The National tribune., 1903-07-02
A FEW PLAIN WORDS.
Private Dalzeu Addresses His Old Comrades
9' ON the Present Situation.

Private Dalzen Addresses His Old Comrades
on the Present Situation.
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: 1t will be a
new experience to us old soldiers to- have
a campaign wherein no party can lay any
claim, nor appeal to us for the solid SOL
dier vote. We have come to that at last.
No party is now giving, or even promising
to give, us anything but grave and deco
ration, and both are agreed on that! No
door is open to soldiers now but the gates
of Arlington. and they are contemplating
bridges and rapid transit tlIither. Time
was when all doors Of public employment
were open here--all closed now by re-
peated acts of Congress, so that no soldiers
need apply any longer in Washington.
That day is gone and gone forever. Maybe
| it is best for the country to shut the old
soldiers out who are out, and the old sol
diers in who are in. Maybe it is better than
the spoils system, which many years ago
;ntrenched a few old soldiers in these
offices here, which they hold now. L am
not prepared to say that Congress was
wrong in making it impossible to appoint
any more soldier clerks, messengers or
even labOrers, and close all doors against
the comrades in the States who are now
out of Office, so that the soldier vote can
no longer be gathered in bulk by corrupt
and lying promises.
The merit system is the practical ap-
plication in politics of the Dominion doc
trine of the survival of the fittest, and the
abrogation of the old doctrine of 1S61-'S1,
that ito the victors belongs the spoils." We
are not in it any more. That will make
the next campaign unique and novel-nO
| hippodroming of MANNED soldiers to corral
the soldiers vote Ell masse; no demogogic
| the soldiers vote en- maSSe; no demagOgic
of fine opportunitieS-noneo of these State
methods of campaign next year, but the
old soldier left out, to vote as he pleases.
and not vote at all if he doesn't want to!
That lifts us to the higher place of patriot
ism and common sense, and relieves us
from all the harangues and lies of the
miserable gang of politicians who have
been howlng for our votes for AZ years,
and actually sometimes getting them, with
| 100000 of our sons and our comrades
sons votes thrown in for luck!
That is all past and gone. We can now
breathe the pure air of independence and
have surcease of the opportunities and I'M
pudence of all the wretched stump speak
ers which both parties will turn loose next
year.
Congress has provided that freedom for
US. No soldier can get public employ
ment now or hereafter, except in one or
two ways: First-He must pass the Civil
Service examination provided by Congress,
in competition with young men fresh from
college. This, in 80 cases in a possible
100, closes all doors against soldiers. Or,
secondIy-He may be content to be a mes
senger or laborer, and apply for such posi-
tions on the physical test provided by Con-
gress; but that test he cannot pass. So the
only two doors to the Civil Service are
closed and locked and the key thrown into
the Potomac.
OF course, there are a few old soldiers
now in the Departments under the old
spoils system. They will remain, because
Cleveland tried the experiment of turning
them out, and found his grave. No one
will repeat that The Civil Service Rules
will not permit it. The American people
would not allow it!
1t cannot be done! But as for the poor
old boys who are out, and want in, the
doors are shut tight and fast in their
faces-they can't break in by the tricks of
the old spoils system, as their comrades
here did 20, 80 and 40 years ago. Never!
Half the comrades in the country know
half of them do not, and it is for the
! better information of the latter half l
write it. They ought to know it, SO that
when Senators, Congressman and other
spellbinders next year come around howl
| ing their lungs ont for the soldier vote,
they may laugh them out of the Court, and
remind them that the old spoils system is
deader than julius Cesar, and that the
more just and patriotic system of merit,
regardless of politics or previous service
in the Union army, has come to stay! The
soldier is played out
The same rule which removes US from
poltics-removes us from politicsm
The law which makes merit the stand
ard is justified on grounds of common
sense The system which ignores the
record of the soldier unless he is "up" in
the educational standards, not only equal
to, but superior to the young men fresh
from college, and is sounder and stronger
may be hard on the old soldier, and shut
him out entirely as it was intended by
Congress it should, but who shall say it is
unjust on broad patriotic grounds? The
question is not, who is neediest and who
is the best Republican or Democrat, Yam
kee or rebel? but who is the brightest in
the books, and who is soundest in body
and limb? That is the merit system, and
who does say it is wrong, even if its ap-
plication hereafter shall close all doors
against us? pause for reply, and chal-
lenge the whole commandership to try it
PRIVATE DALZELL.
=. 81 must not be misunderstood.
know the history of the matter, and when
l lay all the blame, if any, and give all
the credit, if any, at the doors of Con-
gress, / know what I am writing-for
there all the blame or credit belongs; be-
cause it was Congress which established
and has sustained the system-no matter
by whom or how administered. 1t is up
to Congress to continue or discontinue it
but my humble opinion is that Congress
will not, and dare not touch it, except to
make it operate more and more to ouI
utter Ostracism and exclusion.-D.