Year: 1878

ment with us. There was the enor


nous public debt of some $4,000, 600,


900. Asum that staggers the minC


to compute, and which seems to mt


almost beyond ordinary comprehen


sion. There was also as-one of the re-


suits of that war a duty thrown upon


us, pension list generous and large


l have spoken, also of the desolation
of that section of the country which


was the theatre Of war-of their losses


we have nothing more than approx


nation, but their suffering was infinite


" greater than was ever known in The


North. There was a violent and thor


ough disorganization of their labor


and social systems, which brought ruiz


upon those responsible for the debts


based upon that class of proprietor.
ship. Then there came with this wild


expenditure, extravaganee-not mere.
" Of individual citizens, but in the
expenditures of the Government itself
A habit of dealing With large sums in
a reckless way. In other words, los.
ing the sense of values, and the man
who loses the sense of relative values
is most unsafe guide or guardian Of
the public treasury.


Then there has grown up vast
body of civil officials, appointed under
a system which cannot bear examina-
tion-a civil service which, Of itself,
threatens almost the permanence and
success of republican institutions. The
idea that the public Offices Of the coun-
try were established for the benefit Of
the persons who fill them is wholly
wrong. The Office is instituted for the
public service; it is not for the benefit
Of the man who holds it; it is for the
benefit of the people whose laws Gre
ated it, and whose service is to be per-
formed. The good and faithful serv-
ant of the public is entitled to be Sc
cured and maintained on the same
principles precisely as the good and
faithful servant Of a private employer.
The man who does his duty in public
office owes nothing to the public. He
has rendered them back quid pro quo.
He has given them that which they
were entitled to and they have paid
him no more than justly was his right.
But when office has been, as we see
and know, dependent not upon the ex-
cellence of the manner in which its
duties were performed but is accepted
and made reward for mere partisan
exertions, sometimes which would not
bear close examination, and when the
holder Of the Office depends upon the
pleasure Of the appointing power or
the whim and caprice OF the party to
which he must look for maintenance
in his place you may be assured that
his duties will not be the first and
chief point of his consideration. But
his time will be spent in contriving
how little he can do for the post and
how he may best continue in the en-
ioyment of his official emoluments.


An intelligent Englishman, holding
a high station in his country's govern
ment, in discussing this question not
long ago, told me he would be perfect
ly willing to undertake the conduct Of
our departmental business. conducting,
what may be calleS l1S eSital
business at the great departments Of
our government, with one-third the
number of our present officials, pT&
Fided he could procure the same class
that we're employed by his govern
ment at home, men who knew if they
did their duty they need not fear Of
being displaced, but would find a long
life of public service met at the end
with pension, reward, diminished labor;
and public thanks. Surely HhAtes 3.
much to instruct us in this, fde ] heId
it to be well that we should gather
wisdom whence we may, and not be-
lieve that freedom under our republi-
can institutes means absolution from
the laws Of human experience and
common sense. There is no magic in
the name "Republic !" and there is
nothing in a popular form of govern
ment that can save people any more
from the result Of bad management
than under a monarchy, an oligarchy
or any other form Of less restricted
power!


l have been one of your repsenta-
tives at Washington for. some years
past. | can well attest the great pres
sure there is for official appointment
and the evil, it strikes me, is not in
the fact of the salaries being too high.
On the contrary. | often think for the
character Of the. service demanded
they are often less than they ought to
be. 1t is to the surperfuous number
Of persons employed that we owe our
imperfect system Of management
which has led to such enormous ex-
pense.


/ next class among causes of our de-
preston the unwise system Of our tar
iff duties upon imported merchandise.
These have been placed so high in
many cases that they have stimulated
an excessive competition at home which
prevents US now from competing with
other nations in foreign markets Let
me be understood. IF a man is com
PEELED to paya high tax at the port of
entry upon materials which enter into
the article which he manufactures, it
is plain that the manufactured article
must cost just that much more. Now
when he has manufactured and seeks
to export it, it goes abroad, costing him
not merely the value of the material
and the cost of his making it into the
article, but also the tax which he paid
at the port Of entry, and he enters the
foreign market saddled with this extra
cost and cannot compete with men who
have not that tax to pay. Therefore,
it is we have in the first place stimu-
lated more men to enter a trade that it
was advisable should enter it. Ifyou
have a son whom you wish to embark
in business and you come to a town
like Wilmington, or Newport, or any
other place, q certain trade, profession