The Sunday globe., 1901-05-05
WHOLE FAMILIES
Holding Down Fat Government Jobs
in the Several Departments.
THE PORCINE SUNDOWMERS
Who Take Bread 0ut OF The Mouths Of The Out
side Professionals The Evils OF tho Civil
Service StrIkngy Illustrated In an
Army Of SyoOphantS
Danes Of Influence

When the late Senator George II Pen.
dleton was candidate before the Ohio
Legislature for re election to the u. S.
Senate, the writer participated in the fight
against him simply on the grounds that
he was the author of the un-American
and dun-democratlc civil-servlce law. On
this issue, raised by the younger element
of the Ohio Democracy, we succeeds ed in
retiring Gentleman George" to the
shades of private life, insofar as repre-
senting Ohio i'm the U. S. Senate was con-
cerned. His subsequent appointment as
minister TO Germany was i'm the nature
of a national recognition of his eminent
services to the party by Mr.. Cleveland,
| The author of the civil-serv ice law was
not subjected to examination as to his
/ qualifications for the appointment, but
had he been appointed to departmental
clerkship he would have had to pass the
service examination, 1t was on this
point precisely that we opposed the law
as un-democratic and un-American, in
asmucb as it created class distinctions
among EQUAL citizens of then free O.
/ public. The old Jacksonian qualifica-
tions-"Is he honest and is he compe-
tent? "-applied to all alike, in harmony
with the genius of free institutions and a
government of the people, by the people,
and for the people until Mr.. Pendleton's
aristocratic and monarchIal measure was
substituted. We held that the civil-ser-
| vice law should be made to cover all can
didates for election and appointed Offices
from the President down to a watchman,
or that the Jacksonian qualifications, un-
der which the republic had existed and
grown great, should be left sacredly un-
disturbed. Mr.. Pendleton did us the
Lonor to argue the question in the lobby
OF the Neil House in Columbus, and in
the presence of several members of the
Legislature and many distinguished
State politicians. That he came out
second best" in the controversy was
subsequently brought home to Mr.. Pen
dleton in the adverse votes of two of the
members who were present at the cnntro
versy and who assigned as their reasons
for deserting, after being pledged to him,
" his indefensible and un-democratic
/ ciVil-serYice law"
| we have had affirmed by the twenty
odd years operation of this law the opin-
! ions then entertained of IL as a means of
"purifying and making more efficient
| the civil service of the country" 1t has
| been lamentable and signal failure in
| both respects, for besides its inevitable
| fostering of an office holding class in the
minor departmental positions OF the Coy
ernment, 1t has, more than any other
piece OF vicious legislation ever enacted
by the Congress of the United States,
/ opened a gulf between heretofore equal
citizens and laid the foundations broad
and de p for the classification Of the peo-
| pie. The citizen with "a pull" or whose
wealth, social position, and influential
backing are of the registered standard is
| eligible, without reference to the civil
service law, for the higher and more de-
sirable positions under the Government
Instead of inquiries being directed to-
wards his honesty and competency, the
/ investiga ion is now solely confined to
/ his social position in the community
! and If he is the son of patrician or par
/ venue fortune and fame are opened to
! him IN the civil and also in the military
service of his country. u. S. Senators
/ like their ancient Roman prototypes,
stand hat in hand, or when they have the
appointing power at their mercy, irown-
ingly threatening, and their recommen-
! datiOns are promptly acted upon or su-
percilliously ignored, in exact ratio as
| they are in position to command or en-
/ treat the administration. In either case,
/ the appOintees are necessarily Of the IA
vored and privileged class, for United
/ States senators and the appointing power
are alike-undisgusedly and naturally
OF the patrician order and they recOg-
nize and know no common, plebeian ap-
plicants. In fact, there are none, for the
plebeans and all who are outside the
pale in social standing wealth, and in
/ iluence content themselves with contend
ing for the crumbs by way Of the civil
service examination route. Aud even in
these contests the average citizen Is at a
disadvantage, for both Senator and Con-
gresham use their "pull" in favor of the
plebelan they know or who has earned
their recognition by political heeling as
against the plain, common citizen they
don't know and who has to rely solely
on his ability to pass a credltable exam
inatiOn.
This, then, is the condition Of the civil
service OF the Government after score
of years of an anti-republican and mon
archial law, emanating from the brain of
man, who, because of his aristOcratic
bearing and eXclusiveness, won the ma
tional subriquet Gentleman George"
The child is worthy Of the sire, and II
there Is on earth today under any civil
I lied government "A more oYerbearing
galaxy of high officials and more syco-
phantic mass Of subordinates than this
1 Tree republic exhibits In the Capitol of
the nation, the writer, who has been in