Requisites to a Reform of the Civil Service. 93 



The theory long practiced by successive administrations^ 

 but first sanctioned, if not formulated, by President Jackson, 

 this, namely, "To the victor belongs the spoils," is demoralizing 

 and dangerous. It places party before country, discourages 

 laboriousness of preparation for, as well as faithfulness in, of- 

 fice, and puts a premium upon trickery and rascality in the 

 conduct of every political canvass. Contending under this 

 banner for the mastery, the citizen is lost in the partizan, and 

 the idea of sacred trusts gives place to the idea of public 

 plunder. It is the very system to breed a race of thieves, as 

 is shown by both reason and experience. And yet it is a 

 most difficult system to overthrow, for it is rooted in human 

 selfishness, and has been so long nourished, that it is now of 

 rank and giant growth. But its overthrow is possible, and 

 great will be the reward of that party or administration which 

 shall bravely and resolutely enter upon this patriotic work, 



III, There should also be adopted some equitable system 

 of promotions and other rewards wherever practicable. 



In the army, we have a career for the soldier ; he knows 

 that although he should enter the service as an obscure pri- 

 vate, there is before him a line of promotion, which, if he 

 can but once enter upon it, is as sure as life and good behav- 

 ior to lead him upward, and may eventually place him in 

 the supreme command. But in the civil service, upon whose 

 skilful and faithful administration the welfare and security of 

 the country no less depend, we have as yet no career. The 

 man whom pecuniary circumstances may have constrained to 

 secure for himself a subordinate position in one of the depart- 

 ments, but who possesses rare qualifications for that or even a 

 superior position, and who, by long experience and close at- 

 tention to his duties, has fairly entitled himself to the grateful 

 recognition of his chief, has hitherto been doomed, — unless 

 able to bring powerful party influence to bear for his advance- 

 ment, — to see inexperienced and possibly totally unfit persons 



