Evening star., 1921-11-06
Fifty Years Ago
in The Star

Though tho merit system In depart
mental appointments was not really
established un
Working Toward til some time
the Merit System. s.ry,o. eem %
mission was operating hfty years ago
seeking to reform the methods OF
recruiting the personnel Of the gov
ernmeut. In The Star OF October 80.
1871, is the following news paragraph;
THE chairman Of the Civil Servicc
Commission, Mr.. Curtis. insists that
in selection Of public officers all oon
alterations should give way to the
paramount one Of private character
and qualifications for the position.
A majority Of the members agree thai
the atness and qualifications Of the
candidate-making those the chief
considerations-and leaving the prop
osition as to political qualifications 10
regulate itself. They hold that no
law will prevent this political pre-
tribution Of of,,ces. II Is probable tha,
there will be several reports fro,r
tho commission. The question Of
political patronage in making OF ~.
pointments was very fully considered
by the commission itself"
The drive against the Tweed ring
in New York had at this time hfty
years ago reached
Prosecution of the point OF court
1 ksyJ
"Boss" Tweed. ,nS enron,.-v ~
| those accused OF graft and corrup-
tion was undiminished. In The Star
Of October 30. 1871. is an editorial
! outlining this remarkable situation.
New York can make more noise and
| accomplish iess and take more tiple
to do 1t in than any other American
| city. east or west. For months past
| been filled with the details OF i'm
mense frauds upon the city govern
| ment: the guilty parties are known:
! they have been ,lamDooned and caricS-
| tured. forgery and robbery Of mil
lions of dollars of the peoples money
! has been laid at their doors. and yet
| in all this time not one of them has
been punished for his misdeeds. nor
fone dollar of plunder wrested from
them. On the contrary, they are al.
! lowed ample time to transfer their ILL
gotten gains. and one man, the rnc-
leader, the ''boss." while busy placing
millions Of dollars plundered from the
taxpayers into the hands Of his friends
and accomp1iceF for safekeeping. is
actually put up as the regular demo-
and has the cheek to come before an
| outraged people for their votes.
Mayor Hall mounts his charger and
rides triumphantly to Justice shon-
where ample apology is made for the
| trouble he has been put to in com
! plying with certain little legal forms:
| Tweed rolls to the tribunal in his car
riage and after condescending to
! trouble himself about the matter or
| bail goes back to his palace; others
| OF the ring plunderers are clothed IN
| fine linen and fare sumptuously every
| day, with no fear of the law. and IN
! the meantime poor devils are brought
| into court every hour for stealing
| dollar or two. convicted on one
| tenth Of the evidence which has ac-
| robbers. and sent to prison to eXpiate
| their crimes. No wonder that In a
community where there is such a
nockery of justice as this We hnd
hints in the newsps pers OF a general
wish for an execution Of the laws
little more impartial. something
swifter and a great deal surer. The
Standard significantly says: We are
really governed by a commune. And
our only regret is that this commune
/, does not take hold and make their
work more thorough. There is only
one way"
Though the mills ground slowly:
| they ground exceeding fine. Boss"
Tweed was brought to trial in 1873 on
charge of grand larceny and forgery
and sentenced to twelve years' impris-
onment. The sentence was reversed in
1875. but being unable to furnish bail in
certain civil suits he was committed to
| Jail. He escaped to Spain, was arrested
there, brought back on an American
L u,a rsl1in anA died in iail in New York.