Year: 1874

The joke is, oh, so old, so worn, so chronic


and yet it does seem that age cannot witheI


nor custom stale its infinite variety. How
suddenly it pops into the current of political
discussion, and upon what strange and unex-
pected occasions; like the clown in the arena
with his "Here we are again." after some dar-
ing rider had been thrown and trampled on
in "four-horse act" and borne away bleed
ing. The Civil Service Reform Poor dear


old Sham! How the President has foot-balled
it through all the Departments, kicking it in
at one door and out at the other, with Mr.


George VIM. Curtis and Mr. ID. b. Eaton and
Mr.. Joseph Medill following it on the run, and
trying to seize it and set it mp some
where and brush tie dust off it, and
make good healthy reform of it. And
then when those gentlemen stopped to rest a
little from the chase, with their gloves sOiled
and dusty and their collars limp, and their
general appearance bedraggled and sweaty,
how the President has delighted everybody by
whisking it up in a message and setting it
down in front of Congress with tear or two
over the way it had been treated and the
most urgent entreaties that something be done
for the poor thing. deliver me from the
"tcmptaton Of kicking it, the President has
said in effect "Put something in it beside
"wind, for l cannot keep my foot away
" from it as it is" Much as one might say,
seeing an empty hat on the sidewalk, "Oh do
"put brick or something solid i'll it, or
"shall kick it."


The abruptness with which the announce
ment was made a day or two since that the
Civil Service Commission would convene in
q few days at Washington for the purpose of
preparing report to be submitted to the
President, is entirely Characteristic. The Ad-
ministration will have its little joke. Imagine
the fine sense of humOr which in the midst
of the political deluge suddenly hOisted up to
public gaze this poor, Old kicked and cufed,
and beaten, and maltrcated reform. It's as
though some water-sOaked antediuvian on
say about the thirtietl rainy day had dellber-
ately hoisted mildewed cotton umbrella,
while Shem, Ham and Japhet looked on with
astonishment from the cabin windows.
1t is ever and ever so funny,
and the man must have bad
heart who does not appreciate it, Very much
as though the antediluvian umbrella-hOlder,
whose feet had not touched bottom for q
fortnight, should remark casually to Noah,
Uncommon good umbrella, this. / think
might have got wet if | hadn't taken it
along" is the statement of the members of
the Commission "that the Civil Service has
been greatly improved by the Presidents
adhering SO invariably to the rules prescribed
"by the Board during the last year." Possibly
the young persons in the ark might have
treated the moist outsider with levity upon
such an occasion as we have imagined We
hope, however, this respectable Civil
Service Commission will not be SO
treated by the American people. Let us
consider rather what under such circumstances
Noah himself would have done, and initiate
his example. To the thoughtful and inquiring
mind of the patriarch there could have
occurred but one response TO the sanguine sin
ner in the sea. Sweeping the horizon with his
eye in vain for some sign of a break in the
clouds, that good man would have only said,
e" Is your name Simmons.n and shut the win
dow.


There is, however, grim seriousness in the
statement connected with this announcement
that "the President has recently indicated his
" intention to press the subject of Civil
" Service Reform upon the attention of Con-
" gress at the coming session, and to urge
" that there be some legislation to make
" it binding upon his successor" There is
flavor of sincerity about this announce
ment. Having repeatedly urged Congress
to put something into this Reform that
would compel him to appoint competent men
to Office. even though he had to go outside
the circle Of tis acquaintance 20 find them.