The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-01-07
SHOWING THEIR HAND.

ShOWING THEIR HAND.
At last the crowd of little fellows
WHO. through the inscrutable opera
tions of our politics, are permitted to
pose as statesmen, the Gallingers and
Tawneys, the Grosvenors and Eddys,
have advised the country in what
fashion they would reform the civil
service reform if they can have their
way. il was not to be expected that
they would be candid and frankly de-
clare their real and ultimate purpose.
for they are cute enough to know that
there would burst upon them such a
storm Of protest aud Indignation as
would make them pray for deliverance
III some cyclone cellar. 1t was to be Ell
pected that they would come with
sheaking pretense Of regard for the
merit system. and with only pure
and indebted purpose Of lettering it;
removing the eXcrescences that I'M
scrupulous partisans like Harrison and
Cleveland had bred on the beautiful
system. But it was certain that, what
ever they might propose, they would be
unable to conceal their intention to
take the starch" out Of the reform and
leave it a limp and shapeless thing.
easily to be sent to the junks in the
general disgust
So we have their measure of reform.
The law is to he restricted to the de-
partments in Washington and to those
offices in cities where the employees ex-
coed twenty-five, except postoffices
where ten or more are employed And
none Of these are to be appointed for
more than five years, and all now hold
ing place are to walk out at the end of
five years from the day this law goes
into effect, if it ever does Further
more the civil lists shall contain only
those whose salaries range from 5000 to
500 4 year The press dispatch saws
that the members who framed the bill
arc well pleased with their efforts"
And we'll they may be. Uriah Heep
was never so happy as when he was
especially tumble, and joey Bagstock
was in the seventh heaven of bliss
when he imagined himself to be devil
lsh sly"
But 1T will bother these patriots to
explain why the limitation of five
years. If it is well for the public serv-
ice to have men chosen for places in it
after an examination that attests their
capacity to- do the work, and after five
years Of demonstration that they can
do it well, why not ten years or fifteen
or during good behavior? And If it is
desirable to remove them at the end of
five years and install a fresh lot to be
experimental with and taught, why
not a shorter term? And if the purpose
is. as it Is, to give representatives a
chance to pay off the debt incurred for
work in each biennial campaign with
places at the public crib, why not fix
the ttrrn at two years? And why any
term at all? Why not frankly declare
for the good old plan of giving each
representative a chance to make q
clean sweep Of all minor places within
his bailiwick when the misfortunes of
orl politics shall have swept him into
q brief term Of craftsmanship?
We have had for over fifty years q
tenure Of office act that limits the
terms Of certain federal officers to four
years: collectors. attorneys, marshals
and so on. What has been the almost
uniform result? These officers have
been, for the most part, mere figure
heads. Each one on entering office
soon became painfully aware that he
was the only ore in it who knew moth
in& Of its duties or methods He has
found that his predecessors sensiblv re-
tanned at least one man who did know
what was to be done and how to - it..
In a;l the mut4 tiCns IN tie paStofice
hsro, before its whole force was put in
tn" classified list. the deputy pest
waiter remained unchanged; 50 in the
internal revenue office: SO in the GUS
toms office. The chiefs have come and
gone, drawn their pay, affixed their sig
natures to reports Of whose contents
the incw little and cared less, while
the government and the public have
foHad themselves well served because,