Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1899-07-06
SINGLE COPY FIVE CENTS
NUMBER 48

twelfth Of its fair proportions Al this
rate it would only take II more steps
backward 10 return to the halcyon days
Of Andrew jackson, for the maximum
number ever under the civil service is
10000. It will be delightful to read
what the Hon Carl Schurz, Governor
Roosevelt and other genuine civil sery-
ice reformers will have TO say Of Presi-
dent McKinley's s latest caper.
.SWise and CommendabIe.u
The Glcbe-D Democrat says Of Cleve-
lands blanket order: ''It was a grand
Democratic raid and round up. This is
false civil service, and merely an ag-
grayated form of the spoils system. /"
Now. if it had been a grand Republican
raid and round up The Globe Democrat
would have been tickled half to death.
That great party organ then adds,
THE Presidents recent notifications
are in every way wise and commend
able. No doubt In the rear part Of
Webster's old blue back spelling book
there is very interesting parable. the
substance Of which is. a great deal de-
pends upon whose OK is gored COM
mend this to the serious consideration
of The Globe Democrat. Nobody knows
better than the editor of that paper that
the present civil service system, as it is
administered, has from the very begin
ming redoUnded to the benefit of the Re-
publican party, and that today there are
three Republicans holding office where
there is one Democrat, and it has al
ways been that way ever since Gentle
man George" H. Pendleton of Ohio se-
cured the passage of his law. OF the
first gang upon whom that law confer
red Office by life tenure nearly every
one was a Republican.
Democratic Greed.
On the scanty list of Grover Cleye-
land virtues as a public man his fdel-
ity to the civil service system stands
first. His mind was so peculiarly organ
lied that party service, instead of being
recommendation to him for an appoint
ment. was rather in the nature Of a dis
qualification. He had no sympathy with
the boys who carry the torches and fight
in the trenches for the all sufficient rea-
son that be had never INDUCED in that
hilarious business himself. In addition
to all that, the Mugwumps really made
him president anyhow They were the
decisive factor in his first race for presi-
dent, and they are entitled to all the
glory, if there be any. 1t is preposterous
to say that out of the Z, 900. 600 Of peo-
pie who voted for Mckinley there are
not sufficient number of capable pe0-
pie to fill all the offices 1t would be
equally preposterous to say that out of
the 6, 500, 006 who voted for Bryan there
could not be found enough capable men
to fill all the offices.
The Chicago Democratic convention
Of 1895 declared against life tenure in
Office. That is part of the Democratic
creed. There is no mere reason why
man should hold a clerkship forever be-
cause he happens to be once appointed
than that be should go to congress or
the senate forever because he is once
elected. It is good thing for oficehold-
ers of every degree. from the president
down, to return once in awhile to the
!
body of the people and TO take part in
the ordinary duties of citizenship. l
can rig up a civil service scheme that
would have some sense in it as well as
some justice. In the first place. pass
law fixing a reasonable term, say, five
or six years, for appointive places, and
provide that when any party carried
the presidential election it shall hold
competitive examinations among the
members of its household. At the end
of the term the old appointees may be
examined along with the new appli
cants. The present plan leads inevitably
% a pension system from the civil walks
of life. to which l am unalterably op-
posed and to which all patriots should
be opposed