Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1899-02-04
CORRESPONDENCE.
\ Strong Letter.
CUMBERLAND, Nh, Jan. 81, 1899,

To the MINING JOURNAL.
Kindly grant me space in the JOUR
NAL. which is always open to fair dis
cusslon of public affairs. for few re-
marks anent the questions prOpound-
ed by "Anti-Civil Service in your last
issue.
Like all people opposed to civil ser
vice, this writer, unfortunately y, deals
with the subject on the surface only.
AS his article is short, though con
tanning about all there is in the con-
tention of those opposed to civil ser
vice, and in order to handle him fully,
| quote him ger6atim:
Kindly allow a small spaCeln your valuable
paper for Il few remarks suggested by your
criticisms of "A Close Observer i'll the last
issue of the JOURNAL.
Until read the above mentioned article |
had been led to believe that ciVil-ServiCe re
former was a person who made Il business Of
taking all he could get his hands upon, and
that, in order to be a genuine refOrmer, he
held on until something better could be got.
If you know or have ever heard of any that
ever did let go of good thing, | would like
you to mention his name. Take for instance
the Over-rated Carl SchurZ-What has he ever
let go of that he could use for his own selfish
purposes? And take our OWL civil service re-
tOrmerS-men Of less nOtOrietV, but surely as
useful-James NJ. Sloan and l.. +. MCGomaS
did you ever know them to. let go Of the
smallest thing in the way of an office they
they could get, or of ever negecting an OPP
pOrtuniy whereby they could benefit them
selves at the expense of the public?
"Anti-CiviI Service says 81 had
been led to believe that a civil service
reformer was a person who made a
business of taking all he could get his
hands upon, and that. IN order to be a
good reformer, held on until some
thing better could be got"
From this definition Of ciVil-SerVice
reformer we are given to understand
that those who are averse to civil Ser
vice are persons who are ready to let
go of an office at any time and would
run away from disappointment.
But "Auti-CivIl Service" intended
his remark to be construed to mean
that civil service is humbug, of no
good to the country, and that the bars
should be thrown down to let 1.-THE
boys in, This is what this writer in
tends, and he would like to create the
Impression that, inasmuGh as Carl
Schurz, James NJ. Sloan and l.. T.. Me
ComaS have held office long. anything
that civil service might do for public
good must be torn down-because.
forSoOth, the aforesaid gentlemen. and
others not mentioned, big and little,
have tenaciousl y and seIiishly held on
to good thing"
Or to put the matter AS "Anti-Clvll
Service would have the appointment
to office conducted-the civil service
laws should be repealed, everybody
wanting an Office should be given a
chance, and an Office providing his
factlon-not his party, is in power.
This is the end ''deyOutly to be wished
by the auti-ciyil service people and,
at the same time, throw out the i'm
preston that the race Will be open
to all.
Let US examine public Office under
this kind of control in Allegany county,
say for the past p years, FOR as Allie
gany cOLnty is run so is the country
in general.
Now. with no civil-service laws in
force in county affairs, how much ro-
tation in Office has there been 1t is
true that occasionally a new face
comes on the scene in the county of
fees but, once on, rarely disappears
only by death-never by Getting GO
And isn't it fact that the public Of
fees Of this county for the past -
years, and longer, have not been con
trolled by the PUBLIC, aud that fewer
than II score of persons bage bad II
monopoly of dealing them out : And
were it not against the organic law for
one person to hold more than one Of
fee at IL time, is it not fact that fewer
than score of persons would have
held all the offices county, State and
federalln this county for the past -
years, or until death Was it because
this combination of gentlemen had
superior qualifications and wished to
serve the public that they enthroned
themselves in power, forced all office