Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-03-15
Fifty Years Ago
In The Star

Half century ago the subject Of
civil service reform was one Of irnpor-
~, lance, especially
OlVlI SeIV1ce to the residents
Reform Needed. 81 81 the 4. dist District !;
March IL. 1881, The Star has the fol-
lowing:
There has been 80 much said and
so little accomplished in this country
in the direction of civil service reform
that the phrase has become a subject
of ridicule. Party platforms have year
after year contained stereotyped pledges
of a reform of the civil service, and
aspiring politicians have played upon
reform with all its variations in ap-
pealing to the people for support. In
the first place, the honest reformer
finds all the politicians arrayed against
him from the very first step he takes
TO put his theory into practice.
Civil service reform, plainly defined,
means honest capacity and honesty as
requisites to a public position and a
tenure of Office as long as these qualif1-
cations continue. This system is de-
Structive of the politicians power and
influence, and hence his opposition to
it. His interests call for the appoint
ment to office of persons recommended
by him, and their retention as long as
they remain faithful and useful to him;
that If, in the changing course Of poll
tics, he finds a man who can render
him more eficient service than the one
whom he had appointed to office, the
latter must be removed and the more
useful man put in his place.
THE English system of civil service
is the only one that offers anything
worthy of imitation, and such real eff
forts at reform as have been made in
this country have been based upon that
system. In England entrance to the
civil service is through competitive
examination, and promotion is also
based upon examination of the ON
Gals of the lower grades for their 1T
ness to the higher grade.
1T is maintained that the intro
duction of this or, If it can be devised,
some other system of practical reform
depends upon Congress; that Congress
represents the people and makes the
laws. AS long as Congress fails to
take action upon this subject it must
be inferred that the prevailing senti-
ment is in favor of the system now
in operation, established in the Jack
sonian era, that To the victor belong
the spoils'
Practical and thorough civil service
reform would open the way to Govern
ment office to men Of all politics; the
man who in the examination Of class
for appointment to an office proved
himself best fitted for it. would get
the place, provided his character was
good, regardless of his politics. It has
been demonstrated that neither of the
great parties of this country wishes
to establish practical reform based upon
law. During the past 10 years both
Republicans and Democrats have con-
trolled Congress, and though the sub
ject of reform has been freely discussed
and the usual pledges of party plat
forms have been made regularly in these
years, neither party has put its prom
ises into the binding form of law. The
Democrats while in possession of the
legislative department of the Govern
ment naturally looked forward with
hope to the time when they would
control the executive department also,
and they were unwilling to bar the
with an act of Congress. The Re-
publicanS when controlling Congress
had also the Executive, and a civil
service law would have cut of their
power and privileges.
During the administration of Presi-
dent Hayes he several times called the
attention of Congress to the Importance
Oh uIGllB The civil SeTVlCS ABOVE Ck1e
level of politics and indicated his entire
willingness to approve a law to accom-
plish this, but he was not afforded the
opportunity. A marked improvement in
the civil service has, however, been
made in several departments, notably
the Interior, and men of all parties
speak In praise of the New, York City
post Office as conducted upon business,
or reform, principles under the present
Postmaster General. It is likely that
civil service reform may make some
progress in this way In the diderent
departments@of Government, but the