The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-12-15
CARL sCHURZ's ADDRESS.



Plymouth Church was crowded with a
large audience last night, which had as
sembled to listen to the annual address
of the president of the National CiviI-serv-
Ice League. Carl Schurz, of New York.
He was introduced to the audience by Mr..
Lucius b. Swift, of this city.
Mr.. Schurz's speech. which was very
long, opened with a tribute to George
Washington. the centennial anniversary of
whose death the league was celebrating,
In which he said 1t seemed to him that
the greatest historic value Of Washing
toms career to the American people con-
sisted not so much in the battles he fought
and In the fortitude with which he upheld
the cause of his country during the dark
est days of the revolutionary war, as in
the fact that as the first President Of the
United States he set up at the very be-
ginning of our republican government a
standard of wisdom. public virtue and pa
triotism which has been and will always
remain to his successors in the presidency,
as well as to all men In pubic power. the
surest guide as TO the principles to be fol-
lowed, the motives to be obeyed ard the
public ends to be pursued"
The speaker then outlined the purpose
for which the league was organized. the
necessity which had fallen upon IL of
watching the application of the civil-serv-
ice law and of criticising the successive
national administrations for their failure
to enforce the Jaw properly. 1.-The faithful
performance OF he unpleasant part of this
duty" he said, has occasionally drawn
upon us, now IT 1m Democrats and then
from Republicans, the charge that we were
chronic OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES satisfied. al
ways discontinued. sometimes even with
what was done by officials who had them
selves been classed among the civil-service
reformers. Those who make this charge
do not consider that IL is the first duty
of this league to hold up the true standard
Of civil-service reform and to be dissat-
fof0d ~ 70 f~1 En"lN III
that does not come up TO that standard.
If II failed TO do this IL would not be true
TO the reason of its being"
CRITICISES M'KINLEY.
Mr.. Schurz then proceeded to the main
part of his address. which consisted I'm
a review of the attitude of President Nc
Kinley's administration toward civil-serv-
Ice reform. He recalled that the league
highly approved of the Presidents early
promises in regard to the matter and of
his order of July q. 1897. concerning re-
movals; also that IL had cautioned him
against the issuing of the civil-service or
der of May %. 1899. which removed certain
branches OF public service from the COM
petitive system, and which the friends of
the reform considered a deplorable act.
To the i'll consequences of this order OF
May y and what the league holds to be its
neeuieSSneSS the speaker directed most of
his rema. ks The order" he said, docs
not stand as an isolated fact. 1t appears
rather as the o~utgrowth. perhaps as the
elimination, OF a general tendency that
has In an alarming degree manifested itself
under the present administration outside
OF the classified service as well as
within IT,"
He held that IL had an effect in hinder
Ing the application of civil-service princi-
piles to the consular service. He said i'm
touching on this phase of the subject:
For a long time the commercial COM
munity has by all sorts of demonstrations
and appeals endeavored to induce the gov
nme TO take that branch OF the service
out OF politics. The administrations pre-
ceding this have been sadly delinquent I'm
satisfying this wise and patriotic demand
a fact which this league from time to time
brought TO the public notice by unsparing
criticism. But a beginning of reform was
at least made by the last administration
which might have been developed into
something valuable. Not only has this be-
ginning. instead or being so developed,
been turned into a burlesque, but there
have been during the last three years
more changes OF a political character in
the consular service than during any
corresponding period In the recent past"
The tendency TO disregard the civil-serv-
Ice law Is also, he said, manifest In the