The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1901-03-17
ATTACK ON ORGANIZATION RULE
In The CITY OF new YORK
Servants of the Government Should Be Pro
hibited from Acting as Delegates
to the Convention.
SHOULD SERVE ALL ALIKE.
By GEORGE L. RIVES,
Ex-Assistaut Secretary of State.

and particularly those affected by the
Legislature, constitute privileged class.
and have. on the whole. higher wages,
more pensions and greater security of
tenure than any people i'll this country
who do similar work.
Nor is the general principle Of the right
o association involved. There is vast
difference between a servant of the pub
lie and "a private individual. Many
things that are perfectly proper for the
one are universally recognized as wrong
for the other; as for example, to be IN
terested in a contract with the city so
YOU cannot properly prescribe by law
what clothes private citizens shall wear;
but you do prescribe what clothes Ger
tain classes of office-holders shall wear
You cannot lawfully prohibit a work nan
from quitting a private employment when
ever he chooses. but you can lawfully
punish a soldier. even with death. if he
quits. And so. while you cannot law
fully prescribe to "a private citizen what
clubs he shall join or what part lie shall
take in politics. YOU can make and u;
force such rules with respect to public
officials. @
SHOULD SERVE Alb.
The truth is that public and private
work is entirely different. Whoever.
chooses to enter tile service of the public
ought to pc luduc " iSlileiilotA <1iFe>s
mat he or she is paid by the people at
large-not by Republicans alone. or by
Democrats alone, or by any other party
or faction or sect alone. And every OF
-dce-h0lder. bis,sor little, while remaining
in Office. ought to be made to remember
that he is there to serve the whole peo-
nIe and not to serve one organization.
It is for is reason that the Charter
Commission went still further, and recon-
mended a new. section Of the charter pro-
hibjting every person employed by the city
Of New York or any OF the countes Will
in its territory who draw pay for ms
services. from being a, member of any
noIitical party, committee or a. delegate
10 any political party convention.
One of the greatest evils in the ADMIN
;stration of the government in the city or
New oYrk is the fact that almost all
the persons who arc engaged III the active
mana cement of one of the parties IN TINS
city are receiving pay for their services
by holding city Offices Their, first inter-
est is not, the discharge OF the dutlesiior
which they are paid, but the management
of 1.-The organization
Ape ONIN. POLITICAL WORKERS..
This is no new thing, nor is 1T d condl-
tio, Deculiar to the city Of New York.
EVERYWHERE throughout the country poli.l-
cal parts are managed by people VINO
draw their pay from the public at large,
nominally for performing public duties
AS a matter OF fact, in many cases the
duties are performed by a deput:. ana the
head of the department devotes lis tl.nc
with jealous and undivided attention 70
the service of his party organization. II
was the belief of the late COMMISSION
that at least the public service OF TINS
municipality should not actively partlci-
pate in poitics.$e 1t was not thought tnat
the servants, OF the city should be pro-
hibited from taking a proper and intetii7
gent interest in political affairs; put as
their compensation was derived rom tax
PAYERS of all parties, it vas thought ina I
so long as they accepted and retained OIL
flee their participation in politics should
not extend SO far as the direction or
MANAGEMENT of political campaigns.
The provisions to which | have referred
are intended to affect. and will. III tact,
for the most part affect entirely differ
ent classes of office-holders. They nave,
however, one common purpose. viz 10
try, in the words of Mr.. Schurz, Ito dis
establish the machine