Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1901-04-25
THE POSTS REPLY.

Edi; orinl in New York Evening Post
We publish elsewhere letter from
Mr.. William ID. Foulke, complaining of
our characterization OF his recent state
ment regarding civil service conditions
as in tone that OF lawyer holding a
brief for the administration, rather
than that of the impartial critic, - and
asking us 10 point out in his inter-
view the evidence for this deduction.
For one proof, we should cite Mr..
Foulke's reference TO the Presidents
order of May Goth, 1893, in which he
lays stress only upon the fact that the
number OF places affected proved to be
much less than was originally esti-
mated, but erades the point that there
was no Just warrant for removing more
than very few Of the 3, 443 offices that
were affected. Moveover, Mr.. Foulke
leaves entirely out of consideration that
feature Of the order of May Goth, 1899.
which reformers have always considered
most important-the opening of new
means to evade the spirit of the law
and of black door, entrances to the
service through changes which that
order made in the text of the rules
themselres-changes which Rave bred
the abuses that the National Civil
Service Reform League pointed out ut
the time must prove inevitable. AS for
the extension Of the competitive system
to the Philippines, we have COM
mended the step, and we have only
praise for judge Taft's attitude in the
matter, but we have never seen reason
to share Mr.. Foulke's cheerful conf
dence that our spoilsmen at home will
be converted into reformers by the
81 sus, L., i
away.
more glaring exhibition of Mr..
Foulke as counsel for the defence
rather than as the impartial critic is
found in his reference to the attitude
Of Congress, and particularly of the
President, towards the maintenance of
the Civil Service Law. He calls alton
tion to the fact that "the last session
of Congress was the first one whers tine
House OF Representatives did not go
through the annual farce Of voting
down the appropriations for the Civil
Service Commission in committee of
the whole, before they finally passed
them on a count Of the yeas and nays, y
and he expresses the opinion that "the
President is entitled to some OF the
credit for this. 1t is right to mention
this circumstance, although we must
tell Mr.. Foulke that prominent Con-
gressmen never distinguished for love
Of the competitiPe system limited pri-
yately at the time that there seemed no
reason for making the old fight against
the reform when tho vitality of tho
system had been SO much reduced as it
is now. However this may be, no fair
minded man will ignore, as Mr.. Foulke
does, the infinitely more important
fact that, at the last session Of Congress,
hut one, Representative Rodenberg Of
Illinois not merely shared in the annual
farce of voting duwn the appropriations.
for the commission in committee of the
whole, but was recorded in the negative
on the call of the roll, and that it was
a man who had thus tried to 'tstarve
out" the commission whom the Presi-
dent recently appointed as member of
the commission, to enforce the law
which he would like to see repealed. Ii
is not by such tenderness towards
backward steps, on the Presidents
part as Mr.. Foulke exhibits In this
matter that politicians are to be con-
WINGED that they cannot afford to break
personal and party pledges to maintain
and extend the reform.