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CONGRESS, UNITED STATES. (OiviL- SEE VICE REFORM.) 



nent the positions of those who hold offices, to 

 confine removals to cause alone. The class 

 who ask for it, I think, are a very small minor- 

 ity of the American people. At the same time 

 they ask for it in that spirit and with that 

 purpose, and they would consider themselves 

 mocked if this bill is passed containing no pro- 

 tection for the incumbents against removal 

 without cause. What good does it do as a 

 measure of reform if the power of removal is 

 unlimited and without cause at the mere will 

 or whim of the appointing power ? The civil- 

 service reformers who are most clamorous for 

 action, and who are in earnest about the mat- 

 ter, would consider such a measure, if that is 

 all it means, as a trick, a sham, a delusion. 



" But it requires a competitive examination, 

 say the Senators on the other side, before you 

 put a man into office. There again the bill is 

 a cheat and a mockery. It does no such thing 

 in spirit and substance. For fear there might 

 come a day when a Democratic Executive 

 would administer the affairs of this Govern- 

 ment, and that day might not be very distant, 

 there is a careful provision in this bill that it 

 shall apply only to the lowest class who are to 

 hold office. There shall be a competitive ex- 

 amination for the lowest grade only; that 4s 

 free to all ; and the Senator from Massachu- 

 setts who took his seat a few minutes ago very 

 earnestly stated that that was one of the strong 

 features in it. 



" Now, I believe that there is a very large 

 number of employes in the departments at 

 present, occupying different positions in them, 

 some of them high positions, who are not fit 

 for those places, morally, intellectually, or in 

 any other manner ; but the charmed circle is 

 not to be disturbed. If there chances to be 

 one of the lower clerkships vacant, then the 

 doors are thrown wide open by this bill and 

 every American citizen may come up and com- 

 pete for it. It will not do to go higher than 

 that, for too many Democrats might get in. 

 You Democrats can come up and compete for 

 the lowest clerkships that are to be filled ; but 

 if a vacancy occurs above that, then the Repub- 

 lican employes and officers already in office, 

 and they alone, can apply for the advancement 

 or promotion. That is the civil-service reform 

 that this bill gives to the country ; that is the 

 share that the Democratic party gets in it. I 

 repeat it, under the provisions of this bill the 

 competition is only general for the lowest office 

 that can become vacant. There a Democrat 

 stands a chance to get in this lowest position, 

 but if fifty vacancies occur above it only the 

 present incumbents, the Republican office-hold- 

 ers, can compete for the promotion. That is 

 what it holds out to the Democratic party. That 

 is our share in its benefits. 



" Now, I am going to talk plainly to Demo- 

 crats. It is not required for us to mince words 

 here, for the country very well understands 

 this whole question. The Republican party 

 have had the offices of this Government for 



the last twenty-two years consecutively. The 

 Executive has been Republican, and they have 

 had the distribution of the offices and places. 

 They still have it. True, an avalanche has 

 swept over the country, and with it the strong- 

 est condemnation of the practices of that party. 

 It is true this was in the off year, and not the 

 presidential year, but prudent, sagacious men 

 on the other side of the chamber understand 

 this as well as we do on this side. If we make 

 no great blunders and I know I have heard 

 it said on the other side that they rely a great 

 deal on Democratic blunders, for we sometimes 

 make them unless the Democracy is guilty of 

 great folly on some important questions there 

 can be, to my mind, and I think to the minds 

 of Senators generally, but little doubt that the 

 next President of this republic will he a Dem- 

 ocrat. 



" I am speaking now to Democrats. How 

 do you go into that campaign ? Suppose you 

 put my honorable and worthy friend from 

 Ohio (Mr. Pendleton), or my honorable friend 

 from Delaware (Mr. Bayard), or any other one 

 of the prominent and able gentlemen mentioned 

 for the place, in nomination for the presidency, 

 and you go before the Democratic masses of 

 the United States and tell them that you are 

 handicapped ; that all the offices that amount 

 to anything, the higher and more important 

 places, are already disposed of. ' Disposed of 

 how ? ' they will inquire. ' Why, the Republi- 

 can party have had them for twenty-two years, 

 and seeing that there was a probability of a 

 change of administration ' to put it in no 

 stronger light 'they have hedged, and they 

 have taken good care of themselves ; they 

 have passed a civil-service bill and Democrats 

 have helped them to enact it ; and we have it 

 on the statute-book now that there is no Dem- 

 ocrat to be put into office in any of the execu- 

 tive departments except in the lowest positions. 

 Above them the Republicans alone may com- 

 pete with each other for the places ; but there 

 is no chance for a Democrat.' 



" In a free republican government like this 

 those who belong to both parties fight for office 

 as well as principle. Do you believe that the 

 Democratic leaders in all the different States 

 would work with the same energy, and zeal, 

 and ability as they would if you held out to 

 them a chance of a change of the offices, with 

 the change of the Executive ? It would be con- 

 trary to all the history of the past to expect 

 any such work. 



" I know it has been replied to this that the 

 Democratic candidate would not likely have so 

 strong opposition from the Republican office- 

 holders in office. I have no faith in that. The 

 Republican office-holders are usually ardent, 

 true Republicans ; they believe in the princi- 

 ples and practices of their party, and they want 

 to promote and perpetuate them, and they he- 

 lieve that that party has a sort of divine right 

 to the offices of this Government, and they 

 will be as true to their party in the campaign 



