Rock Island Argus., 1908-03-11

from rage
when Senator Hale solemnly asked an
officer on the stand whether the dan
ger of turret explosions. like those in
the Georgia and the Indiana. was not
due to 1.-The mania for rapid firing.
The witness mildly replied that he
could hardly regard the endeavor for
rapid firing and accurate aim as a
mania.
This investigation is not going to
prove the American navy unworthy of
the pride and the confidence With
which the people regard it. 1t is likely
to prove, however, that the OrganiZa
ton Of the navy department, the stay
at home men and the desk men and the
civilians who let contracts, is honey
combed with indolepce, inefficiency and
graft. But even if it does show it that
condition will never be corrected until
there is complete change in the poll
tics of the administration.
Public Service and Politics.
The public service should be divorced
from politics. No government office should
| be used to control the results of any cleo
ton whatsoever, whether il is an cleo
| ton for state or federal officers or a pTi-
mary held for the purpose of electing
delegates to a nominating convention. No
| officeholder belonging to a dominant party
| should act in any way which would cause
| a scandal or create friction in any office
| If the person belonged to the party in OPP
| position. Under the Spoils system the
| theory Is that politics belong especially
to the officeholders.' Under the merit SyS-
| tenn. the theory is that politics belong to
| the people and that the people are quite
| capable of managing their own affairs
| without interference and dictation on the
| part of those whom they have chosen 10
| serve the whole public in merely admin
| istrativ positions.
| Who do you think expressed these
admirable views-the late George Will
liam Curtis, the original and most eff
| fective civil service reformer i'll the
United States, or William Dudley
Foulke, the present head of the civil
| service reform movement in this coun-
try? Not q bit. 1t was Theodore
Roosevelt, who at the time was a
member of the civil service commits
sion. How curious the contrast be
tween his utterances as a reformer and
his actions today as president The
secretary of war his candidate for the
presidency, has not i'll three months
been in his Office ten days. Though a
public servant. he has neglected his
lduties TO pursue politics. The first as
sistant postmaster general was allow
ed to travel through the south for pO
litical purposes and on his return
handed in nominal resignation in or
der to conduct the Taft campaign
Few Officeholders belonging to the
Roosevelt party are today doing any
thing except work to get delegates tC
Chicago who will carry out the RoOse
welt programme, whether it means the
nomination of Taft or a carefully
planned stampede to Roosevelt. Never
has the power of patronage been used
so unblushingly for political purposes
as it has under this former civil serv
ice reformer. Will it pay politically
Don't forget that in 1892 Benjamin
Harrison secured his denomination fol
the presidency by compelling fedora
officeholders to deliver delegations from
their states. He was overwhelmingly
defeated. The history of that election
may be instructive to the presiden
and his protege, the absentee secretary
of war.
Washington, D. c.
WILLIS J. ABBOTT.