The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1906-05-26
"S0ME THOUGHTS OF A CIVIL
SERVICE REFORMFR"

~ ing OF the Civil Service Reform
League on Monday night of
this week, when Secretary Bonaparte
and Secretary TAFT appeared on the
same platform. and delivered strong.
straight talks which any man would
do well to read and ponder The
purpose OF this allusion to these ad-
dresses is to call especial attention to
MIR. Bonaparte'S doctrine as to what
constitutes a wise political appoint
ment Not few wise acres have been
expecting Mr. Bonararte to back
down from his old principles and posi-
tons as Civil Service Rcformer,
simply because he has become Fed
eral otticeholdcr and is accredited
with ambitions to figure as the boss"
of the Republican party in this State.
But Mr.. Bonapartc has never been
"weakener." and his words sounded
just like the words he used to utter
in the humble meetings OF the good
government club in Baltimore. when
a bare handful OF earnest and detcrm-
ined men were planning and striving
for better things in City and State.
against what seemed like hopeless
odds Mr.. Bonaparte used to say then
what he said on Monday night, that
the only wise politics, the only politics
that can win in the long run. is the sort
that cuts loose from the undertaking
to "divvy' up offices and empovmcnts
on the good old spoils system. The
world does move and it has moved
into distinct understanding OF the
TACT that public position exists nei-
Their for the good OF its holder, nor
Tor the good OF any political leadre,
but Tor the good OF the public. the
good OF the whole people; and the
political leaders who fail to recognize
this enlightened public sentiment must
be the losers in the end. 1t was on
this point that Mr.. Bonaparte was es-
pecially emphatic, declaring his belief
that the political value OF appointments
to office is to be measured by their
effect on public opinion.
a bad appointment ior what is COM
monty dcnominatcd political reasons is
not only bad appointment, but bad
politics, for while it may CRAFTY some
particular interests, it irrtates and
alienatcs the great bulk OF public opin-
ion. And this reasoning can hardly
be denied in the light of late events
in political history. The people are
sick to death OF the old spoils system
and have shown that they are sick OF
it by the readiness with which they
have broken away from party attiia-
tons for the sake OF cleaning things
up. GCr cant scare a man into vot-
ing Tor ANYTHING or anybody, today
by shrieking party loyalty at him
You cant label a yellow dog Demo
crat' and get every Democratic vote
for him. You can't pacard an
elephant with a magic e. O. p"
dilb VIZ DNllN VII CNtlN NCDuDll-
can to cheer as he goes stalking
by, The party that wants to get in
power, or stay in power, is the party
that is sufficiently alive to the new or
der OF things to realize that public
opinion is today demanding some rea-
sonable degree OF efficiency i'll public
service, and is determined to have it
il it has to tear party organization into
a thousand tattcrS. The people can't
be fooled forever by few old politi-
cal catch-pcnny phrases. The signs OF
the times seem to verify the aphorism
OF distinguished Kentuckian, when
he said, III things are bad it is time
to amend them; when they are ID
bad, they will amend themselves"