Year: 1879

DsnseraaSe Civil Service Resess-


The Dsnocrats in Congress, especially
in the Senate, have always profssssd
to 30 IN favor Of Civil Servics Reform,
aud sharply criticised the President for
any departure from that principle, but
now when the Senate has reverted TO
them they show the hollow ness OF all
their previous prstsnsions for Civil
Service Reform by slecting two officers
Of the Senate who are under cloud at
home where they are best known; one
Of them, st least, barely ssoap ag being
sent to the psnitsntiary for perjury.
This happening 50 soon after the COM
mencemsnt Of the special session was
exceedingly unfortunate for their boast.
ed love Of honesty and reform, and yet
it does not surprise those who have
closely watched the actions cf the
Democrats during the last Congress aud
so far as they have gone in the present
Congress. This bad beginning Is fol-
lowed BY their threatening to starye tho
Government into submission unless the
President will voluntarily surrender
the functions OF the Executive branch
to that Of the Legislative. 1t was this
threat made before the adjournment Of
the last Congress, and not proving ef-
fectlve, that forced an extra session Of
Congress, which will cost the nation
hundreds Of thousands Of dollars, be-
sides the destructive assault that is
made upon the business ofthe country.
1t locks as If every jobber, agent, and
lobbyist in the land was at Washing.
ton, and had his own particular scheme
for depicting the Treasury in the in
terests of his employers. Much n has
been said by the Democrats in favor Of
Civil Service Reform, while they were
in the minority, every vestige OF
thought in that direction seems to
have been scattered to tie winds since
they have become majority. Mr..
Bayard makes feeble protest, but his
voice is drowned in the demand for
political Legislation. The era OF co r
Dion has Set in, and triumphant train
Of victories are mapped out for the NJ.
ture, which is to sweep every thing
like Republicanism, in party sense,
into oblivion. For the first time in
the history OF the National Congress
every officer in the Senate has been
removed and partisans of the ma ajority
have been elected to fill their places.
Honest men, who have been in Office in
the Senate during several Congresses
of Republican rule, and against whom
there has never been suspicion of
dishonesty, have been removed to
make place for man who was tried
for perjury in his own State, and only
escaped conviction through a techni.
cality of the law and for a man from
Tennessee who was so dishonest while
Controller Of that State, that his ac-
tions became the subject Of Legislative
Investigation. This is the commence
ment of the era Of honesty and reform
that has been promised us by the
Democracy, and which our local Demo
cratic papers dare not denOunce. The
next move is to attach political riders
to the appropriation bills, to tear away
every shadow Of protection ffon the
ballot box, that the same kind OF fraud
may be practiced in New York that
was practiced in South Carolina. This
boastpd reform Democracy will 20 to
the President with these political ri
ders attached, and with the menace
that should he presume ~ use his Con.
sttutional right Of veto the Govern
ment shall be left without means with
which to discharge its current expen-
ses. These Federal election laws were
not made in the interest Of any party,
but in the interest Of every citizen OF
the country who desires that popular
elections shall express the will of the
people, and not the tricks and frauds
of politicians. Since they were enac-
ted they have served rs checks to the
gigantic frauds persistently rerpetrated
by the Democrats at the polls, and
their repeal would remove all checks
and bars to cheating at the polls, and
permit the Democrats, in every place
whore they could secure 4 majority of
election officers, which include all


places in the South, and some of the
most important places in the North
and West, to decide political contests
by false votes and false counts. That
they might be enabled to de- 80, they
forced the extra session upon the c0un.
try, AMI rather than yield the chance
to do it, they Threaten 10 keep Con-
gre35 in session for mont S.


II the country desires to see this 500.
of political and civil service reform
fully carried ont, it should unite to elect