CONGRESS, UNITED STATES. (CiviL- SERVICE REFORM.) 



177 



the spur and excitement of an aroused public 

 opinion, to unite in laying down for the perma- 

 nent welfare of the country a weapon of offense 

 and of defense which had come down to them 

 from the past, and whose present use in the 

 immediate future might seem to be so conven- 

 ient. I believe the adoption and inauguration 

 of this scheme, if it shall prove successful, as I 

 confidently expect, will be regarded in the fu- 

 ture by the American people almost as the 

 adoption of a new and a better Constitution." 



Mr. Brown, of Georgia, opposed the civil- 

 service reform vigorously. He said: U I ad- 

 mit it is very important that there be a bet- 

 ter system of administration inaugurated than 

 we have had for many years past. I do not 

 think, however, that the bill now before the 

 Senate, if passed, will inaugurate any such 

 system. I think it will prove a mere delusion. 

 If we pass it we excite popular expectation, 

 and popular expectation will be greatly disap- 

 pointed in the workings of the system. I have 

 heard the British system spoken very highly 

 of; many eulogies passed upon it. It has been 

 said by advocates of this bill probably not on 

 the floor, but again and again outside of the 

 chamber that we should adopt something 

 similar to that system, if not the exact system 

 itself. 



" Now, Mr. President, the forms of the two 

 governments are entirely different, the circum- 

 stances are different, and the surroundings are 

 different. The system that -may work well 

 there in a limited monarchy, the policy of 

 which is to maintain an aristocracy, even a 



ided aristocracy, is not appropriate to a re- 



blican form of government like ours. 



" In Great Britain the executive is heredi- 



y. The incumbent derives his right, not by 

 tion of the subjects or citizens of that coun- 

 but by birthright. The upper house of 



e British Parliament is not elected, but those 

 who occupy seats there, unlike this body, are 

 dependent upon the accidents of birth for them, 

 noi upon any special merits or personal quali- 

 fications that they may have, but the duke 

 takes his seat because he is the son of the for- 

 mer duke. 



"That is not our American system. It is 

 very consonant, however, with that system to 

 adopt a civil-service rule that, while the execu- 

 tive is for life and hereditary and the higher 

 branch of the legislative department holds for 

 life and is hereditary, will make the subordi- 

 nate officers hold for life. I say it is consistent 

 and compatible with that system. It is not so 

 here. Under our republican system no man 

 takes anything by hereditary right, but the way 

 is open to the son of the humblest peasant 

 within the broad limits of our domain, if he 

 has merit and energy and ability, to occupy 

 the highest position in the Government. Our 

 theory is that men are to be promoted on ac- 

 count of merit and qualifications. It may not 

 always be carried out of course it can not 

 always be but that is the nature of the sys- 

 VOL. xxin. 12 A 



tern and that is the general practice. It is com- 

 patible, therefore, with that system to leave 

 the changes in the legislative department, in 

 the executive department, and in every depart- 

 ment except the judicial, to the frequent muta- 

 tions of parties and to the supposed merits of 

 the competitors who compete for the prizes. 

 In all the departments, legislative and execu- 

 tive, qualification is supposed to be looked to. 

 Election of Representatives and the higher offi- 

 cers is the general idea. Why in the face of 

 that should we establish for the subordinate 

 officers in the different executive departments 

 and in all the larger offices within the limit of 

 the United States a system of lifetime tenure 

 for the very large class of persons who fill 

 those places ? I say it is not compatible with 

 our very form of government. It is one step 

 in the direction of the establishment of an aris- 

 tocracy in this country, the establishment of 

 another privileged class. 



" It may be said, however, and I believe that 

 sentiment was uttered only a few days ago, 

 though not in the language I use, probably, 

 that it takes away from persons who hold these 

 positions the inducement to be active politi- 

 cians. In some cases that might be the work- 

 ing of it; but bear in mind, Mr. President, it 

 leaves it in the power of every one of them to 

 become an active politician, and if the spirit of 

 the system is carried out as claimed by the 

 Senator from Massachusetts (Mr. Hoar), the 

 officers can be as active as they choose on one 

 side, and one side alone, and run no risk of los- 

 ing their positions. It builds up a powerful 

 class supported out of the Treasury of the 

 United States, out of the taxes of the people, 

 and places in their hands- the power, if they 

 choose to exercise it and there is a great deal 

 of human nature in man, so that they proba- 

 bly would exercise it the power to do much 

 to control the future rulers and destinies of 

 this Government. 



" I am not very fresh from my reading of 

 Roman history ; but as I recollect it there was 

 a period in the history of that government 

 when it became necessary to establish the prae- 

 torian guard to protect the ruler against the 

 populace. It would naturally enough have been 

 claimed that that guard would take no part in 

 the politics of Rome, and yet in the workings 

 of time that praetorian guard became the mas- 

 ter of Rome and assumed control of the gov- 

 ernment. As they protected the sovereign, 

 they dictated who should be the sovereign, and 

 for alarge enough amount of money they would 

 displace one sovereign to make room for an- ' 

 other. How do we know that we may not build 

 up a similar class here when we build up a 

 lifetime aristocracy in office, or when we es- 

 tablish a lifetime tenure of office ? It is con- 

 trary to the very genius and spirit of our Gov- 

 ernment. 



" If there be really in the popular mind a 

 demand for any such bill as is usually termed 

 civil-service reform, it is a bill to make perma- 



