The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1916-05-19

civil service the power of life or vi
tally, so far as $4,000 offices went,
until time and death should create
vacancies within the ranks. 1t was
to postpone and set aside, for the re-
mainder of the lives of the political
incumbents, this benefcent and much
praised law. And yet, when that rape
of the civil service occurred, the Sem
ator from Utah sat in his seat as mum
as an oyster, and with about the same
animated cast of countenance. No
word of protest came from his lips.
His lion voice did not break out upon
the quiet air. The earth did not trem-
BILE beneath the reverberations of his
oratorical thunder. He smiled. He
kept his seat. He was glad to see
the civil service law ravished. He
did not lack the courage to speak, but
he lacked what l wish he had lacked
today--the cool assurance TO arise
and profess a deathless allegiance to
the great principle of civil service re-
form.
Mr.. SmoOt. Of course, this is very
interesting, but l want the Senator
TO know that | stated frankly that if
the civil service law was not to be
lived up to | thought it would be bet
ter to have it abolished. That is ex-
actly what l said, and that is what
| believe.
Mr.. Reed. The Senator says that
today, but he remained quiescent when
he saw the law outraged and $4,000
Republican henchmen covered perma-
nently into the civil service. After
having seen his faithful cohorts draw
their money from the government for
years, now, when it is proposed that
few men shall be appointed without
having passed a civil service exam
ination, the Senator suddenly exalts
the virtues of the civil service, pre-
ferring them above the ravihments of
the past. He now grows enthusiasts
tic over the benefits of the "merit
system" while his gentle soul is
shocked at the mere suggestion of
coffee as political reward"
Mr.. Gallinger. We all admit that
both President Roosevelt and Presi-
dent Taft did issue such orders; but
| will ask the Senator if he has any
information that will enable him to
state with any degree of approximate
fact how many of those $4,000 post
masters had been appointed by Gro
yer Cleveland during his eight wears
of administration
Mr.. Reed. | question whether there
was single one; and / will tell the
Senator why question whether there
was a single one, except that, of
course, it is said that in every barn
yard, if it be sufficiently large, there
is, here and there, an occasional hens
tooth, but they are hard to fno.
Why do | say it and why am war
ranted in making the assertion? Be-
cause when Grover Cleveland went
out of office he was succeeded by the
spokesman, and the old
fashioned poilsman was backed by an
army of old-fashioned spoilsmen as
'apacious, as insatiate, as a lot Of |
hungry hyenas gathered to feast
lpon the rocking carcass of an animal
hat is slain and left on the desert.
Rest assured they did not long delay !
picking the last bit of flesh from the !
skeleton of the body polite. There
vas nothing worth having their keen
eyes did not discern or their keener
smell did not find out. Compose your
soul, they did not overlook anything |
hat was "loose at both ends"
am not going to offend the SEN
lte by taking the time to prove what
III know-that it was the policy of
he times to which we are now refer
ing Immediately to remove all of the
POLITICAL servants who were of oppo-
lite political faith and Immediately to
tut in those of the faith of the party
hat had won in the election. Of
curse, there may have been postof-
ices where the income of the post Of
ice was SO slight that nobody wanted
t.. There may even have been post
five in New Hampshire where the
income and pay was so slight that
he financial genius of the New Hamp-
hire citizen would not enable him to
iscover salary--a thing impossi-
lie to imagine, and yet it may have
een-where some Democrat was al
owed to keep the office; and vet
enture the assertion that if you will
un that peculiar and remarkable case
o the ground you will find out that
hat alleged Democrat had been vot-
1g the Republican ticket all of his
fe.
MIR. President, where was the clam
+ from the other side of this Cham
er when, by stroke of the pen, the
lvil service law was set aside, was in
act assassinated, so far as these 49,
w postmasters were concerned?
here may have been some Republican
Tho protested; but if so, venture the
ssertion that he belonged to that
lass of Republicans who, about that
me, were beginning to protest
gainst many things that were being
one by the President elected by their
arty. The protest did not come from
ne old iron brigade of the Republic
an party-that old brigade that has
gain marched to the front, that is
ow in charge of the colors. and that
ill dictate the policies of the Repub-
can party when it meets in Chicago
ext month.
When see men stand in this Cham
pr with tears in their eyes, with SOL
mn countenance, with woe-begoneI
and hear them wailing
'er the fact that the civil service is
'out to be destroyed, cannot help