Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1899-02-04

trust upon the people and took con
troll of the public patronage, or was it
for selfish purposes that they fenced
in the public crib
ct they are Our antI-civIl service
retormcrs who depreciate and look
horrow-struck at the idea of an Office
holding aristocracy, and anyone who
gets inside their sacred enclosure has
to he Amounted more than thrice.
SO Is there a like state of affairs in
the national Offices, where civil service
has not been established. Look at
the army scandals. Would there be
such a shameful condition OF affairs if
the Office of Secretary of War were
under matured civil service laws, as il
should be, instead of the appointment
being a reward for campaign work!
Look at what the members of
Congress are degenerating to. Busted
in looking after fourth-class pOstuf-
fees, pensions and places for hungry
constituents, the general welfare Is
no more thought of. IRE consequence
Is, craftsmanship at Washington is
waning. This is brought about by
the voters who hurrah for the candi-
date who Is strong party man, a
faction man, a fellow of no statesman
ship but a good ol1ice-gctter. These
hungry ottice-hunterS have no con
vlctlons on legislation. They will join
with trusts to elect their man to deal
out offices, and we find the trusts at
Washington looking after legislation,
while the country cries out against
thcm-all the result of the anti-civil
service people rotiag 10 fill the C!Fres in
stead OF to obtain good legislation.
These anti-civil service people have
held on to office for more than Il quar-
ter Of Il century in nearly every State,
county and town in the country.
You can tell one of them the moment
he hoves in sight He is always on
the alert to make new acquaintances,
is ever ready to rub up against the
folks that have the pull He is al
ways nodding salutatiOns and doing
all sorts of things to gain recognition.
He has sort of ten per- cant. official
appearance and you can see 'ottice'
written across his forehead. sometimes
on 4 nose that is red. He can tell yOu
who is going to receive appointments
in any part of the country. During
the war with Spain he was concerned
only in the appointments. He is now
an "eXpansioniSt' who will not or can
not give you a reason for taking the
Philippines, but his eyes brighten
when he coutemplates the chances for
more Offices. He has no interest in
anything nor person that Is not IN the
atmosphere OF Office. Like wilkins
Micawber he is always looking for an
Office to turn up" Every time that
he goes back and forth through a door
he does it with sort of official shuttle.
| The dolar-scared Hanna, Me Too"
Platt, Plum Tree Quay, and Tammany
! Croker are his political gods and these
grimy-hqnded public pests are as much
| good to the welfare of the country as
| Captain Kidd OF Blue Beard. These
| notorious office-dispensers make one
| shudder like the demon scenes IN Faust
| at the manner in which they have
wrought havoc to just legislation un-
| der the damnabie system which makes
| election returns a corrupt call to Office.
| The public affairs Of the country are
polluted and stenched by the craze for
| office, and the piratIcal manner in
| W Juc DtODIt lulNlCSlo 10 SWIM "
| by these Huns and NandalS of Amerl-
can politics demonstrate that Civil Ser
vicere-form is the only means by which
| there public can be saved from one Of
| the dangers that menace 1t.
Yes, we want civil service in every
! department of public affairs.
1t is true that there may be some
abuses in the system at present and it
will take time to establish it fully and
| effectively. But we are bound to have
it aud we will have it. beginning with
| Secretary of State and head of every
department. No change in officers eX-
cepting President Senators, Members
| of Congress and the Legislative officers
! Of States, counties and towns.
And we need a sweeping law to pro
tect all clerical officials from the pros
cription of partisan poliflcS--a law
! that will permit every employee of the
government to exercise complete pollt-
zeal freedom, even to taking the
stump, and should President or any
other official interfere with tie rjghtsq
| the citizen, Impeachment to follow forth
with.
Let us have this kind of civil service
administration by persons selected
| from honest competition, corruption
will disappear from politics and states
men will return to Washington.
And now, Anti Civil Service, the
way to redeem our country from the
corruption to which it has been reduc-
ed by those fellows who never let go'
| is TO turn in and work for civil service
refom in every department of public
affairs, and for every incompetent AS,
pirant to give up sitting on the way
side OF life looking for an office.
CIVIL SERVICE.