of all statesmen, Senator Gray aud
could not do it, because uf his habits.
This illustrates the whole bread from
Maine to Texas-.thnt is, the genuine
breed.
How excited they became two weeks
ago when the custodinnship Of the
Federal building was properly trans
ferred to tho Republican United States
marshal. How solicitous they became
about the fireman, tho engineer, the
lahorers and tho janitOr employed at
| JuB FptlUTEl DullulnD. L ulA Ii uUuu
to get tho spoils' they shrioksd. Sup
pose it isl Is il u Sin against the holy
ghost? Cannot Republicans be found,
for the next four years. without iniur-
ing the public service, tn take these
places held by Democrats during the
last four2 Will such a change hurt
the service? Honor bright, what harm
will 1T do? For once tell tho truth
that is in your mind; what harm can
it possible do? They wont say what
they think. They will liz about il to-
morrow. They will howl that il ia
hunting for the ''spoila,' and then
their breath will fail them. This illus
tratcs the whole breed throughout the
country,
Any industrious, healthy mon cnn
clean out a building. AS thore arc
healthy, industrious Republicans in
this city as well al Democrats, it goes
without Baying that Marshal Short can
find two Republicans, two men who
have earned the job by their work in
defence of sound money and the pro-
tectiye tariff, to take the plnce of the
two Democratic laborers. Ho can also
find good Republican who did party
work, none other will do, to run the
elevator, since under Providence there
is no man on the civil service list,
credited to Delaware who has taken az
examination in modern langages and
higher mathematics TO get in line fol
appointment as elevator conductor.
There are hundred good party workers
in Wilmington entitled to that job. Lot
thp mon with the most merit marks, af
worker in his ward, be- selected.
There is tho engineer. 1t matters
not who he is. lilo was sent here from
Washington, whittier he had drifted
from New England. There waH nc
Wilmington man in the list. The civil
service commission did not trust the
custodian TO select man for temporary
service. They hHro since admitted that
thpy did wrong. They agros now thai
man for epGh u job should be selected
from the community where the job is.
They are prauticing at last that reason
able rule. Wilmington is high schuo
for engineers. Here they are made fol
a good part OF this good country. Viii
mington can give points on machinery
anu engineering TO every town in New
England, and Az for Washington il
trains nobody in the useful arts, out
side of dining and Office holding. Anr
. yet, under the operation of tho civil
service, Washington sent Yankee t.
run an engine in Wilmington. Support
Washington sent a Deluwarean TO bakt
. beans in Boston.
Republican Glasses'' ia oousisten
in being spokesman. Spoismen rar
thia city from 1859 to 1887 and gave il
the best government it ever enjoyed
Let the hypocrites who write edituriall
turn to their files. They won't lind /